Department or Program
Psychology
Abstract
Purpose in life is associated with better physical and psychological well-being (Bonebright, Clay, & Ankenmann, 2000; Eriksson & Lindström, 2006; Ishida & Okada, 2006; Kashdan & McKnight, 2013; McKnight & Kashdan, 2009; Zika & Chamberlain, 1992). One explanation as to how purpose benefits individuals’ physical and psychological health is through its ability to reduce stress (Antonovsky, 1986; Hong, 2008; Ishida & Okada, 2006; McSherry & Holm, 1994). Research suggests that purposeful individuals are better able to handle stressors than other individuals (Bronk, 2014). The goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between purpose and stress. This study specifically evaluated the relationship between purpose and salivary cortisol reactivity to a laboratory-induced social stressor. Additionally, three explanations that Bronk (2014) posits for how stress is related to purpose were evaluated. Participants completed the purpose in life subscale of the Ryff’s Scales of Psychological Well-Being (Ryff, 1989; Ryff & Keyes, 1995) and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (Zimet, Dahlem, Zimet & Farley, 1988), and participated in the Trier Social Stress Test (Kirschbaum, Pirke, & Hellhammer, 1993). Participants also ranked how stressed they felt during the stress induction on a Visual Analog Scale. Saliva samples were taken before and after the stress induction, and salivary cortisol concentrations were measured using Salimetrics ELISA kits. The results indicated that purpose was not associated with cortisol reactivity and not associated with psychological stress perceptions. Purpose in life was marginally associated with social support, and was specifically associated with perceived friends support and perceived family support. Finally, although purpose in life was not associated with cortisol reactivity, purpose was associated with post-stressor cortisol concentration values. Implications and future directions for research are discussed.
Level of Access
Restricted: Campus/Bates Community Only Access
First Advisor
Nigro, Georgia
Date of Graduation
5-2018
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Recommended Citation
Magin, Zachary Eli, "The Relationship Between Purpose in Life and Salivary Cortisol Reactivity to a Social Stressor" (2018). Honors Theses. 238.
https://scarab.bates.edu/honorstheses/238
Number of Pages
60
Restricted
Available to Bates community via local IP address or Bates login.