Purpose in Life: A Critical Component of Optimal Youth Development

ISBN-13: 9789400774902 / Angielski / Twarda / 2013 / 175 str.

Kendall Bronk; Kendall Cotton Bronk

Opis

Recently psychologists have made a dramatic change in the way they approach the study of human development. Whereas researchers used to target ways of minimizing individuals' suffering and shortcomings, today we recognize this is insufficient and are increasingly focused on understanding and promoting optimal human development, or thriving. This new, more hopeful perspective on human capacity has been particularly influential with regards to the study of young people where, as leaders of the field note, being problem free is not the same as being fully prepared. Therefore research increasingly features youths' talents, assets, and pathways to flourishing. Key among the list of critical contributors to positive youth development is a purpose in life. Recently, research on the topic of youth purpose has exploded, and having personally been involved in conducting studies of purpose for the better part of the past decade, this book will synthesize, organize, and make sense of this rapidly growing body of research. The aim is to make sense of the disparate perspectives on the construct and to position purpose in the broader frame of positive psychology. Despite the obvious need, no such book exists. Purpose in Life: A Critical Component of Optimal Human Development will identify and integrate distinct strands of research on purpose. It will open with a comprehensive yet detailed discussion of the various definitions scholars have put forth that distinguish purpose from meaning, goals, ultimate concerns, and other related concepts. The book features a chapter that highlights research on the experience of leading a life of purpose. Compelling studies have explored both the daily and longer-term experience of a purposeful existence. Other chapters will delve deeply into measurement of the purpose construct and into research on the prevalence and forms of purpose among diverse groups of youth, including individuals from urban, suburban, and rural regions and individuals from different ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. Another chapter will focus on the developmental trajectory of purpose, as research finds the construct plays an especially important role in the transition to adulthood. Next the book will feature a chapter dedicated to a rigorous review of research on the central role purpose plays in supporting the healthy growth of young people. Following will be a section that identifies positive correlates of purpose and attempts to glean from existing research the mechanism through which purpose helps promote optimal development. In addition to addressing different types of purposes, including civic, religious, service-oriented, family, and professional purposes, this book will include a chapter that outlines the steps adults can take to foster purpose among young people. This chapter will cover research on a wide range of social and ecological supports for purpose. Finally, the book will conclude with a chapter that highlights weaknesses and identifies important gaps in the research on purpose. The book offers a state of the science on youth purpose, it clearly and succinctly synthesizes the sizable and rapidly growing body of research on youth purpose in a comprehensive yet easily accessible manner. This monograph will serve as an important research tool for quality of life scholars interested in conducting research on a wide range of positive psychology topics.

Recenzje

From the reviews:

"In her book Purpose in Life: A Critical Component of Optimal Youth Development, Kendall Cotton Bronk presents a review of research on the topic of purpose and highlights her own and others' research from the Youth Purpose Project as well as many other studies on the topic. ... This book will be of interest and value to graduate students and faculty who are conducting studies on the topic." (Patricia T. Ashton and Shanee Toledano, PsycCRITIQUES, Vol. 59 (15), April, 2014)

Spis treści

Chapter 1. Introduction and Definition.- Chapter 2. Measuring Purpose.- Chapter 3. The Role of Purpose in Optimal Human Functioning.- Chapter 4. Purpose across the Lifespan.- Chapter 5. Origins and Supports for Purpose.- Chapter 6. Inspiring Types of Purposes in Life.- Chapter 7. The Experience of Purpose among Diverse Groups of Individuals.- Chapter 8. Youth Purpose Exemplars.- Chapter 9. Future Directions for Purpose Research.

O autorze

Dr. Kendall Cotton Bronk is an educational psychologist interested in positive youth development and the moral growth of young people. For the past 12 years she has investigated these topics through the lens of young people’s life purposes. Her research has explored the relationship between life purposes and healthy growth, ways young people discover life purposes, and the developmental trajectory of youth with strong commitments to various life purposes. A surprising finding emerged from her longitudinal research on the topic; many of the young people with life purposes ended up becoming entrepreneurs. In order to fill a personally meaningful social need, they launched their own businesses. Consequently, Dr. Bronk’s research has more recently focused on how young business leaders develop and on the important role of humility among effective entrepreneurs.  In addition to her substantive interests, Dr. Bronk has also helped define and outline the parameters of the exemplar methodology, an approach that allows researchers to gain a view not only of typical and deficient growth, but also of exemplary development, which is critical for a full understanding of human development. Dr. Bronk teaches undergraduate, masters, and doctoral classes on adolescent development, lifespan development, and research methods. After graduating with a B.S. from Northwestern University, Dr. Bronk earned her doctorate from Stanford University.

Blurb

This volume integrates and makes sense of the growing body of theoretical and empirical research conducted on purpose across the lifespan.  It opens with a comprehensive yet detailed discussion of the definitions of purpose most commonly used in studies on the topic.  In addition to defining the construct, the author also discusses its philosophical roots and distinguishes it from related concepts, including meaning, goals, and ultimate concerns.  This volume discusses the disparate perspectives on the construct and addresses the tendency to position purpose in the broader frame of positive psychology.  It synthesizes distinct strands of research on purpose across the lifespan, it explores studies on the daily and longer-term experience of a purposeful existence, and it delves deeply into the wide range of measurement tools that have been used to assess the purpose construct.  Further, it examines the prevalence and forms of purpose among diverse groups of youth and discusses the developmental trajectory of the construct. Other topics discussed include the central role of purpose in supporting optimal well-being and positive youth development.  The book closes with empirically-supported steps adults, educators, and mentors can take to effectively and intentionally foster purpose among young people and makes recommendations for future research on the topic.