According to a new Gallup survey of over 2,000 college graduates, 80 percent believe it’s very or extremely important to have a sense of purpose in their work. Yet fewer than half of them actually succeed in having this experience.It’s not surprising that young people are seeking purpose—adolescents with greater purpose experience greater well-being and hope. Purpose is an abiding aim that directs your behavior, provides a sense of meaning in life, and (under some researchers’ definitions) matters to the world beyond the self.Generally, we think of purpose as something young adults discover in life by exploring their own interests, values, and the different ways they can contribute to the world. But research suggests that some of the foundations of purpose may be built in early childhood. The positive or negative experiences children have may play an important role in whether they grow up to have a sense of purpose at all.
Adversity
Some research suggests that negative experiences early in life can hinder our development of purpose, even decades later.
Psychologist Patrick Hill and his colleagues studied over 3,800 primarily white adults ages 20 to 75. They reported on any early childhood adversity they had experienced—including emotional abuse, physical abuse, poverty, divorced or deceased parents, and poor early physical or emotional health—as well as their sense of purpose as adults.
