The Importance of Purpose in Life in an Older British Methodist Sample: Pastoral Implications

Abstract

This article reports the main findings of a quantitative and qualitative empirical study of the well-being of more than 400 older British Methodists measured in terms of their continuing purpose in life. Independent variables include personality, life experience, religious coping, attitudes to death, and religiosity variously measured. Its theoretical basis is drawn from Frankl and Tornstam. The main findings are that purpose in life is positively related to a collaborative religious coping style, an approach-centred death attitude, intrinsic religiosity, and spiritual transcendence. Although purpose decreases with age, gerotranscendence is shown to increase. The pastoral implications of these findings are discussed.