Meaning in Life among Malaysian University Students

Meaning in life is strongly related to mental health and the psychological state of individuals. Man is in a continuous search for meaning to find coherence, significance and purpose in life. However, the perception of meaning in life differs from one individual to another. Meaning in life can be formed from multiple factors, such as experience, culture and religion. Meaning in life and/or the search for meaning in life can have beneficial effects on individuals such as resilience but also depression in individuals that lack it. This research aims to study and explore the perception of Malaysian university students of meaning in life, how it affects them and where they find meaning in life. A descriptive phenomenological qualitative research approach is utilized. A total of 9 participants will be participating in the actual study. A semi-structured in-depth interview will be used to gather data. The data is then analyzed using thematic analysis. The result of the present study shows that: 1) motivation and direction in life and value of self and self-determination is the main component of the perception of Malaysian university students of meaning in life, 2) positive emotions, negative emotions and search for meaning in life is the main component of the effect of meaning in life on Malaysian university students and 3) the sources of meaning in life for Malaysia university students are purpose and goals, family, relationship, religion and God, sense of accomplishment, and death. The novel findings are the emergence of the value of self-determination, death and experiences in life as a component of meaning in life. Given the small and predominantly female sample, the generalizability of the findings is limited. Future research with a more diverse and larger sample is recommended to validate these results. This limitation should be considered when interpreting the findings. Additionally, race and socioeconomic status may also shape an individual’s perception of meaning in life. For instance, individuals from different economic backgrounds may experience and prioritize meaning differently. Similarly, religious beliefs may strongly influence how participants perceive purpose and existential meaning.