Concordance of goals and meaning in the spirituality domain: associations with socio-demographic variables

Abstract

Key constructs in the process of human flourishing towards well-being are goals and meaning. These constructs have been studied individually, but limited studies are available on how they are aligned in various domains of life. Both goals and meaning are often value-related and as such may have prominence in the spiritual domain of life. The link between them may, however, differ with age, gender, or other socio-demographic variables. Research on the alignment or concordance of goals and meaning in the spirituality domain of life is scarce, and no literature on the associations with socio-demographic variables in a South African context could be found. This study will address this gap and is an affiliated study of the FORT3 research project making use of data already gathered. The FORT3 research project investigated the prevalence of levels of psychosocial health with regard to the dynamics of and relationships with biomarkers of (ill) health in a South African social context. The aim of this study was to explore the patterns of concordance of goals and meaning in the spirituality domain, and how these patterns are associated with demographic variables. A mixed methods convergent parallel design was used with simultaneous cross-sectional collection of quantitative and qualitative data. Findings showed that very few people mentioned aspects related to spirituality as one of their three most important goals in life or the reasons therefore, but more mentioned spirituality as one of the three most meaningful things in their lives or the motivations therefore. Some indications of an association between socio-demographic variables and the different goal and meaning alignment patterns were found. Specifically, higher standard of living and level of education were associated with a higher probability of mentioning spirituality in goals and meaning. A possible contribution of this study may be that it provides knowledge for the development of well-being interventions towards the facilitation of eudaimonic well-being in life.