The DOI matches its Crossref record; 181 of the 181 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The Meaning Maintenance Model: On the Coherence of Social Motivations
Abstract
The meaning maintenance model (MMM) proposes that people have a needfor meaning; that is, a need to perceive events through a prism of mental representations of expected relations that organizes their perceptions of the world. When people's sense of meaning is threatened, they reaffirm alternative representations as a way to regain meaning-a process termedfluid compensation. According to the model, people can reaffirm meaning in domains that are differentfrom the domain in which the threat occurred. Evidenceforfluid compensation can be observed following a variety of psychological threats, including most especially threats to the self, such as self-esteem threats, feelings of uncertainty, interpersonal rejection, and mortality salience. People respond to these diverse threats in highly similar ways, which suggests that a range of psychological motivations are expressions of a singular impulse to generate and maintain a sense of meaning.
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“The creation and maintenance of meaning comprises a sense of self-continuity, a connection between the self, others and the environment (Baumeister and Vohs, 2002; Heine et al., 2006), and the feeling that one’s existence matters.”
From Collective Trauma and the Social Construction of Meaning (2018) · cites this paper as Heine et al., 2006
In the citing paper
“When a sense of meaning is threatened, the individual may compensate for an inability to reach one set of goals by shifting effort toward another set (known as fluid compensation; Heine et al., 2006; Proulx, 2012).”
From Extension of the Transdiagnostic Model to Focus on Intolerance of Uncertainty: A Review of the Literature and Implications for Treatment (2014) · cites this paper as Heine et al., 2006
In the citing paper
“Heine, Proulx, and Vohs (2006) proposed that the superordinate goal of humans is to generate a life with meaning.”
From Extension of the Transdiagnostic Model to Focus on Intolerance of Uncertainty: A Review of the Literature and Implications for Treatment (2014) · cites this paper as Heine, Proulx, and Vohs, 2006
In the citing paper
“Psychological models, such as the uncertainty-identity theory [156], meaning maintenance model [157], and compensatory control theory [158,159], have elaborated on how the defensive need to alleviate uncertainty leads to group identification, ideological inflexibility, and dogmatism.”
From Impact of Media-Induced Uncertainty on Mental Health: Narrative-Based Perspective. (2025) · cites this paper as [157]
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“…increases consumers’ perception of ontological security threat and subsequently increases their preference for natural products, because social crowding breaks down a predictable system with rational correlations that are established in an ordered structured environment (Heine et al., 2006).”
Message in the Music: Do Lyrics Influence Well-Being?
Ransom, P. F. (2015) · Scholarly Commons (University of Pennsylvania) · Cited by 7
Stephan, E., Faust, M., & Borodkin, K. (2018) · Acta Psychologica · doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2018.04.005 · Cited by 8
Situational Factors Influencing Receptivity to Bullshit
Brown, M., Keefer, L. A., & McGrew, S. J. (2019) · Social Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.32872/spb.v14i3.37393 · Cited by 8
Aversion towards simple broken patterns predicts moral judgment
Gollwitzer, A., Martel, C., Bargh, J. A., & Chang, S. W. C. (2020) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2019.109810 · Cited by 6
Examining ‘sticky’ storytelling and moral claims as the essence of workplace bullying
Dzurec, L. C. (2020) · Nursing Outlook · doi:10.1016/j.outlook.2020.05.007 · Cited by 7
Spousal Religiosity is Positively Associated with the Partner's Meaning in Life
Jung, J. H. (2020) · Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion · doi:10.1111/jssr.12670 · Cited by 7
Training Spanish-Speaking Latinx Adults in Mental Health First Aid: A Pilot Feasibility Trial
Corona, R., McDonald, S. E., Hitti, S. A., Avila, M., Trujillo, M. A., Cox, J. R., Velazquez, E., Edgar, K., Hershner, L., Benzel, G. K., et al. (2020) · Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research · doi:10.24839/2325-7342.jn25.3.260 · Cited by 7
Pupillometry and Hindsight Bias: Physiological Arousal Predicts Compensatory Behavior
Sleegers, W. W. A., Proulx, T., & van Beest, I. (2020) · Social Psychological and Personality Science · doi:10.1177/1948550620966153 · Cited by 7
“We created a percentage-based solution to reduce the influence of questions with extremely large numeric answers by dividing the amount of hindsight bias by the absolute distance between the correct answer and the participant’s initial response (Hell et al., 1988).”
MethodSelf-citationConstruction of a Meaning Effectiveness Model: A new interpretation of meaning in life
Wang, W., & Ma, W.-J. (2021) · New Ideas in Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.newideapsych.2021.100876 · Cited by 6
Kuo, Y.-F., Chang, Y.-M., Lin, M.-F., Wu, M.-L., & Shiah, Y. (2022) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-022-14527-w · Cited by 7
How short film ads improve brand attitudes: The roles of viewing experiences and consumption visions
Chang, C.-C. (2022) · Journal of Consumer Behaviour · doi:10.1002/cb.2094 · Cited by 9
Meaning in life through work: A cognitive-experiential self-theory (CEST) perspective
Baburaj, S., & Marathe, G. (2023) · Organizational Psychology Review · doi:10.1177/20413866231166151 · Cited by 6
“Researchers can study thismeaning-maintenanceprocess and identify the possible ways in which individuals compensate for meaninglessness in life encountered through work by anchoring on other avenues in life (refer to the meaning-maintenance model (Heine et al., 2006; Proulx & Inzlicht, 2012)).”
BackgroundThe underpinning of meaningful activities by brain correlates: a systematic review
Cruyt, E., VRIENDT, P. D., Geyter, N. D., Leirsberghe, J. V., Santens, P., Baets, S. D., Letter, M. D., Vlerick, P., Calders, P., Pauw, R. D., et al. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1136754 · Cited by 7
“Such an attribution refers to a cognitive component of meaningfulness (Heine et al., 2006), which further provides a basis for the identification of individual goals and purposes and in a broader sense a mission that is personally or culturally important (Kielhofner, 2009).”
BackgroundLiu, H., Chen, Y., & Liu, W.-M. (2023) · Psychology & Marketing · doi:10.1002/mar.21939 · Cited by 7
On the Positives of Peripheral Corporate Social Responsibility
Yates, M., & Hollensbe, E. C. (2013) · Industrial and Organizational Psychology · doi:10.1111/iops.12069 · Cited by 7
Leonard, J., & Duncan, A. B. (2020) · Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research · doi:10.24839/2325-7342.jn25.3.224 · Cited by 7
Shin, I., & Kim, M. (2022) · Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.3390/bs12120481 · Cited by 10
“Accordingly, workers in unclear and equivocal situations tend to clarify the purpose and meaning of what they do and influence their work contexts in order to resolve uncertainty [25,26].”
BackgroundGong, Y., Chen, C., Tang, X., & Xiao, J. Y. (2023) · Psychology Research and Behavior Management · doi:10.2147/prbm.s388190 · Cited by 10
“People have an innate drive to reduce this kind of self-discrepancy.(58) Discrepancies between one’s actual self and ought self can cause people to feel threatened, worried, and anxious about their status.”
BackgroundExperienced Adversity in Life Is Associated With Polarized and Affirmed Political Attitudes
Randles, D., Heine, S. J., Poulin, M. J., & Silver, R. C. (2017) · Social Psychological and Personality Science · doi:10.1177/1948550616675668 · Cited by 7
Self-citationReligious Zeal after Goal Frustration
McGregor, I., Nash, K. A., & Prentice, M. S. (2011) · doi:10.1002/9781444344073.ch9 · Cited by 7
Metadata
- Authors
- Heine, S. J., Proulx, T., & Vohs, K. D.
- Affiliations
- University of British Columbia (CA)
- University of Minnesota (US)
- Venue
- Personality and Social Psychology Review
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2006-05
- Volume
- 10
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 88-110
- ISSN
- 1088-8683 (ISSN-L)
- 1532-7957
- OpenAlex
- W2156155183
- Cited by
- 1,437
- References
- 180
- Citations by year
- 2026: 108 · 2025: 106 · 2024: 92 · 2023: 90 · 2022: 101 · 2021: 100 · 2020: 123 · 2019: 86 · 2018: 60 · 2017: 73 · 2016: 62 · 2015: 74 · 2014: 75 · 2013: 72 · 2012: 61
- FWCI
- 2.68
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Personality and Social Psychology Review (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (5r01mh060155-04)
- National Institute of Mental Health (R01 MH060155-01A2)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Identity, Memory, and Therapy
- Keywords
- need for meaning, psychological threat, self-esteem threat, uncertainty, interpersonal rejection, mortality salience, social motivation, meaning maintenance
- MeSH terms
- Humans, Motivation, Self Concept, Semantics, Social Behavior, Symbolism
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