Vazeou-Nieuwenhuis, Anna
(2014)
Pondering Purpose: The Search for Meaning in Life as Motivated Social Cognition.
Master's Thesis, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
The search for meaning in life has been considered a fundamental human motivation (Frankl, 1963). Although research has pointed toward the importance of the search for meaning in life, the basic processes through which it emerges remain unclear. Because the search for meaning entails schema formation in which one connects individual experiences into a coherent framework (Steger, Oishi, & Kesebir, 2011), and abstract thought instigates the organization of information into such knowledge structures (Trope & Liberman, 2010), we predicted that abstract thought would increase the search for meaning in life. Moreover, we predicted that figuratively removing oneself from the here and now would also heighten the search for meaning. Importantly, we predicted that because schema formation is effortful (Shallice & Burgess, 1996), abstract thought and psychological distance would increase the search for meaning to a greater extent when willingness to exert effort is high rather than low. Nine experiments corroborated these predictions, supporting a view of the search for meaning as motivated social cognition.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
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| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
| Creators | Email | Pitt Username | ORCID  |
|---|
| Vazeou-Nieuwenhuis, Anna | anv44@pitt.edu | ANV44 | |
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| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
22 May 2014 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
21 March 2014 |
| Approval Date: |
22 May 2014 |
| Submission Date: |
15 April 2014 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
61 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Psychology |
| Degree: |
MS - Master of Science |
| Thesis Type: |
Master's Thesis |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
search for meaning; abstract thought; psychological distance; motivation; self-regulation |
| Date Deposited: |
22 May 2014 20:49 |
| Last Modified: |
15 Nov 2016 14:19 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/21250 |
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