A paradox of the current era is that people living in advanced economies commonly struggle with finding a sense of meaning and purpose in their lives despite the unprecedented political, economic, and medical advances that have given them more freedom and opportunity to pursue long-term goals of their own choosing. How do we explain this affluence–purpose paradox – why aren’t more people taking advantage of the unprecedented benefits of modernity to choose and pursue meaningful and fulfilling goals? This chapter provides a broad-strokes review of possible explanations for this enigma and then focuses on the sociological concept of anomie, namely the deficits and conflictual nature of societal norms in modern societies. This sociological concept is framed in terms of contrasts between current identity societies and premodern role societies. This contrast is illustrated with a focus on the transition to adulthood, a critical period during which people now need to individually cope with the normative deficits of modernity as they form adult identities. The chapter concludes by pointing to policy directions for how identity societies can compensate for the normative deficits of modernity, thereby supporting people to take advantage of the affluence that modernity affords.