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

Meaning in Life Questionnaire [MLQ-10]

Description

The Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ-10) is a psychometric instrument developed by Steger, Frazier, Oishi, and Kaler (2006) to assess meaning in life. It consists of 10 items and measures two distinct dimensions: Presence of Meaning and Search for Meaning.

Analysis

The Presence of Meaning subscale assesses the extent to which individuals perceive their lives as meaningful, purposeful, and directed. The Search for Meaning subscale evaluates the extent to which individuals actively seek to find or increase meaning in their lives. Each dimension is assessed through five items.

Objective

The main objective of the MLQ-10 is to measure both the degree of meaning currently experienced in life and the extent to which individuals are searching for additional meaning. The questionnaire is commonly used in research on mental health, well-being, and clinical psychology.

Scoring

Responses are provided on a 7-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 = “strongly disagree” to 7 = “strongly agree.” Scores are calculated separately for the Presence of Meaning and Search for Meaning subscales, allowing the two dimensions to be examined independently.

Psychometric Evaluation

The psychometric evaluation of the MLQ-10 may include internal consistency analysis using Cronbach’s alpha, factor analysis to confirm its two-factor structure, and cross-validation across different populations and sociocultural contexts.

References

Steger MF, Frazier P, Oishi S, Kaler M. The Meaning in Life Questionnaire: Assessing the presence of and search for meaning in life. Journal of Counseling Psychology. 2006;53(1):80–93.

Steger MF. Meaning in life. In: Lopez SJ, ed. Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology. Oxford University Press; 2009:679–687.

Steger MF, Kashdan TB. Stability and specificity of meaning in life and life satisfaction over one year. Journal of Happiness Studies. 2007;8(2):161–179.