Being Spiritual but Not Religious (SBNR): Testing the Tripartite Meaning in Life Model With Beliefs in Free Will and Determinism as Meaning Frameworks

Although there is an upward trend in people who self-identify as “spiritual but not religious” (SBNR), they largely remain understudied in psychology. Multiculturally and ethically, it is important for psychologists to possess informed knowledge to work with individuals with religious and spiritual backgrounds. Guided by the Tripartite Model of Meaning in Life and conceptualizing beliefs in free will and determinism as meaning frameworks, this study examined the associations among meaning frameworks, meaning dimensions (i.e., comprehension, purpose, and mattering), and meaning judgment among SBNRs. Results indicated that belief in free will was positively associated with all three meaning dimensions but not meaning judgment. Belief in free will positively predicted all three meaning dimensions and meaning judgment. Mediation analyses revealed that belief in free will was indirectly associated with meaning judgment through its positive relation with comprehension. Belief in determinism was not associated with any study variables; purpose and mattering did not mediate the relation between meaning frameworks and meaning judgment. These findings provide important implications for psychologists who work with SBNRs regarding their culturally distinct experiences of existential meaning. The strengths and limitations of the current study as well as future research directions are discussed.