Degree and Content of Negative Meaning in Four Different Age Groups in Germany

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the degree and content of negative meaning (i.e., negative evaluations, motivations, feelings) in four different age groups of men and women in East- and West-Germany. A sample was drawn from 290 cities in Germany which was stratified according to four age groups (18-25, 40-54, 55-69, and 70-85), gender and region of residence (West- or East-Germany). A total of 3,306 individuals participated in the study. A sentence completion task was administered to study negative meaning. An analysis of variance was carried out for the degree of negative meaning, as well as binary logistic regression and correspondence analysis for the content of negative meaning to study the differences between the four age groups, gender, and East- and West-Germans. The results showed that the youngest age group, men, and people living in the Western part of Germany reported significantly less negative meaning than other groups. However, the difference between the groups was very small. The negative meaning showed different content in age groups reflecting age-graded developmental tasks. Some gender and regional differences in the content of negative meaning were also found.

Mental Illness and Mental Health: The Two Continua Model Across the Lifespan

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Intrinsic aspirations and personal meaning across adulthood: Conceptual interrelations and age/sex differences.

“…A sense of meaning in life can be both sought and possessed (Steger, Frazier, Oishi, & Kaler, 2006): Searching for meaning entails a motivated process to find and engage with sources of meaning, whereas possessing meaning in life implies achievement of meaning, bringing ongoing feelings of self-worth (Baumeister, 1991), deep fulfillment and value (Battista & Almond, 1973), purpose and direction (Ryff, 1995), and a sense of order and coherence (Battista & Almond, 1979). There is evidence that over the course of adulthood, individuals shift from the search orientation to the possession of meaning (Dittmann-Kohli & Westerhof, 2000; Read, Westerhof, & Dittmann-Kohli, 2005; Reker & Wong, 1988; Steger, Oishi, & Kashdan, 2009), and older adults correspondingly report higher mean levels of self-reported meaning (Meier & Edwards, 1974; Reker, 2005; Reker, Peacock, & Wong, 1987; Van Ranst & Marcoen, 1997). Possessing a sense of meaning has been found to predict emotional, social, and eudemonic well-being (Ryff, 1989; Waterman, 1993), suggesting that seeing life as a meaningful pursuit is an integral part of positive adult functioning.…”