Abstract

Proposed and examined an existential theory of sense of well-being based on the writings of Viktor Frankl, using a structural equation model. Sense of well-being was defined as the human capacity to confront life, including not only the ability to take a stand on the physical and psychological dimensions, but also on the noological dimension. More specifically, sense of well-being emerges from our purpose and meaning in life. Well-being was proposed to relate to constructs such as meaning in life, hope, sense of belongingness, values, goals, search for meaning, and will to meaning. Human beings give meaning to their lives by achieving tasks, by experiencing being in the world, and through the way they face their fate and destiny. If individuals lack purpose or meaning in their lives, they are shadowed by the experience of emptiness, the frustration to will to meaning or existential vacuum. These feelings of meaninglessness could increase to the point that the person suffers from existential vacuum and a diminished sense of well-being. Seven theoretical principles were proposed based on this existential theory. ;Three hundred and fifty-two undergraduate participants completed the Perceived Well-Being Scale, the Happiness Scale, the Purpose in Life Test, the Seeking of Noetic Goals Test, the Existentiality Scale of the Personal Orientation Inventory, the Source of Personal Meaning Test, and the Sense of Coherence Scale. Participants were randomly assigned to two equal samples, Sample I and Sample II. The proposed theoretical model was analyzed first with Sample I, and later with Sample II to demonstrate if the model was stable across samples. The structural equation analysis' results confirmed the theoretical model of sense of well-being with one main modification. The proposed theoretical model included flexibility of choosing values as an important variable influencing meaning in life and sense of well-being. However, the results did not support this postulate. Implications of the results as well as limitations of the study were addressed