Questionnaires

Meaning Sextet Questionnaire

Vos, J. (2023). The Meaning Sextet: A Systematic Literature Review and Further Validation of a Universal Typology of Meaning in Life. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 36(2), 204-231.

Fill in the Meaning Sextet Questionnaire MSQ to discover which types of meaning are important to you, and which types you are (not) realising in your life. The MSQ measures six types of meaning:

• Materialistic type of meaning (material conditions, professional-educational success)
• Hedonistic type of meaning (hedonistic/embodied experiences)
• Self-oriented type of meaning (resilience, self-efficacy, self-acceptance, autonomy, creative self-expression, self-care)
• Social type of meaning (social connections, belonging, conformism, altruism, and children)
• Larger type of meaning (purposes, personal growth, temporality, justice/ethics, and spirituality/religion)
• Existential-philosophical type of meaning (being-alive, unique, free, grateful, and responsible).

The MSQ was developed as the result via multiple studies: (1) a systematic literature review of 107 studies in 45.710 participants, (2) development by eight experts and Three-Step Test Interview with eight laypeople, (3) a survey in 1281 participants in 49 countries, (4) replication studies (e.g. in Vos, J., 2020, The Economics of Meaning in Life).

This questionnaire can be used for personal or clinical use, but not for commercial profit. Respect the copyright holders.

Download the MSQ here

Meaning Approach Scale

Fill in the Meaning Approach Scale MAS to discover how you approach meaning in life. The MAS measures three approaches to meaning in life:

• Traditional approach to meaning
• Functionalistic approach to meaning
• Phenomenological/critical-intuitive approach to meaning

The traditional approach to meaning, associated with the words ‘vocation’, ‘calling’ and ‘significance’, may be defined as ‘following what other people or Higher Powers communicate, signify or expect about your meaning in life’. This may include following a religion or religious calling, or conforming to social expectations. The resulting sense of meaning may be called a traditional meaning.

The functionalistic approach, associated with the modern words ‘meaning’, ‘purpose’ and ‘goals’, may be defined as ‘determine your own meaning in life, like a mathematical function: do behaviour X, and you will get meaning Y’. This approach of a mechanistic self-direction in life seems to include individuals rationally and consciously decide their meaning in life, defining meaning as random, specific or large goals that they try to strive towards in the most linear-efficient and maximising ways possible. The resulting sense of meaning may be called a functionalistic meaning (or ‘McMeaning’, in Vos, 2019).

The phenomenological or critical-intuitive approach to meaning in life, associated with the word ‘Sinn’, may be defined as ‘listen critically to your intuition’. On the one hand, a critically-intuitive individual accepts the meanings that they intuitively perceive in their flow of experiences (e.g. perceiving what is meaningful via mindful, focused observing their daily-life, or via experiential exercises). On the other hand, a critically-intuitive individual uses their critical thinking skills to differentiate the more-meaningful from the less-meaningful (e.g. being-aware-of and critiqueing inauthenticity and social-economic or political conformism). The resulting sense of meaning may be called a critically-intuited or phenomenological meaning.

The questionnaire can be used for personal or clinical use, but not for commercial profit. Respect the copyright holders.

Download the MAS here