Cultural self-views influence meaning making: Self-construals as differential predictors of meaning in life among Filipino university students

• Main Authors: Datu, Jesus Alfonso Daep, Salanga, Maria Guadalupe C.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2018
• Subjects: Self-consciousness (Awareness); Life; Meaning (Psychology); College students > Philippines > Psychology; Psychology
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/faculty_research/2047
• Institution: De La Salle University

Meaning in life refers to the extent to which individuals realize the meaning of their lives (presence of meaning) and are eager to understand the meaning of their existence (search for meaning). Whereas previous research has shown that meaning in life was associated with a wide range of positive psychological outcomes, few investigations explored the social and contextual correlates of a meaningful life. The present study addressed this gap by examining the degree to which self-construal (independent and interdependent self-construals) was differentially related to meaning in life dimensions among Filipino university students. Findings of the structural equation modeling showed that independent self-construal was positively associated with the presence of meaning while interdependent self-construal was positively linked to search for meaning. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed. © 2018 Pontificia Universidad Javeriana.