Environment and Social Psychology

Knowledge base and hotspot trends in adolescents' meaning in life: a scientometric review based on CiteSpace analysis

Wenting Gong

School of Languages and Cultures, Hunan Institute of Technology,411201, Hengyang, China

Chuang Xu

School of Marxism, Hunan Institute of Technology, 411201, Hengyang, China

Jian-Hong Ye

Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, 100875, Beijing, China ; National Institute of Vocational Education, Beijing Normal University, 100875, Beijing, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.59429/esp.v10i8.3897

Keywords: Adolescent development; bibliometric analysis; existential psychology; meaning in life; positive psychology; Web of Science

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Abstract

Using Cite Space to analyze 237 articles from the Web of Science on adolescents' meaning in life, four key scholars and pivotal papers have laid the foundation for knowledge in conceptual frameworks, measurement tools, and influencing factors. Current research hotspots include the relationship between meaning in life and personal growth, social support, adolescent risk behaviors, and strategies to enhance adolescents’ sense of meaning. Research frontiers are exploring emerging adulthood, psychometric properties, and search for meaning. This field is primarily nested within personal, educational, and social systems, with rapid advancements in multiple hotspots and frontier areas. Future research should broaden methodologies, enrich topics, consider cultural contexts, and promote interdisciplinary, cross-cultural, and localized development to further understand adolescents' meaning in life.

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