Open AccessJournal Article
The search for meaning.
TLDR
The existential search for meaning of things has been studied extensively in the literature and philosophy literature as discussed by the authors, with the focus on the problem of knowledge and reality, and the way in which contemporary man is clutching at straws in his search for meanings is symptomatic both of the depth of his concern and of the inadequacy of the answers which are emerging.Abstract:
insistent quest for the meaning of things. The question is one that faces "everyman" from the child's first awareness of the mystery of life to the adult's apprehension of the mystery of death. As one existential writer put it, "I know only two things?one, that I will be dead someday, two, that I am not dead now. The only question is what shall I do be tween those two points." Does nihilistic literature and philosophy have the answer?wallowing in nothingness? Are the Madison Avenue thought controllers right in their claim that the time for the individual has passed and that we should conform to collectivities because there is safety in numbers? Shall we follow the "beat generation" and the "angry young men" who say we should conform to non-conformity in the name of pure rebelliousness and non-constructive creativity? Or should we just capitu late with the "positive thinkers" who say that all this concern about what things mean is too nerve-wracking, and that the problems of life can best be met by taking existential tranquilizers in the form of sugar coated mottos? The way in which contemporary man is clutching at straws in his search for meaning is symptomatic both of the depth of his concern and of the inadequacy of the answers which are emerging. In the material which follows, I will develop this theme primarily by elaboration of relevant material on the problems of reality and value, and the psy chology of perception and personality. Since the search for meaning ultimately implies an effort to arrive at something irreducible, it seems reasonable to open the inquiry with the question of knowledge and reality.read more
Citations
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Posttraumatic Growth: Conceptual Foundations and Empirical Evidence
TL;DR: The concept of posttraumatic growth as mentioned in this paper is defined as "the experience of positive change that occurs as a result of the struggle with highly challenging life-cri ses" and it is defined in a variety of ways, including an increased appreciation for life in general, more meaningful interpersonal relationships, an increased sense ofpersonal strength, changed priorities, and a richer existential and spiritual life.
Journal ArticleDOI
The Meaning in Life Questionnaire: Assessing the Presence of and Search for Meaning in Life
TL;DR: The Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ) as mentioned in this paper is a 10-item measure of the presence of, and the search for, meaning in life, which was developed to measure the emotional well-being of counseling patients.
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Integrating Motivational, Social, and Contextual Work Design Features: A Meta-Analytic Summary and Theoretical Extension of the Work Design Literature
TL;DR: The authors developed and meta-analytically examined hypotheses designed to test and extend work design theory by integrating motivational, social, and work context characteristics to suggest numerous opportunities for the continued development of work design Theory and practice.
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Meaning in the context of stress and coping
Crystal L. Park,Susan Folkman +1 more
TL;DR: Although theoretical and empirical work on topics related to meaning and meaning making proliferate, careful evaluation and integration of this area have not been carried out as discussed by the authors, which is a serious issue.
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Improving the Quality of Spiritual Care as a Dimension of Palliative Care: The Report of the Consensus Conference
Christina M. Puchalski,Betty Ferrell,Rose Virani,Shirley Otis-Green,Pamela Baird,Janet Bull,Harvey Max Chochinov,George Handzo,Holly Nelson-Becker,Maryjo Prince-Paul,Karen Pugliese,Daniel P. Sulmasy +11 more
TL;DR: This document and the conference recommendations it includes builds upon prior literature, the National Consensus Project Guidelines, and the National Quality Forum Preferred Practices and Conference proceedings.
References
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Social Capital in the Creation of Human Capital
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A Ladder of Citizen Participation
TL;DR: Beskriver ulike grader av brukermedvirkning, og regnes som en klassiker innenfor temaet Brukermedveirkning og psykisk helsearbeid as discussed by the authors.
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Universals in the Content and Structure of Values: Theoretical Advances and Empirical Tests in 20 Countries
TL;DR: In this paper, the universals in the content and structure of values, concentrating on the theoretical advances and empirical tests in 20 countries, and its four basic issues: substantive contents of human values; identification of comprehensive set of values; extent to which the meaning of particular values was equivalent for different groups of people; and how the relations among different values was structured.
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Framing: Toward Clarification of a Fractured Paradigm
TL;DR: Reaching this goal would require a more self-con- scious determination by communication scholars to plumb other fields and feed back their studies to outside researchers, and enhance the theoretical rigor of communication scholarship proper.
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Perception of risk.
TL;DR: This research aims to aid risk analysis and policy-making by providing a basis for understanding and anticipating public responses to hazards and improving the communication of risk information among lay people, technical experts, and decision-makers.