Meaning in life and purpose in life as distinct constructs in the retirement transition: a scoping review

Abstract

Retirement involves substantial changes in daily structure, social roles, and personal identity with consequences for psychological well-being. Two constructs are particularly relevant: Meaning in Life, the perceived coherence and significance of one’s existence, and Purpose in Life, the goal-directed intentions that organize future-oriented behaviour. Although recent theoretical work treats these as distinct, the retirement literature has largely used them interchangeably, limiting conceptual clarity and intervention design. This scoping review maps empirical evidence on meaning and purpose across the retirement transition, examines how these constructs have been operationalized, and proposes a preliminary framework for their functional relationship. The review followed Joanna Briggs Institute guidance and the Arksey and O’Malley framework. The protocol was registered on the Open Science Framework prior to screening. Four databases (PsycINFO, PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science) were searched from 1995 to 2023, updated in July 2026. Eligible studies were empirical investigations of adults aged 50 or older in pre-retirement, peri-retirement, or early post-retirement phases (within five years). Three reviewers independently screened records, extracted data, and assessed methodological quality using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (2018 version). Fifty studies met inclusion criteria (31 qualitative, 16 quantitative, three mixed methods; N = 20,874). Three main findings emerged. First, the term meaning is employed under at least six different semantic registers, each related to different disciplinary traditions. Second, 46 studies assessed Meaning in Life, whereas only six measured Purpose in Life with a dedicated instrument, indicating a substantial measurement imbalance. Third, longitudinal quantitative evidence points to population-level stability in meaning-related constructs, while qualitative studies report existential disruption among specific subgroups. Based on these patterns, we propose the Engine-Scaffold framework, where Purpose in Life functions as a motivational driver of engagement and Meaning in Life serves as an integrative structure through which experiences are incorporated into a coherent life narrative. This review contributes a semantic taxonomy of how meaning is conceptualized in retirement research, documents the underrepresentation of Purpose in Life as an independently measured construct, and reconciles apparently contradictory quantitative and qualitative findings. The Engine-Scaffold framework is proposed as a speculative hypothesis requiring validation through longitudinal designs, cross-cultural samples, and randomized trials.