The Psychology of Purpose

And how to find it within life

Bandoro Gunarso
5 min readDec 12, 2020

Humans are curiosity machines. We ask why, we ask what, how and who — all in search of plausible answers, the one that sparks within our intellectual entity.

Stems from which is a question that I found ultimate:

“What is the Purpose of Life?”

This question is tricky — in part — because it confers two types of meaning.

The first meaning deals with seeing life from the outside: What is the purpose of our biological life and its consciousness? How does it matter in the face of stars, galaxies, and whole existence?

This type of question can be well answered through physics, biology, philosophy, and for some — theology.

The second demands more practical answers. It’s about life from the inside, when we as a subject wholeheartedly asking: “What is my purpose within this life? How can I find meaning and fulfillment?”

And it’s better addressed by drawing on the modern psychology.

This article will cover the second type of question: How can one find purpose and meaning in life? — Deciphering what we know in the seek of what might be the suitable answer.

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Bandoro Gunarso

Medical Doctor | Data Scientist, from Indonesia. Human behaviour and Well-being enthusiast.