The essence of life purpose
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Ole Isacson: Development of New Therapies for Parkinson's Disease
Published on: April 29, 2007
1The University of Texas Health Science Center, School of Nursing, Houston, TX 77030, USA. Pamela.J.Hodges@uth.tmc.edu
Abstract:
Life purpose is an important thread of critical care nursing. However, no consensus exists for a definition of life purpose. In addition, ambiguity prevails regarding the manner in which life purpose is incorporated into nursing practice and research. Therefore, through a conceptual synthesis process, this article aims to clarify the essence of life purpose with relevance to health and critical care nursing today. The outcome of the conceptual synthesis is an operational definition to be used in future nursing research. Information was obtained from a literature search of scholarly articles using (1) searches of electronic databases of literature about life purpose and (2) research studies addressing conceptual, substantive, and methodological domains. Topics consisted of the philosophical underpinnings of life purpose, its attributes, definitions, and theoretical frameworks, along with differences in theories and empirical support. Finally, emerging from this process, the article culminates with a proposed conceptual definition of life purpose, which may be applied broadly to older adults in various critical care settings.
Related Concept Videos
Requirements for Human Life
Oxygen
Atmospheric air is only about 20 percent oxygen, but that oxygen is a key component of the chemical reactions that keep the body alive, including the reactions that produce ATP. Brain cells are susceptible to a lack of oxygen because they require a...
Personal Identity
Functions of Life
Metabolism
The basic function of an organism is to consume energy and molecules in foods, convert some of it into fuel for movement, sustain body functions, and build and maintain body structures. There are two types of reactions that accomplish this: anabolism and catabolism.
Anabolism is the process whereby...
Carl Rogers' Humanistic Perspective on Personality
The organism refers to an individual's inherent blueprint, which Rogers saw as innately positive and directed toward helping others, unlike Freud's view of the id as driven by base impulses. The self is a person's...
Maslow's Theory of Basic Human Needs
Physiological needs such as hunger, thirst, sex, physical comfort, and survival are at the bottom of the pyramid. These are the components that are necessary to sustain life. Once the first level of needs has been met, the second level arises.
Safety needs include stability and predictability. Protection and freedom from danger are all a part of...
Characteristics of Life