Abstract
This article explores atheist meaning-making by employing a multidimensional model of meaning
operationalized by the Sources of Meaning and Meaning in Life Questionnaire (SoMe).
When compared to a representative sample of “religionists” (N = 390) and “nones” (N = 178),
atheists (N = 102) show lower degrees of meaningfulness, but they do not suffer from crises of
meaning more frequently. However, subsequent cluster analysis reveals that heterogeneity within
atheism has to be taken into account. Three types of atheists are identified. ‘Low-commitment’
atheists are characterised by generally low commitment; they report very low meaningfulness
and a high frequency of crises of meaning. ‘Broad-commitment’ atheists exhibit considerably
higher levels of meaningfulness and rare crises of meaning. They evidence, in particular, high
scores on the dimension of well-being and relatedness. The third type, primarily committed to
“selfactualization,” exhibits moderate levels of meaningfulness, with crises of meaning being literally
absent. Common to most atheists is a particular commitment to self-knowledge, freedom,
knowledge, individualism, and comfort. In comparing male and female atheists, gendered patterns
of commitment are discovered