Concordance of goals and meaning in the family domain: Associations with demographic variables and well-being

Abstract

Goals and meaning as important constructs of eudaimonic well-being have been studied separately, but research is scant on the concordance of goals and meaning, especially in specific life domains. The aim of this study was to explore the concordance of goals and meaning in the family domain, and how different patterns of concordance are associated with demographic variables and indicators of well-being. Patterns of concordance for goals and meaning in this study were conceptualised as no-goal-no-meaning, both-goal-and-meaning, only-goal-no-meaning, and only-meaning-no-goal. A mixed methods convergent parallel design was used with simultaneous cross-sectional collection of quantitative and qualitative data. Qualitative data were transformed to quantitative data using the coding categories developed by Delle Fave et al (2011). The coded qualitative data on goals and meaning as manifested in the family life domain were analysed to establish the degree of concordance thereof. Participants were 585 South Africans - 18 years or older with at least a high school educational level. Measures included a Sociodemographic questionnaire; Satisfaction with Life Scale; Positive-Negative Affect Schedule; Meaning in Life Questionnaire; Mental Health Continuum; Semi-structured open-ended questions on important goals and meaning. The frequency of important goals and meaningful things, were analysed to determine the alignment patterns between goals and meaning per person within the family domain, followed by one- and two-way ANOVA’s which were applied to establish associations among variables. Results indicated a high frequency of the goals-and-meaning pattern in the family domain. Significant interactions were found among patterns of concordance, sociodemographic variables and specific indices of well-being. Concordance patterns differed among age and marital status groups. Findings suggested that the understanding of well-being can be informed by taking sociodemographic variables and how they relate to alignment patterns of goals and meaning for the family domain into consideration, as identified in this study. Further research exploring the same topic in other life domains and other cultural contexts is suggested.