(lifeview): A set of assumptions and perspectives that are true, partly true or completely false, which we hold consistently or inconsistently, consciously or unconsciously, through which we make sense of our lives and our world This is the case for individuals and collectively for a society or culture, as well
The composite set of presuppositions, beliefs, and values a person possesses that shape how he or she see reality and determines how he or she will act It refers to the collective set of fundamental convictions people hold and on which they base their actions
A person's (often unverbalized) overall evaluation of life, the universe, or the very essence of existence as being essentially positive or negative A person with a positive worldview sees life as basically good, secure, friendly, happy, or unthreatening, or having some other positive valence For a person with a negative world view, on the other hand, life is seen as essentially bad, insecure, threatening, unpleasant, hostile, uncertain, and/or full of many dangers Worldview, then, is a judgment individuals make about the quality of existence It is not to be confused with one's empirical knowledge of social, economic, political, or other events (See mental representation; personality subtheory)