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Inspiring Types of Purpose

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Purpose in Life

Abstract

Sources of inspiring purpose in life are endless. People can be moved to serve their family, their God, their country, or their community. They may also find purpose in promoting a new kind of music, creating a novel art form, or advancing a line of scientific inquiry. Caring for others, teaching, or working on behalf of a personally meaningful cause can also imbue lives with purpose. The body of empirical work on different forms of purpose is surprisingly small, but more studies focus on sources of meaning. While meaning and purpose are not synonymous, research on meaning sheds light on potential kinds of purpose, and consequently, sources of meaning are primarily discussed in this chapter. Likewise, a discussion of the importance of studying different types of purpose along with an outline of some of the more significant challenges involved in doing so is also included. Finally, this chapter features illustrative examples of real people who exemplify distinct types of life purposes.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Participants’ names have been changed.

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  1. Ball State University, Muncie, USA

    Kendall Cotton Bronk

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Bronk, K.C. (2014). Inspiring Types of Purpose. In: Purpose in Life. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7491-9_6

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