PURPOSE IN THE ENCORE YEARS: SHAPING LIVES OF MEANING AND CONTRIBUTION

Abstract

“Pathways to Encore Purpose,” a national study of pur- pose beyond the self among a representative sample of adults age 50–92, examined life goals, prosocial values and behav- iors, perspectives on the progression to later life, and preva- lence of purpose in the post-midlife, or encore, years. The research consisted of an online survey of a nationally rep- resentative sample of 1200 older adults, complemented by over 100 in-depth interviews. This paper will describe what purpose beyond the self looks like among older adults, how their purpose goals related to other more self-oriented goals, and the implications for making purpose more broadly ac- cessible as a good in the lives of older adults and in society.