The Ecology of Purposeful Living Across the Lifespan: Developmental, Educational, and Social Perspectives

This book explores what it means to live a purposeful life and outlines the benefits associated with purpose across different life domains. It also demonstrates that purpose in life is not reducible to constructs such as happiness, well-being, or identity development.The importance of having a sense of purpose in life is attracting renewed attention in both scientific and social arenas. Mounting evidence from intricately designed experiments and large-scale studies reveals how pursuing a purpose can make a person happier, healthier, and even lengthen their lifespan. However, existing texts on purpose have said little on why having has these effects, how it may influence our ability to navigate diverse environments, or how best to consider the construct from a multidisciplinary approach that moves beyond psychology.Recognizing this gap in the literature, this book provides multidisciplinary perspectives on the topic of purpose, and examines what we can do as researchers, interventionists, and society as a whole to imbue purposefulness in the lives of people across the lifespan. It includes contributions from key figures on topics such as identity, health, youth programs and youth purpose, diversity, aging and work.

About the Author

Anthony L. Burrow is an Associate Professor at the Department of Human Development, and Director of the Purpose and Identity Processes Laboratory, Cornell University. His research investigates how individuals derive a sense of purpose and identity, particularly during adolescence and emerging adulthood. He is also Co-director of the Program for Research on Youth Development and Engagement at the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research. Anthony received his B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Florida International University. He completed his postdoctoral training at the Multicultural Research Institute at the University of Notre Dame. Patrick L. Hill is an Associate Professor at the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis. He is the Director of the Purpose, Aging, Transitions, and Health Laboratory and Faculty Scholar at the Institute for Public Health. His research focuses on the role of sense of purpose in predicting important outcomes throughout the lifespan and how individuals find a direction for life. Patrick received his B.A. from Indiana University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame. He completed his postdoctoral training at The University of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign.