Pathways to the development of purpose in life among ethnic minority adolescents

Purpose in life has been defined as a sense of meaning, direction, and commitment to valued long-term goals. Developing a sense of purpose in life is an important task during adolescence and considered an essential developmental asset. However, current understandings of how adolescents, particularly those with an ethnic minority background, develop their life purpose remain limited. This qualitative study explored the pathways through which ethnic minority adolescents develop a sense of purpose in life. This study conducted 19 semi-structured interviews with ethnic minority adolescents, mainly Hispanic and Asian, aged 14-18 years old (47% male) residing in urban areas of the Mountain West region of the United States. Interviews were conducted in person at a location preferred by participants (63%) or via Zoom between December 2023 and April 2024. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. Ethnic minority adolescents described four pathways to developing their sense of purpose in life: proactive (through active exploration and curiosity), reactive (in response to a meaningful or transformative life event), social learning (through the observation and modeling of others), and growth mindset (through the belief in personal growth from challenges). Our findings align with three pathways previously theorized in the literature (proactive, reactive, social learning) and suggest growth mindset as an additional pathway. The growth-mindset pathway appeared to be particularly relevant for ethnic minority adolescents, as they often navigate adverse life experiences within the broader majority culture. This study contributes to our understanding of how ethnic minority adolescents can transform adverse life experiences into opportunities for developing a sense of purpose in life.