This study tested the general hypothesis that a mature religious commitment should aid youth in their search for meaning in life. The inveshgators administered a questionnaire to 427 college freshman and sophomores between the ages of 18 and 20 in six midweatern colleges. The results indicated that intrinsically motivated Ss, committed Ss, and true believers had significantly higher Purpose in Life mean teat scores than did extrinsically motivated Ss, uncommitted Ss, and unbelievers. The results also indicated that religious integration (moral commitment paired with s iritual commitment) is indicative of meanin in life. The study conclud3 that a mature religious commitment shoulf aid youth in their search for meaning in life.Modern Western man appears to be in existential trouble. Many of the great thinkers of recent times believe that as a people we are beginning to lose firm hold on our values, our spiritual grounding, and our meaning for existence. Johnson (1956) has emphasized the fact that modern Western man's central problems are of a religio-philosophical nature and stem from an inner sense of valuelessness that leads to the question of whether life itself any longer can be considered meaningful. Maslow (1970, p. 82) also has noted that "the ultimate disease of our time is valuelessness." Fabry (1968) has summed up quite well man's dilemma. Man is in a crucial in-between period. Many no longer trust social institutions as a source of direction. Many reject God as a relevant source of direction in today's contemporary world. And few are able to shoulder the personal responsibility of finding direction in life by themselves. Thus, man's rejection of institutional and spiritual guidance, coupled with an inability to affirm existentially his own inner sense of responsibility, leads him to feel "unled, alone, unprotected, drifting, and in despair [Fabry, 1968, p. 1331." Frankl (1972 concurs and believes that this feeling of despair has become ubiquitous. Frankl refers to this condition as the "existential vacuum." It is characterized by feelings of emptiness, boredom, valuelessness, and meaninglessness. Frankl offers evidence that youth all over the world are being engulfed by the existential vacuum.In light of man 's precarious existential predicament, Frankl (1963's precarious existential predicament, Frankl ( , 1965's precarious existential predicament, Frankl ( , 1967's precarious existential predicament, Frankl ( , 1969 has proposed a unique approach for the study of man known as logotherapy, which places central emphasis upon man's inherent spiritual (noetic) nature and the transcendental need for man to find meaning in life. Frankl appears to place a strong emphasis upon a mature spiritual commitment as a basis for the discovery of meaning and purpose in life.This leads to the central thesis of the present paper, which is that a mature religious commitment will aid youth in their search for meaning in life.
METHODThe investigators administered a questionnaire to 427 college freshmen and sophomores betw...
