episode 4: purpose olympics

In this episode, Pat and Tony consider treatments of purpose within the political landscape. Why is 'purpose' often uttered within political speeches? Do politicians and researchers mean the same thing when they use the term 'purpose'?  What can the widespread appeal of 'purpose' in political rhetoric teach researchers about its role in people's lives?

In this episode, we reflect on the collection of insights drawn about purpose from the various interviews conducted this season. We close out with statements about where we are in our purpose learning journey and what's yet to come. 

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Andrew Fuligni (UCLA, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences and the Department of Psychology), to discuss purpose in the context of youth contribution.

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Onnie Rogers, who is an assistant professor in the department of Psychology at Northwestern University. Her research explores how social groups, and the cultural stereotypes that accompany them, shape how we see ourselves and interact with others.

In this episode Tony and Pat interview Dr. Leslie Leve, and the discussion focuses on purpose and youth mental health. Dr. Leve is the Lorry Lokey Chair in the College of Education at the University of Oregon, and studies child and adolescent development, gene-environment interplay, and interventions for underserved children, families, and communities. We hope you enjoy this episode!

In this episode, Pat interviews Dr. Rachel Sumner, Associate Director of Cornell University's Intergroup Dialogue Project (IDP)

Season 2 kicks off with a conversation with Dr. Bill Chopik. Bill is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at Michigan State University. As a social-personality psychologist, his research explores questions about personality traits like optimism and social relationships. 

We entertain some of the most common, but still engaging questions we receive about purpose and its role in people's lives. 

In this episode we ask three Olympic-sized questions about purpose. First, why do highly competitive athletes often mention purpose? Second, if countries competed for greatest purpose, who would win? Third, can purpose make you an Olympian? Show notes: Quotes referred to: https://www.teamusa.org/News/2021/April/14/Rugby-Hopeful-Naya-Tapper-On-How-She-Is-Staying-Focused-On-The-Olympic-Dream https://www.foxsports.com/stories/olympics/u-s-skating-star-joey-mantia-taking-final-shot-at-olympic-gold

We consider how the Covid-19 pandemic, and our collective responses to it, might have influenced the kinds of purposes people are able to pursue.