The purpose of life is a life of purpose. -- Robert Byrne

1. Presented by Jon Dunnemann
YOUTH LIVING A LIFE OF
PURPOSE

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The purpose of life is a life of purpose.
-- Robert Byrne

3. DESIRED OUTCOMES
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• Self-reflection
• Goal-directedness
• Achievement motivation
• Educational aspirations
• Healthy expectations
• Proactive coping
• Resilience to psychological distress
• Greater future orientation
• Greater hope and optimism

4. PURPOSE
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• Deciding what matters
• Making right choices
• Responding to fundamental drives
• Searching for personal meaning
• Standing for something
• Making your life count
• Nurturing the best
• Achieving a well-lived life

5. GOALS AND VALUES
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• Autonomy
• Personal growth
• Self-control
• Sense of control
• Ambition
• Personal responsibility
• Environmental mastery
• Positive spiritual well-being

6. GENERATIVE ROLE
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• Compelling purposes
• Belief system affiliation
• Expanded awareness
• Development of a clear vision
• Integrated narrative of self
• Sense of transcendence
• Shift in perception, knowledge, and skill
• Buffer from traumatic events

7. BELIEF SYSTEMS
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• Identity development
• Attachment and affiliation
• Moral or vision questing
• Spiritual orientation and values perspective
• Strong bonding with others
• Equipping to manage life's challenges
• Commitment to the common good

8. PRIMARY FACTORS
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• Gender
• Ethnicity
• Cultural practices
• Family functioning
• Birth order
• Sibling and peer relations
• Neighbourhood and community
• Schooling and media
• Socio-economic and social status

9. BEHAVIOURAL RESPONSES
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• Anxiety and stress
• Aggression and violence
• Participation in risky and antisocial behaviour
• Popularity and status-seeking
• Shame and quilt
• Spiritual emergencies
• Despair and depression
• Hopelessness and suicidal ideation

10. OPERATIONAL DEFINITION
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• Purpose is a stable and generalized intention to
accomplish something.
• Purpose is part of one's personal search for meaning, but
it also has an external component, the desire to make a
difference in the world, to contribute to matters larger
than the self.
• Purpose is directed at an accomplishment towards which
one can make progress.

11. METHODS FOR ASSESSMENT
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• Private diaries
• Essays not written for public consumption
• Specific questions and interviews
• Questions designed to survey purpose, need to focus on
issues of future orientation, goals, and guiding forces that
direct a young person through life.
• Self-report scales, behaviour checklists, and reports of
personal strivings.

12. CULTIVATING NOBLE PURPOSES
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• Examples throughout history
• Noble purposes being advanced today
• Introducing today's youth to these noble purposes

13. CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS
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People who say they lead meaningful lives are fairly happy,
satisfied with their lives and self, and experience lower
levels of psychological distress, psychological complaints,
substance-related problems, and disruptive behaviour.

14. COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS
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15. RESOURCES USED
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• W. Damon, et al (2003). The Development of Purpose During
Adolescence
• V. Frankl (1984). Man’s Search for Meaning.
• R. J. Leider (2010) The Power of Purpose.
• L. T. E., Mulders. Meaning in life & it's relationship to well-being in
adolescents.
• M. L. Steger, et al (2006). The Meaning in Life Questionnaire: Assessing
the Presence of and the Search for Meaning in Life.
• D. L. Mohan Koos Uys, (2006). Towards Living with Meaning & Purpose:
Spiritual Perspectives of People at Work.

16. THANK YOU
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Jon Dunnemann, Founder and Director
‘N Good Company - An emerging spiritual enterprise
22 Winding River Court
Lakewood, NJ 08701
Email: theintegratedperson@gmail.com
Telephone No.: 1+732. 908.0587