Lack of purpose

What is purpose?

Purpose refers to the reason for something’s existence. It is the intention or outcome to which there is a strong meaningful desire attached. There is a deliberate reasoning behind why the person wants to achieve that specific thing. It is usually related to something or someone other than the self. A greater cause.

It can also be an intentional effort to achieve something that leads to productive engagement.

A purpose is different from a goal in that a goal is a means to an end, while a goal is the end. A person with the purpose of wanting to impact and educate the young minds by becoming a teacher has the goal of getting good marks in their exams when in school. Wanting to impact and educate young minds is the end. Getting good grades is a means to achieve the aforementioned end.

Humans can have various kinds of purposes in their lives such as building a family, creating a lasting impact in society, helping others and being a positive presence in community, fighting for a social cause, building something lasting like a business or a charity trust, knowing God, travelling and exploring the world, etc.

Each person’s purpose is personally meaningful, and it is inspired by the want to make a difference in the world beyond their own self. Mankind was created to have purpose. (1 Corinthians 10:31: "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.". Purpose: Glorify God in all actions) (Ecclesiastes 12:13: "Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.". Purpose: Obey God) (Genesis 1:26-27: "Then God said, 'Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.'". Purpose: Reflect God's image, rule creation) (Psalm 100:2: "Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.". Purpose: Worship God).

A person’s personal purpose can come about due to different factors. The common actors can include:

• Childhood: What kind of life they had, what kind of things impacted their day to day, what they saw growing up, what they really enjoyed doing, what the people they admire do.
• Value: What things the person values, what kind of person they are, what aligns with their moral values, what they feel would impact future generations in a way that matters to them, what they care about, what kind of person they want to be remembered as.
• Life experiences: What kind of things they have experienced, what roles they have been in and felt impactful in, career experiences, what kinds of relationships they have had, what they saw others do that felt impactful.
• Personality: What they feel aligns with their character and personality, what would allow them to be their most authentic and impactful self, What the person finds as worth the effort, time, energy, what brings out the most positive emotions within the person.
• Aptitude: What the person is good at, what are their strengths and weaknesses
• Interests: what are their goals for other areas of their life which could impact their purpose, what are the things that grab and hold the attention of the person.

What is the need for purpose?

Purpose helps a person identify what they get happy about, which fits into the person’s natural talents, skills and abilities and dedicating themself to that.

When you have a purpose in life, it becomes easy to be able to enjoy life. There is something to look forward to that gives a person joy.

It can help a person want and strive to maintain their health and regular functioning because they want to continue in their purpose for a much longer time. It makes a person want to be alive and keep impacting lives. It is what provides meaning and direction in their lives, which can significantly improve and maintain good mental health, making them more optimistic and have a higher self-esteem. It can make a person want to keep growing in their skills, abilities and activities. This helps them to live longer, healthier and more bountiful lives.

What happens when there is a lack of purpose or purposelessness?

A few common issues that can be associated with lack of purpose are:

Confusion: When there is a lack of purpose, there is a void within, there is nothing to define the compass of your life and it can make it difficult to narrow down the ways in which joy is experienced by the person. Without the clarity from a well understood purpose, it can be really confusing to figure out how to grow/.

Boredom and dissatisfaction: When there is no purpose, there is no interest or zeal for the things of life. Everything can seem monotonous. There is a perpetual or recurring level of dissatisfaction that accompanies doing life. You can experience unfulfillment in relationships, life, career, etc.

Loss of social life: Due to feelings of dissatisfaction and unfulfillment in life and relationships, it can be pretty easy for a person with purposelessness to slip into socially isolating themself nd cutting off loved ones. Their interest for social activities may also decrease. You might even feel like no one understands you, that you are alone in the world.

Questioning life: When there is no satisfying purpose in your life, it can feel like there is no more point to life. You might even be anxious about what next and what to do with our life.

Easy to be persuaded: When there is no purpose of self, it can be very easy for a person to be persuaded to help with someone else’s purpose.

Demotivated: When there is no purpose to look forward to, it can be easy to slip into demotivation in all areas of life.

Purpose is a huge aspect of a person’s life. There is a deep need for purpose in the lives of people. When that need is not met, it can cause issues for the person. But it is not set in stone, there is hope for change and to develop purpose and to lead a fulfilling life.

References:

• Adolescent Moral Development Lab, Claremont Graduate University, Prosocial Consulting, & John Templeton Foundation. (2018). The psychology of purpose. https://www.templeton.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Psychology-of-Purpose.pdf
• Lcsw, A. M. (2025, November 4). 7 tips for finding your purpose in life. Verywell Mind.
• Saba. (2024, February 7). Why Am I Here?: The Importance of Connecting with Your Purpose for Mental Health and Wellbeing - Take Root Therapy. Take Root Therapy.
• Sutton, J., PhD. (2025, May 13). 15 ways to find your purpose of life & Realize your meaning. PositivePsychology.com.
• The Importance of Living A Purpose-Driven Life | VIA Institute. (n.d.).
• Vitozgonik. (2019, July 3). Lack of Purpose | Challenges you face & How to Overcome them. EmotionMatters. https://emotionmatters.co.uk/2018/03/18/lack-of-purpose-challenges-you-face-how-to-overcome-them/