The Moderating Role of Gender in the Relationship Between Purpose in Life and Self-Confidence

For people to reach their life goals, self-confidence is a critical component. Self-confidence can have a positive or negative effect on a person's ability to determine his/her goals and fulfill her life roles. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of self-confidence in identifying life goals and to reveal whether this role differs by gender and generation. Data for the study, which was designed as a cross-sectional study, were collected online between February and March of 2021. The study sample consisted of 396 participants between the ages of 18-60, 136 of whom were males and 260 of whom were females. A questionnaire consisting of the Demographic Information Form, Self-Confidence Scale, and Life Goals Scale was used as a data collection tool. In the data analysis, Spearmen's Product Moments Correlation Analysis was conducted to determine the relationship between the scales. Subsequently, mediation analyses were conducted using Hierarchical Regression and Process Macro to investigate the predictive effects of gender, generational differences, and self-confidence on purpose in life. Results from the two-model Hierarchical Regression indicated that gender and self-confidence were significant predictors of purpose in life. Self-confidence accounts for 23% of the purpose in life. A 1-point increase in self-confidence leads to a 0.48-point change in life purpose. Self-confidence has less effect on the meaning of life in males than in females. As self-confidence increases, the purpose in life increases more in females than in males. The generation gap has not been found to be a predictive variable in the relationship between self-confidence and purpose in life. Given that self-confidence is formed later in life, particularly through the influences of familial and environmental factors, it is important to plan and implement strategies that will change social