The Psychology of Mattering
Understanding the Human Need to be Significant
- 1st Edition - June 5, 2018
- Latest edition
- Author: Gordon Flett
- Language: English
The Psychology of Mattering: Understanding the Human Need to be Significant is the first comprehensive examination of mattering that is discussed in terms of associated motives,… Read more
The Psychology of Mattering: Understanding the Human Need to be Significant is the first comprehensive examination of mattering that is discussed in terms of associated motives, cognitions, emotions and behaviors. As mattering involves the self in relation to other people, the book tackles key relational themes of internal working models of attachment, transactional processes, and more. Extensive analysis from a conceptual perspective is balanced by a similar analysis of mattering from an applied perspective, specifically the relevance of mattering in clinical and counseling contexts, in assessment and treatment.
The book is supported by recent empirical advances making it an authoritative text on the psychology of mattering that will heighten awareness of mattering by informing academic scholars and the general public.
- Defines mattering and its various facets
- Explains the importance of mattering in predicting key life outcomes
- Provides a narrative perspective on the importance of mattering in people’s lives
- Discusses mattering in terms of self-esteem, perfectionism, self-compassion, and vulnerabilities and resilience
- Describes assessment scales for measuring mattering
- Details links between mattering and anxiety, depression and suicide
Students and researchers in psychology, sociology, and public health. Educated lay people interested in mattering, meaning in life, suicide, resilience
Preface
Part I Introduction and Significance in People’s Lives
1. Introduction
2. Life Stories of Mattering and Anti-Mattering: A Narrative Perspective
Part II Definition, Conceptualization, and Assessment
3. Mattering: Definitional Considerations and Historical Advances
4. Mattering as a Psychological Construct
5. The Assessment of Mattering
6. The Development of Mattering
Part III Mattering in Positive and Negative Adjustment
7. Mattering in Positive and Negative Adjustment
8. Mattering Versus Not Mattering in Mental Illness: Associations With Anxiety, Depression, Suicide, and Personality Dysfunction
9. The Need to Matter in Clinical and Counseling Settings: The Treatment Process of the Client-Therapist Relationship
Part IV Mattering in Life Contexts
10. Mattering at School
11. Mattering at Work
12. Mattering in the Community
Part V Knowledge Mobilization and Future Directions
13. The Psychology of Mattering: Knowledge Implementation Recommendations
14. The Psychology of Mattering: Issues and Future Directions
- Edition: 1
- Latest edition
- Published: June 5, 2018
- Language: English
GF
Gordon Flett
Gordon L. Flett, Ph.D., is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychology at York University in Toronto, Canada, where he held a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Personality & Health for over two decades. He is also the former Associate Dean of Research and former Director of the LaMarsh Centre for Child and Youth Research in the Faculty of Health at York University.
Dr. Flett is recognized globally for his seminal contributions to research and theory on the role of perfectionism in mental and physical health, and more recently, his foundational work on the psychology of mattering and its role in well-being and health. He is a member of the Canadian Psychological Association and in 2024/2025 he was named the Honorary President of the Canadian Psychological Association. He is also a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, which has cited him earlier in his career as one of the top 25 most productive authors in psychology. Dr. Flett is also the co-creator of numerous self-report measures assessing perfectionism and mattering (e.g., Anti-Mattering Scale, the Fear of Not Mattering Inventory).
Dr. Flett is extensively engaged in knowledge translation and exchange. His work has received widespread attention and has been the subject of numerous media stories, including coverage on CTV, CNN, and the BBC and in Scientific American, the Atlantic, the New York Times, the New Yorker and the Washington Post. His engagement includes several podcast appearances and appearances on CBC Radio and National Public Radio and most recently, on the Oprah Winfrey podcast on mattering in January 2026.
Finally, reflecting his commitment to community issues, Dr. Flett has received the Community and Leadership Award, Toastmasters International, District 60. He has also received the City of Mississauga Certificate of Recognition for “Outstanding Commitment to the Community” and the Peel District School Board Award of Excellence for Community Service.