Luis A. Marrero
Introduction
Identity self-theories, such as self-determination, self-regulation, self-esteem, and others, have long served as cornerstones in understanding human behavior and motivation. These theories primarily focus on how individuals perceive themselves, navigate challenges, and shape their identities through autonomy, competence, and internal processes. However, recent perspectives in existential psychology and logoteleology suggest that these constructs can be enriched by integrating a more purpose-driven framework—one that emphasizes the pursuit of meaning as central to human identity and growth.
Meaning, as defined by Viktor Frankl (1985), encompasses "what is meant," pointing to the inherent significance and justification behind actions and goals. Luis A. Marrero (2013) extends this idea by defining meaning as “an aim backed by causes,” underscoring the motivational power of purpose when grounded in reasons and justifications (Marrero & Persuitte, 2022). Viewed through this lens, identity self-theories evolve from purely self-focused constructs into dynamic frameworks that align individual development with broader, meaningful aims. This perspective shifts the emphasis from autonomy as the driving force of human behavior to the alignment of one’s identity with meaningful goals that resonate beyond the self.
By applying this meaning-oriented lens, constructs such as self-determination, self-regulation, self-efficacy, and self-compassion are reimagined not merely as mechanisms for individual fulfillment but as pathways to purposeful living. This integration underscores how identity is not only shaped by internal processes but also by the individual’s connection to meaningful aspirations and the justifications behind them. The following sections explore how each identity self-theory can be reframed to emphasize meaning, offering a transformative perspective on identity formation, motivation, and human flourishing.
Here is how this reframe can be conceptualized and explained:
Reframing Identity Self-Theories
Replacing "self" with "meaning" in identity self-theories offers a lens where the pursuit and integration of meaningful goals shape identity:
From Self-Direction to Meaning-Orientation
Self-determination, in its traditional framing (as per Deci and Ryan), emphasizes autonomy, competence, and relatedness as key elements of motivation. This focuses on how individuals determine their path based on internal capacities and environmental influences.
Meaning-determination, however, reframes the concept by placing the pursuit of meaningful aims at the center:
Aim-determined motivation: Rather than autonomy as a primary desire, individuals act based on the pursuit of a meaningful meaning and purpose.
Causal justifications: Motivation stems from reasons or causes tied to personal or transcendent meaning, not just from an intrinsic need for autonomy or competence.
Social embeddedness: The relationship between an individual and their broader context (society, values, existential concerns) becomes more central in determining meaning.
Meaning-Monitoring (Reframing Self-Monitoring)
Traditional View: Self-monitoring describes the extent to which individuals regulate their behavior based on social cues and situational demands.
Logoteleological View: Meaning-monitoring shifts the focus to how individuals evaluate their behavior in alignment with meaningful goals and values. It emphasizes reflection on whether actions resonate with one’s meaningful purpose rather than conforming to external expectations.
Following that line of thought, other self-identities are reframed into meaning-based identities.
Meaning-Regulation (Reframing Self-Regulation)
Traditional View: Self-regulation focuses on the ability to monitor, control, and guide behavior, thoughts, and emotions toward desired goals.
Logoteleological View: Meaning-regulation emphasizes aligning behavior, thoughts, and emotions with a meaningful purpose or meaning-willed goal. The aim is not merely efficiency or adaptation but ensuring that actions resonate with deeper, meaningful, justifiable purposes.
Meaning-Esteem (Reframing Self-Esteem)
Traditional View: Self-esteem involves an individual’s evaluation of their own worth.
Logoteleological View: Meaning-esteem focuses on how well an individual perceives their life and actions as meaningful. It evaluates worthiness not just internally but in relation to fulfilling a purpose or aim that resonates beyond self-interest. A meaningful meaning-esteem is other-oriented.
Meaning-Efficacy (Reframing Self-Efficacy)
Traditional View: Self-efficacy is the belief in one’s ability to execute actions and achieve goals.
Logoteleological View: Meaning-efficacy centers on the belief that one’s efforts are meaningfully purposeful and contribute to a meaningful aim. The focus shifts from competence to conviction that one’s actions serve a justifiable, more significant, and meaningful purpose.
Meaning-Actualization (Reframing Self-Actualization)
Traditional View: Self-actualization (in Maslow’s hierarchy) involves realizing one’s full potential.
Logoteleological View: Meaning-actualization involves realizing aims and goals that contribute to a larger existential purpose, transcending personal fulfillment to focus on broader, value-motivated aspirations.
Meaning-Concept (Reframing Self-Concept)
Traditional View: Self-concept refers to an individual’s perception of their attributes, roles, and identity, forming the basis for self-definition.
Logoteleological View: The meaning concept focuses on how individuals define themselves based on their alignment with meaningful aims and causes. Identity becomes a dynamic process of integration, where people construct their sense of self through their perceived meaningful purpose as justifications for their actions.
Meaning-Image (Reframing Self-Image)
Traditional View: Self-image reflects how individuals view themselves, often influenced by external validation and personal standards.
Logoteleological View: Meaning-image centers on how individuals perceive their alignment with meaningful aims and contributions to broader causes. It focuses on the consistency between one’s sense of identity and the meaningful roles they fulfill in life.
Meaning-Attribution (Reframing Self-Attribution)
Traditional View: Self-attribution involves assigning causes to one’s successes and failures, often linked to internal or external factors.
Logoteleological View: Meaning-attribution emphasizes the role of meaningful causes and justifications in explaining one’s outcomes. It reframes the attribution process to focus on whether actions and results align with meaningful, purposeful aims rather than just individual capability or circumstance.
Meaning-Ideal (Reframing Ideal-Self)
Traditional View: The ideal-self represents an individual’s aspirational version of themselves, shaped by personal and societal expectations.
Logoteleological View: Meaning-ideal shifts the focus to envisioning a self deeply aligned with one’s ultimate meaningful purposes and transcendent goals. It integrates existential aspirations, where the “ideal self” is evaluated based on its coherence with meaningful aims rather than superficial standards of success.
Meaning-Compassion (Reframing Self-Compassion)
Traditional View: Self-compassion involves treating oneself with kindness, understanding, and forgiveness in the face of challenges or failures.
Logoteleological View: Meaning-compassion emphasizes recognizing one’s efforts in pursuing meaningful aims, even amid setbacks. It incorporates the existential acknowledgment of imperfection as part of the journey toward purpose, encouraging resilience and acceptance within the context of meaning-making.
Highlighting the Goal-Orientation of Meaning
To underscore the goal-orientation of meaning within this framework:
Aims as Anchors: A meaning-centered perspective frames human motivation as anchored in aims that provide existential significance. Unlike autonomy-driven frameworks, meaning-orientation emphasizes external or transcendent goals as critical to identity formation.
Meaning as Justification: Each action or state within identity self-theories is justified by how well it aligns with meaningful purposes, echoing Logoteleology’s assertion that causes back aims.
Meaning and Agency: Agency becomes the capacity to act autonomously and in alignment with meaningful causes, integrating personal responsibility with external, socially, or universally significant aims.
Implications of Meaning-Derived Constructs
The shift to "meaning-" prefixes suggest the following implications:
Expanded Focus: Identity becomes less about internal regulation and more about alignment with external, value-determined goals.
Broader Contextual Relevance: This framework links individual identity to social and existential contexts, encouraging a more holistic understanding of human development.
Interconnected Purpose: Individuals are viewed not as isolated agents but as actors in a broader context of meaning-making.
Motivational Depth: Pursuing meaning introduces an existential depth to identity theories, bridging psychological processes with philosophical and practical insights on [Logoteleology’s] meaningful purpose.
Aims as Central to Identity: Identity becomes defined not by internal mechanisms or societal feedback but by one’s alignment with meaningful goals.
Integration with Logoteleology: Meaning-determination resonates with Marrero’s concept of logoteleology, emphasizing that justifiable causes must back meaningful aims.
Conclusion
The proposed meaning-determination and related constructs reframe traditional identity self-theories into a meaningful purpose-oriented paradigm. This perspective stresses that human motivation and identity are not just about self-contained processes but about aligning actions with meaningful goals rooted in justifiable causes. It represents a powerful fusion of psychological and existential perspectives, offering a richer understanding of how people pursue purpose and find fulfillment in their lives.
Applications
In future articles, I will explain the opportunities this new logoteleological perspective provides in daily living and for practitioners.
Boston Institute for Meaningful Purpose. Discovering Life’s Answers ™
Comments by Readers
"Amazing change in perspective which should be a mandatory piece in every training of therapists, no matter which approach they come from Thank you so much for sharing." U. M. Bell
Citations and References
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control. W.H. Freeman and Company.
Baumeister, R. F. (1991). Meanings of Life. Guilford Press.
Frankl, V. E. (1985). Man's Search for Meaning. Beacon Press.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78.
Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–396.
Marrero, L. A. (2013). The Path to a Meaningful Purpose: Psychological Foundations of Logoteleology. iUniverse.
Marrero, L. A. (2020). Blog articles on logoteleology science. Boston Imp.
Marrero, Luis A. & Daniel Persuitte (2022) Meaningful Purpose: A Primer in Logoteleology. iUniverse.
Wong, P. T. P. (2012). Toward a dual-systems model of what makes life worth living. In P. T. P. Wong (Ed.), The Human Quest for Meaning: Theories, Research, and Applications (2nd ed., pp. 3–22). Routledge.
Neff, K. D. (2003). Self-compassion: An alternative conceptualization of a healthy attitude toward oneself. Self and Identity, 2(2), 85–101. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298860309032
Comments