Department of Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies.
Memory. 2013 Jan;21(1):44-63. doi: 10.1080/09658211.2012.704927. Epub 2012 Aug 22.
Two studies in different cultures (Study 1: USA, N=174, Study 2: Trinidad, N=167) examined whether meaning making, (i.e., both searching for meaning, and directing behaviour) is positively related to subjective well-being (SWB) by age (younger, older adults). In both studies, participants self-reported engagement in meaning making, and SWB (e.g., affect, future time perspective, psychological well-being). In Study 1, young Americans (compared to older) more frequently used their past to direct behaviour but doing so was unrelated to SWB. In older Americans, both types of meaning making were positively associated with SWB. In Study 2, Trinidadian younger adults were again more likely than older adults to engage in meaning making. Unlike in the American sample, however, directing behaviour was positively related to SWB for both young and older adults. The studies demonstrate that whether meaning making shows benefits for SWB may depend on type of meaning, age and culture. Note that although meaning making was sometimes unrelated to SWB, no detrimental relations to meaning making were found. The discussion focuses on the role of moderators in understanding when meaning making should lead to benefits versus costs to SWB.
两项在不同文化背景下的研究（研究 1：美国，N=174；研究 2：特立尼达和多巴哥，N=167）考察了意义建构（即寻找意义和指导行为）是否与主观幸福感（SWB）呈正相关，其影响因素包括年龄（年轻人和老年人）。在两项研究中，参与者都自我报告了意义建构和 SWB（如情感、未来时间观、心理幸福感）的参与程度。在研究 1 中，年轻的美国人（与老年人相比）更频繁地利用过去来指导行为，但这种做法与 SWB 无关。而对于美国老年人来说，这两种类型的意义建构都与 SWB 呈正相关。在研究 2 中，特立尼达的年轻成年人再次比老年人更有可能参与意义建构。然而，与美国样本不同的是，对于年轻人和老年人来说，指导行为与 SWB 呈正相关。这些研究表明，意义建构是否对 SWB 有益可能取决于意义的类型、年龄和文化。需要注意的是，尽管意义建构有时与 SWB 无关，但并未发现其对意义建构有任何不利影响。讨论的重点是调节因素在理解意义建构何时应该对 SWB 带来益处或成本方面的作用。
