The role of meaning in life on the relationship between death anxiety and well-being in an existential context

It is claimed that the unknown of death arouses anxiety in us and this anxiety motivates us to find meaning in life. In addition, the effects of the presence and absence of meaning in life on well-being have been studied extensively. This thesis aims to understand the connections between meaning in life, death anxiety, and well-being in an existential context. Also, it is aimed to understand the mechanism of the relationship between belief and well-being. There is little social scientific data in the literature on individuals who do not believe in any religion, and they are rarely included in belief studies. For this reason, the proposed model is planned to be tested both for individuals who believe in any religion and for individuals who do not believe in any religion. The sample of the study consists of 395 individuals between the ages of 18-67. The research data was collected through Typology of Six Types of Nonbelief, The Meaning in Life Questionnaire, Templer's Death Anxiety Scale, Psychological Well-Being Scale, and Satisfaction with Life Scale. The results showed that the search for meaning in life mediated the relationship between death anxiety and well-being for all participants. It was seen that the presence of meaning in life mediated the relationship between death anxiety and well-being for individuals who reported that they believed in any religion, while the search for meaning in life was mediated for individuals who reported that they did not believe in any religion. Overall, the results showed that meaning in life was an important variable in the relationship between death anxiety and well-being. The results are discussed in more detail in the light of the relevant literature.