The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability and construct validity of a Japanese translation of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire-Short Form (MLQ-SF-J), a brief self-report measure of the presence of meaning in life. Data were collected from two samples of 382 Japanese college students (177 women, 205 men; mean age = 20.92 years, SD = 0.66) and 407 Japanese adult workers (196 women, 211 men; mean age = 38.83 years, SD = 9.88). Exploratory factor analysis clearly supported the expected one-factor structure of the MLQ-SF-J in both samples. The MLQ-SF-J was found to have good internal consistency reliability in both samples (Cronbach’s alphas = 0.80 and 0.86) and 4-week test-retest reliability in the student sample ( r = 0.70). As expected, moderate correlations with hedonic well-being scores and high correlations with eudaimonic well-being scores were generally found in both samples. Correlations between scores on the MLQ-SF-J and a purpose in life scale were also high, as expected. The MLQ-SF-J was found to be a reliable and valid measure useful for a large-scale research on purpose in life in the Japanese population.
KeywordsMeaning in LifeMeaning in Life Questionnaire-Short FormJapanese Trans-lationReliabilityConstruct ValidityCollege StudentAdult Worker
Antonovsky, A. (1987). Unraveling the Mystery of Health: How People Manage Stress and Stay Well. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Battista, J., & Almond, R. (1973). The Development of Meaning in Life. Psychiatry, 36, 409-427. https://doi.org/10.1080/00332747.1973.11023774
Bloch, J. H., Farrell, J. E., Hook, J. N., Van Tongeren, D. R., Penberthy, J. K., & Davis, D. E. (2017). The Effectiveness of a Meditation Course on Mindfulness and Meaning in Life. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 4, 100-112. https://doi.org/10.1037/scp0000119
Brislin, R. W. (1970). Back-Translation for Cross-Cultural Research. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 1, 185-216. https://doi.org/10.1177/135910457000100301
Crumbaugh, J. C., & Maholick, L. T. (1964). An Experimental Study in Existentialism: The Psychometric Approach to Frankl’s Concept of Noogenic Neurosis. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 20, 200-207. https://doi.org/10.1002/1097-4679(196404)20:2 3.0.CO;2-U
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2008). Hedonia, Eudaimonia, and Well-Being: An Introduction. Journal of Happiness Studies, 9, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-006-9018-1
Diener, E, Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The Satisfaction with Life Scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49, 71-75. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4901_13
Diener, E., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Beyond Money: Toward an Economy of Well-Being. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 5, 1-31. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0963-7214.2004.00501001.x
Diener, E., Lucas, R. E., & Scollon, C. N. (2006). Beyond the Hedonic Treadmill: Revising the Adaptation Theory of Well-Being. American Psychologist, 61, 305-314. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.61.4.305
Diener, E., Wirtz, D., Tov, W., Kim-Prieto, C., Choi, D. W., Oishi, S., & Biswas-Diener, R. (2010). New Well-Being Measures: Short Scales to Assess Flourishing and Positive and Negative Feelings. Social Indicators Research, 97, 143-156. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-009-9493-y
George, L. S., & Park, C. L. (2013). Are Meaning and Purpose Distinct? An Examination of Correlates and Predictors. Journal of Positive Psychology, 8, 365-375. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2013.805801
Heintzelman, S. J., & King, L. A. (2014a). Life Is Pretty Meaningful. American Psychologist, 69, 561-574. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035049
Heintzelman, S. J., & King, L. A. (2014b). (The Feeling of) Meaning-as-Information. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 18, 153-167. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868313518487
Keyes, C. L. M., Shmotkin, D., & Ryff, C. D. (2002). Optimizing Well-Being: The Empirical Encounter of Two Traditions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82, 1007-1022. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.82.6.1007
Martela, F., & Steger, M. F. (2016). The Three Meanings of Meaning in Life: Distinguishing Coherence, Purpose, and Significance. Journal of Positive Psychology, 11, 531-545. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2015.1137623
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2001). On Happiness and Human Potentials: A Review of Research on Hedonic and Eudaimonic Well-Being. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 141-166. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.141
Ryff, C. D., & Keyes, C. L. M. (1995). The Structure of Psychological Well-Being Revisited. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 719-727. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.69.4.719
Ryff, C. D., & Singer, B. H. (1998). The Contours of Positive Human Health. Psychological Inquiry, 9, 1-28. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli0901_1
Scheier, M. F., Wrosch, C., Baum, A., Cohen, S., Martire, L. M., Matthews, K. A., Schulz, R., & Zdaniuk, B. (2006). The Life Engagement Test: Assessing Purpose in Life. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 29, 291-298. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-005-9044-1
Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive Psychology: An Introduction. American Psychologist, 55, 5-14. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.5
Steger, F. M., & Samman, E. (2012). Assessing Meaning in Life on an International Scale. International Journal of Wellbeing, 2, 182-195. https://doi.org/10.5502/ijw.v2i.i3.2
Steger, M. F. (2009). Meaning in Life. In S. J. Lopez, & C. R. Snyder (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology (2nd ed., pp. 679-687). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195187243.013.0064
Steger, M. F. (2012). Experiencing Meaning in Life: Optimal Functioning at the Nexus of Well-Being, Psychopathology, and Spirituality. In P. T. P. Wong (Ed.), The Human Quest for Meaning: Theories, Research, and Applications (2nd ed., pp. 165-184). New York: Routledge.
Steger, M. F., & Kashdan, T. B. (2007). Stability and Specificity of Meaning in Life and Life Satisfaction over One Year. Journal of Happiness Studies, 8, 161-179. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-006-9011-8
Steger, M. F., Frazier, P., Oishi, P., & Kaler, M. (2006). The Meaning in Life Questionnaire: Assessing the Presence of and Search for Meaning in Life. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53, 80-93. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.53.1.80
Steger, M. F., Kawabata, Y., Shimai, S., & Otake, K. (2008). The Meaningful Life in Japan and the United States: Levels and Correlates of Meaning in Life. Journal of Research in Personality, 42, 660-678. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2007.09.003
Steger, M. F., Shin, J. Y., Shim, Y., & Fitch-Martin, A. (2013). Is Meaning in Life a Flagship Indicator of Well-Being? In A. S. Waterman (Ed.), The Best within Us: Positive Psychology Perspectives on Eudaimonia (pp. 159-182). Washington DC: American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/14092-009
Streiner, D. L., Norman, G. R., & Cairney, J. (2015). Health Measurement Scales: A Practical Guide to Their Development and Use (5th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/med/9780199685219.001.0001
Sumi, K. (2008). Optimism, Pessimism, Social Support, and Psychological Adjustment: A Test of a Mediation Model. Journal of Educational and Health Science, 53, 119-125 [In Japanese].
Sumi, K. (2013). Reliability and Validity of Japanese Versions of the Flourishing Scale and the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience. Social Indicators Research, 118, 601-615. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-013-0432-6
Sumi, K. (2014). Temporal Stability of the Japanese Versions of the Flourishing Scale and the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience. Journal of Psychology and Psychotherapy, 4, 140. https://doi.org/10.4172/2161-0487.1000140
Sumi, K. (2018). The Japanese Translation of the Life Engagement Test: Reliability and Construct Validity in a College Student Population and a Working Adult Population. International Journal of Psychology and Behavior Analysis, 4, IJPBA-136. https://doi.org/10.15344/2455-3867/2018/136
Waterman, A. S. (1993). Two Conceptions of Happiness: Contrasts of Personal Expressiveness (Eudaimonia) and Hedonic Enjoyment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64, 678-691. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.64.4.678