Questionnaire-Description

The Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ-10) was developed by Steger, Frazier, Oishi, and Kaler (2006) and consists of 10 questions that measure two key dimensions of the meaning of life:
Presence of Meaning: Refers to the extent to which the individual perceives their life as meaningful, purposeful, and directed.
Search for Meaning: Refers to the individual’s effort to find or increase meaning in their life.
The scale includes 5 questions assessing the presence of meaning and 5 questions assessing the search for meaning, with responses given on a 7-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 7 = strongly agree).

Data Analysis and Usage

The data collected from the MLQ-10 is analyzed to assess both the presence of and the search for meaning in life. The analysis of this data can be done using statistical techniques such as:
Factor analysis to confirm the two-dimensional structure of the scale.
Statistical correlations to explore relationships between meaning in life and other psychological factors, such as well-being, anxiety, depression, and psychological resilience.
Multiple regression to predict the impact of meaning in life on various psychological indicators.
The data can be used to understand the role of meaning in life in mental health, quality of life, and to develop intervention strategies.

Purpose

The goal of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ-10) is to measure two important aspects of meaning in life: how much meaning someone currently finds in their life and to what extent they are searching for additional meaning. This scale is often used in mental health research, well-being psychology, and clinical studies examining the sense of meaning as a protective factor against mental health disorders.

Calibration

The calibration of the MLQ-10 involves:
Reliability analysis, such as calculating Cronbach’s alpha to assess the internal consistency of the subscales (Presence and Search).
Factor analysis to confirm the two-factor structure (presence and search for meaning).
Cross-validation with different populations to ensure that the scale is reliable across different sociocultural contexts.

Bibliography

Steger, M. F., Frazier, P., Oishi, S., & Kaler, M. (2006). The Meaning in Life Questionnaire: Assessing the presence of and search for meaning in life. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53(1), 80-93.
Steger, M. F. (2009). Meaning in life. In S. J. Lopez (Ed.), Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology (pp. 679-687). Oxford University Press.
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(2), 161-179.