Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of leisure/job crafting and basic psychological needs satisfaction (BPNS) of soldiers on the meaning in life and meaning of work, and to investigate the differences between army soldiers and officers. For this purpose, a survey was conducted on 736 military personnel and military employees, and structural equation modeling and multi-group analyses were conducted using the AMOS program. As a result, it was confirmed that competence and relatedness needs satisfaction mediated the relationship between leisure crafting and the meaning in life, and job crafting mediated the relationship between autonomy/competence/relatedness needs satisfaction and the meaning of work. Regarding the differences between soldiers and officers, the relationship between leisure crafting and competence and relatedness needs satisfaction was stronger for the soldiers than for the officers, and the relationship between competence and the meaning in life was stronger for the officers. The relationships between competence and job crafting, and between job crafting and the meaning of work were stronger for the officers than for the soldiers, and the relationship between autonomy and job crafting was stronger for the soldiers. This study holds a significant value by shedding light on the relationship between leisure/job crafting and basic psychological needs satisfaction as factors that increase the meaning in life and meaning of work, as well as the differences between army soldiers and officers. The findings suggest the coaching program related to job crafting and leisure crafting to increase the meaning in life and meaning of work.