Finding More Meaning in Meaning-Making: Development and Validation of the Ways of Meaning Scale

Abstract

Meaning-making is an essential quality of human flourishing. Since Frankl, scholars in psychology have investigated over many decades the connection meaning-making has to a several metrics of well-being. This study introduces a novel approach to measuring meaning, called the Logoplex, which identifies the underlying processes that create meaning. In this model, meaning-making is a function of three interlocking processes (a) self vs other; material vs transpersonal, and psychological time perspective. Using this model, we created a measure called the Ways of Meaning Scale, which includes four facets of meaning: (a) solipsism, (b) secular humanism, (c) aesthetic, and (d) transformative. We found strong evidence for the reliability, construct validity, convergent, and discriminant validity of the measure. We also conducted a profile analysis of the four meaning facets and found they were predictive of the central theoretical tenants of the Logoplex, supporting its utility for identifying different types of meaning people create.