The Meaning of Life for Nuns: A Phenomenological Study in the Cities of Yogyakarta and Bandar Lampung

Being a nun is a noble calling, but to achieve self-actualization so that one is able to find the meaning of life is a very long and arduous process. This study aims to reveal how a nun can achieve the meaning of life and what aspects underlie this search. The approach used in the study was qualitative one using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and NVIVO12 pro techniques to organize the data. The results of the study found that the achievement of the meaning of life of nuns has five superordinate themes, namely spiritual values, religious behaviour, sacred promises, work and surrender. The aspects that underlie the process of the meaning of life of nuns are five superordinate themes that emerge, namely inner motivation, family functioning, peer support, stress coping and emotional regulation. All of these themes that emerge are things that make a nun able to achieve the meaning of her life from the experiences that occur in her everyday life experience. So it can be concluded that the achievement of a meaningful life is felt as something that is evaluative because it is produced through a process of reflection felt by nuns, which is obtained through their daily lives and the achievement of a meaningful life that is felt to be based on certain aspects that underlie changes in the meaningfulness of a nun's life.