Meaningful Life Index: development and pilot testing of the methodology
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17721/BPSY.2026.1(23).17Keywords:
meaning in life, meaningful life, existential categories, subjectivity, logotherapy, self-reported happiness, psychometric validation, agency, happinessAbstract
Background. In the contemporary context of uncertainty, crises, and the digitalization of the social environment, the problem of meaning in life acquires particular importance as a resource for maintaining personal subjectivity and internal coherence. At the same time, existing psychodiagnostic instruments mainly assess the general level of meaning or the search for it and are less capable of capturing its structural and processual realization. The aim of this study is to develop and conduct a pilot testing of the "Meaningful Life Index" (MLI) as a tool for the quantitative analysis of existential categories, as well as to examine its relationship with self-reported happiness.
Methods. The methodology was developed based on the principles of V. Frankl's logotherapy and existential psychology using a conceptual domain–dimension modeling approach. The questionnaire consists of 15 items grouped into five domains (meaning and life direction, self-transcendence, self-distancing, conditions for self-realization, and deep connections), each represented by three dimensions (value orientation, implementation, and reflection). The pilot study was conducted online on a sample of 76 respondents aged 18–71 years. Descriptive statistics, reliability analysis (Cronbach's α, McDonald's ω), exploratory factor analysis, and correlation analysis were applied.
Results. The overall MLI demonstrated a high level of internal consistency (ω = 0.900; α = 0.899). Factor analysis revealed a single dominant factor (39.6% of variance), confirming the integrative nature of the meaningful life construct. A statistically significant positive correlation was found between MLI and self-reported happiness (ρ = 0.661; p < .001). The strongest associations with happiness were observed for the domains "conditions for self-realization" (ρ = 0.661) and "deep connections" (ρ = 0.620), while the weakest was found for the self-distancing domain. Additional analysis of participants' feedback indicated a high level of correspondence between the results and respondents' self-perception (M = 4.52 out of 5, N = 25).
Conclusions. The MLI is an internally consistent instrument with a pronounced integrative structure, allowing for the quantitative assessment of meaningful life as a multidimensional process of subjectivity realization. The identified relationship with happiness supports the logotherapeutic assumption that happiness emerges as a byproduct of meaning realization. The results demonstrate the potential for further validation of the method and its application in research on existential well-being and subjectivity in the contemporary social context.
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