Spirituality Studies 151 Muhammad Japar et al. 4 Discussion 4.1 Gender Differences in Self-Oriented Meaning: Descriptive Patterns from a Pilot Pre-Experimental Observation Before proceeding to theoretical interpretation, a key empirical pattern in the data requires transparent discussion. Self-oriented meaning (SOM) scores showed a consistent slight decline across measurement points (pre-test M = 15.22, post-test M = 14.72, follow-up M = 14.58), observable in both male and female participants. This constitutes a negative finding that warrants explicit acknowledgment. Several explanations may account for this pattern. First, given the pre-experimental design without a control group, it is impossible to determine whether this decline reflects any effect of the intervention, natural developmental fluctuation, or regression to the mean. Second, consistent with REBT theory, the cognitive restructuring process may have initially prompted participants to critically re-examine previously unquestioned assumptions about personal purpose and identity a process that may temporarily reduce subjective certainty about self-oriented meaning before longer-term consolidation occurs (King et al. 2024). This phenomenon is sometimes described as productive cognitive dissonance in the therapeutic literature. Third, the 8-week intervention window may have been insufficient to produce stable improvements in self-oriented meaning, which may require longer-term engagement. These interpretations remain speculative and must be tested through future randomized controlled research. What can be stated with confidence is that the pre-experimental design of the present pilot study does not permit any causal conclusion positive or negative regarding the impact of the intervention on self-oriented meaning. This study examined changes between measurement intervals regarding the participants’ life meaning orientation toward self in the group counseling with REBT, religious music, and relaxation practice. These results are consistent with the most recent psychological frameworks that describe meaning in life beyond a purely cognitive, affective, or even existential, and possibly a psychological phenomenon (Routledge and FioRito 2020; Vos 2023). REBT is theoretically designed to facilitate self-awareness through cognitive restructuring; however, whether such mechanisms operated in the present sample cannot be determined from the current pre-experimental data (Chrysidis et al. 2020; King et al. 2024). Theoretically, relaxation and religious music may create conditions conducive to existential reflection and meaning-making. For adolescents navigating identity formation, the narratives embedded in religious music may resonate with themes of purpose and spiritual direction. These mechanisms, however, remain speculative in the context of the present study and require empirical testing in future controlled designs (Monroy and Keltner 2022). The observed gender differences in SOM scores were statistically significant and practically meaningful across all three time points, with male participants consistently scoring higher than female participants (mean difference = 3.517, p =.002, 95% CI [1.358, 5.676]; partial η² =.183, a large effect by conventional standards). These findings are consistent with H1. The significant Time × Gender interaction (partial η² =.283) further indicates that the pattern of SOM change across time differed between male and female participants, with male scores declining more steeply than female scores from pre-test to follow-up, as reflected in Table 7. Separate from the statistical findings and offered strictly as a contextual lens rather than an empirical explanation, Islamic psychology may provide a complementary interpretive framework for these gender-differentiated patterns. The concept of fitrah the innate human disposition toward truth and moral meaningfulness and Indonesian Islamic socialization practices that orient male adolescents toward public religious responsibility may offer cultural context for understanding why gender differences in SOM emerged consistently. This theological-cultural interpretation does not constitute a statistical claim and its empirical relationship to the observed patterns requires independent testing in future research (Seedat 2021; Koburtay et al. 2022). This cultural-theological interpretation is offered as a contextual lens to complement the statistical findings. It is not a statistical claim and should not be treated as an explanation for the quantitative results; its empirical relationship to the observed gender patterns requires independent testing. Cited studies argue that having a sense of purpose is an important psychological resource that fosters emotional resilience and defends against psychological distress (Sunkel 2022). Meaning in life is an outcome of an individual’s life experiences and relationships, not just of a cognitive process (Rodríguez-Fernández and Sternberg 2024). Authen-
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