The quest for purpose: the collegiate search for a meaningful life

Part I : The context of the quest. Are colleges giving up on life's meaning and purpose? The historical and cultural context

The adolescent journey : the precollege path to finding meaning and purpose

Mapping the presence of purpose : how identity, social context, and education matter

Part II : Figuring out college students' quest. Developing purpose in the contemporary university : four stories

Mapping what makes life meaningful

The diverse purposes of college students

Is purposelessness a problem?

Part III : Questing in the university. Encountering purpose in the classroom

Looking for purpose outside of class

Part IV : The heart, hope, and soul of purpose. Purpose with soul : the religious

Finding purpose in a universe without one : the nontheists

How does the story end? Purpose, the good life, and the future.