Having a sense of purpose is recognized as an important resource for maintaining health and well-being over the life span. We examined associations of individual differences in sense of purpose with levels and rates of change in indices of aging well (health, cognition, and depressive symptoms) in a sample of 1,475 older adults (M[subscript age] =…

The Meaningful Activity Participation Assessment (MAPA), a recently developed 28-item tool designed to measure the meaningfulness of activity, was tested in a sample of 154 older adults. The MAPA evidenced a sufficient level of internal consistency and test-retest reliability and correlated as theoretically predicted with the Life Satisfaction…

The relationships among mattering, purpose in life, depression, and wellness among older adults were explored. Mattering, purpose in life, and depression accounted for 78% of the wellness variance. Older adults perceived that they mattered most to their children and friends. The importance of mattering when counseling older adults is discussed.…

Measured the concept of purpose-in-life and underlying occupational interests and aspirations of older men and women in a gerontological sheltered workshop. Findings, which include that the construct of purpose-in-life and vocational aspirations are poorly related for workshop participants, are discussed in terms of previous research. (Author)

A study examined whether middle-aged adults' attitudes toward persons could be changed in a positive direction through planned educational experiences designed specifically to change attitudes. A sample of 162 middle-aged adults from various sections of North Carolina (89 of whom constituted the experimental group and 79 of whom comprised the…