Thiago Avellar de Aquino 

The Perception of Meaning of Life in Vital Cycle: A Time Perspective

Thiago Avellar de Aquino, Valdiney Gouveia,
Eliseudo Salvino Gomes, Lorena Bandeira Melo de Sá

This study aimed to know to which extent the ontological
perception of time, the sense of presence and
the search for meaning change according to the life
cycle. Participants were 766 volunteers, mostly women
(59%), grouped into the following stratifications: youth (N = 350; 18 to 24 years),
young adult (N = 195; 25 to
34 years), adult (N = 110; 35 to 59 years), and older
adult (N = 111; 60 to 87 years). They answered the
Meaning of Life Questionnaire, the Ontological Perception
of Time Scale and demographic questions. Results
indicated that the presence for meaning increased according
to the cycle life, meanwhile the search for
meaning decreased. It has also observed that adults and
older adults perceived greater presence of meaning in
the present when compared to the young people; moreover,
the mean scores on the future dimension were
lowest among more maturity people. In conclusion, these
findings were in line with the literature, suggesting
clinical implications of this study.
Keywords: logotherapy, meaning of life, temporality,
life cycle.