A stable sense of purpose helps teens navigate life’s challenges

Like their emotions and self-esteem, teenagers' sense of purpose fluctuates day to day, and those who experience it steadily - not just intensely - may benefit most, new Cornell research finds.

Studying the phenomenon in adolescents for the first time, the research adds to an emerging understanding that purpose is not a constant, have-it-or-you-don't trait measurable at any one time, as implied by most research to date.

Rather, the researchers said, teens may feel purpose ebb and flow in response to the daily challenges of adolescence, when purpose is emerging and can help students navigate changes. Parents and mentors can monitor that variability and try to reduce big swings in purposefulness, which could reflect vulnerability in their adaptation, said Anthony Burrow, the Ferris Family Associate Professor of Life Course Studies in the Department of Psychology and College of Human Ecology.

"Researchers have mostly considered purpose as a trait and not thought as much about the moments in a person's life when they feel far more purposeful than others, or when they feel less so," said Burrow, director of the Purpose Science and Innovation Exchangeand Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research. "Those with the potential to help shape young people's environments should think as much about the capacity to sustain purposeful pursuits as they do the intensity with which a young person expresses their purpose at any one time."

Burrow is the first author of "Within-Person Variability in Daily Purpose Moderates the Association Between Trait Purpose and Adolescent Adjustment," published in the Journal of Research on Adolescence. Kaylin Ratner, Ph.D. '20, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, is the co-author.

A small set of prior studies focused on adults had hinted that purpose is a more dynamic experience - something long documented about other psychological assets, including emotions ("affect") and self-esteem. Self-esteem, for example, may be called stable or fragile at different times, and big swings are understood as potentially problematic, reflecting vulnerability.

Applying methodologies from those domains to purpose, Burrow and Ratner worked with a national sample of more than 320 high-schoolers enrolled in a 10-week, independent "learning challenge" through the nonprofit GripTape. The students chose a topic of interest to study and checked in regularly on their progress with an adult "champion."

Study participants completed an initial survey about how purposeful and engaged their lives felt - the traditional, single-point-in-time measure used in most research. They also completed daily diaries throughout the 70-day challenge, responding to the question, "How purposeful did you feel today?" Responses were analyzed to show each participant's average sense of purpose over the 70 days and degree of deviation from that average, and how much their purpose swung between any two consecutive days.

The results showed that teens who reported a higher baseline sense of purpose tended to experience purpose more consistently over time - but were not immune from day-to-day variability. In addition, those with less variability over time reported greater well-being and self-esteem.

"Perhaps," the authors wrote, "a stable sense of purpose operates like a compass: It may keep adolescents generally oriented but cannot prevent occasional undulations in terrain from steering them off course."

The findings further establish purpose as variable, not fixed, Burrow said, and should spur future research about specific experiences that cause ups and downs. Knowing about those fluctuations, he said, suggests opportunities to help young people sustain purpose, including by limiting their highs or lows.

"Like most things worth having, extreme fluctuations might prove to be problematic over the long haul," Burrow said. "Remaining even keel is probably better. When it comes to feeling purposeful, stability might be far more advantageous than bouncing around."

The researchers have found that providing teens opportunities to shape their own learning can heighten purpose, as in GripTape's challenges and The Contribution Project, which funds teens' ideas for how to make a difference in the world - a program Burrow started at Cornell and has expanded to the State University of New York. Among GripTape participants, Burrow said, students report feeling most purposeful on days when they met with adult champions.

The variability of purpose doesn't necessarily make it more difficult to cultivate, Burrow said, just something to be aware of on an ongoing basis.

"It's an opportunity to pay more attention to the fullness of our experiences," he said. "Let's keep monitoring for experiences and settings that seem to support a sense of purpose, because if we do that, we might be able to curate more enduring positive experiences for young people."

The research was supported by the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.