Presented by Jon Dunnemann

YOUTH LIVING A LIFE OF PURPOSE

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The purpose of life is a life of purpose.

-- Robert Byrne

DESIRED OUTCOMES

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• Self-reflection• Goal-directedness• Achievement motivation• Educational aspirations• Healthy expectations• Proactive coping• Resilience to psychological distress• Greater future orientation• Greater hope and optimism

PURPOSE

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• Deciding what matters• Making right choices• Responding to fundamental drives• Searching for personal meaning• Standing for something• Making your life count• Nurturing the best• Achieving a well-lived life

GOALS AND VALUES

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• Autonomy• Personal growth• Self-control• Sense of control• Ambition• Personal responsibility• Environmental mastery• Positive spiritual well-being

GENERATIVE ROLE

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• Compelling purposes• Belief system affiliation• Expanded awareness• Development of a clear vision• Integrated narrative of self• Sense of transcendence• Shift in perception, knowledge, and skill• Buffer from traumatic events

BELIEF SYSTEMS

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• Identity development

• Attachment and affiliation

• Moral or vision questing

• Spiritual orientation and values perspective

• Strong bonding with others

• Equipping to manage life's challenges

• Commitment to the common good

PRIMARY FACTORS

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• Gender• Ethnicity• Cultural practices• Family functioning• Birth order• Sibling and peer relations• Neighbourhood and community• Schooling and media• Socio-economic and social status

BEHAVIOURAL RESPONSES

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• Anxiety and stress• Aggression and violence• Participation in risky and antisocial behaviour• Popularity and status-seeking• Shame and quilt• Spiritual emergencies• Despair and depression• Hopelessness and suicidal ideation

OPERATIONAL DEFINITION

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• Purpose is a stable and generalized intention to accomplish something.

• Purpose is part of one's personal search for meaning, but it also has an external component, the desire to make a difference in the world, to contribute to matters larger than the self.

• Purpose is directed at an accomplishment towards which one can make progress.

METHODS FOR ASSESSMENT

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• Private diaries• Essays not written for public consumption• Specific questions and interviews• Questions designed to survey purpose, need to focus on

issues of future orientation, goals, and guiding forces that direct a young person through life.

• Self-report scales, behaviour checklists, and reports of personal strivings.

CULTIVATING NOBLE PURPOSES

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• Examples throughout history

• Noble purposes being advanced today

• Introducing today's youth to these noble purposes

CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

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People who say they lead meaningful lives are fairly happy, satisfied with their lives and self, and experience lower levels of psychological distress, psychological complaints, substance-related problems, and disruptive behaviour.

COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS

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RESOURCES USED

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• W. Damon, et al (2003). The Development of Purpose During Adolescence

• V. Frankl (1984). Man’s Search for Meaning.

• R. J. Leider (2010) The Power of Purpose.

• L. T. E., Mulders. Meaning in life & it's relationship to well-being in adolescents.

• M. L. Steger, et al (2006). The Meaning in Life Questionnaire: Assessing the Presence of and the Search for Meaning in Life.

• D. L. Mohan Koos Uys, (2006). Towards Living with Meaning & Purpose: Spiritual Perspectives of People at Work.

THANK YOU

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Jon Dunnemann, Founder and Director

‘N Good Company - An emerging spiritual enterprise

Lakewood, NJ 08701

Email: jon.dunnemann@me.com

Telephone No.: 1+732. 364.0483