A percepção de sentido de vida no ciclo vital: Uma perspectiva temporal

Abstract

This study aimed to know to which extent the ontological perception of time, the sense of presence and the search for meaning change according to the life cycle. Participants were 766 volunteers, mostly women (59%), grouped into the following stratifications: youth (N = 350; 18 to 24 years), young adult (N = 195; 25 to 34 years), adult (N = 110; 35 to 59 years), and older adult (N = 111; 60 to 87 years). They answered the Meaning of Life Questionnaire, the Ontological Perception of Time Scale and demographic questions. Results indicated that the presence for meaning increased according to the cycle life, meanwhile the search for meaning decreased. It has also observed that adults and older adults perceived greater presence of meaning in the present when compared to the young people; moreover, the mean scores on the future dimension were lowest among more maturity people. In conclusion, these findings were in line with the literature, suggesting clinical implications of this study.