2nd Edition
The Human Quest for Meaning Theories, Research, and Applications
The first edition of The Human Quest for Meaning was a major publication on the empirical research of meaning in life and its vital role in well-being, resilience, and psychotherapy. This new edition continues that quest and seeks to answer the questions, what is the meaning of life? How do we explain what constitutes meaningful relationships, work, and living?
The answers, as the eminent scholars and practitioners who contributed to this text find, are neither simple nor straightforward. While seeking to clarify subjective vs. objective meaning in 21 new and 7 revised chapters, the authors also address the differences in cultural contexts, and identify 8 different sources of meaning, as well as at least 6 different stages in the process of the search for meaning. They also address different perspectives, including positive psychology, self-determination, integrative, narrative, and relational perspectives, to ensure that readers obtain the most thorough information possible. Mental health practitioners will find the numerous meaning-centered interventions, such as the PURE and ABCDE methods, highly useful in their own work with facilitating healing and personal growth in their clients. The Human Quest for Meaning represents a bold new vision for the future of meaning-oriented research and applications. No one seeking to truly understand the human condition should be without it.
Chapter 1: The Sense of Coherence: Making Sense Out of Chaos
Chapter 2: The Meaning of Love
Chapter 3: Spirituality and Meaning in the Management of Familial Cancer Risk: Insights from a Prospective Study of p16 Generic Tests Reporting for Familial Melanoma
Chapter 4: The Construction of Meaning from Life Events: Empirical Studies of Personal Narratives
Chapter 5: Autobiographical Memory and Personal Meaning: Stable versus Flexible Meanings of Remembered Life Experiences
Chapter 6: The Calls of Meaning
Chapter 7: Meaning and Spirituality in Addiction Recovery
Chapter 8: ec2=m: Coaching Skills that Translate Emotions and Cognitive Confusion into Meaning
Chapter 9: Positive Affect and Meaning in Life: The Intersection of Hedonism and Eudiamonia
Chapter 10: The Search for Meaning in Evolutionary Perspective and its Clinical Implications
Chapter 11: Meaning in Life and Healthy Aging
Chapter 12: A New Buddhist Psychology Quest for Meaning and Chaironic Happiness
Chapter 13: Meaning and Personality
Chapter 14: Clinical Approaches to Discrepancies in Meaning: Conceptualization, Assessment, and Treatment
Chapter 15: A Brief Version of the Personal Meaning Profile: Reliability and Validity
Chapter 16: Meaning and Meaning-making in Cancer Survivorship
Chapter 17: Personal Meaning at Work and in the Workplace
Chapter 18: Character Strengths and the Meaning of Life
Chapter 19: Restoring, Maintaining, and Enhancing Personal Meaning in Life through Autobiographical Methods
Chapter 20: Meaning and Successful Aging
Chapter 21: Role of Purpose in Life and Personal Growth in Positive Human Health
Chapter 22: Life Meaning and Purpose in Life among Chinese Adolescents: What can we Learn from Chinese Studies in Hong Kong?
Chapter 23: On the Distinction between Subjective Well-being and Meaning in Life: Regulatory versus Reconstructive Functions in the Face of a Hostile World
Chapter 24: Experiencing Meaning in Life: Optimal Functioning at the nexus of Well-being, Psychopathology, and Spirituality
Chapter 25: Meaningful Growth after Trauma: Posttraumatic Thought and Action
Chapter 26: The Meaning of Death
Chapter 27: The Human Heart or Recovering the Meaning of Life: A Theory Integrating Sexuality, Meaning of Life and Sense of Coherence applied in Holistic Therapy
Chapter 28: Motivation, Meaning, and Wellness: A Self-determination Perspective on the Creation and Internalization of Personal Meanings and Life Goals
Chapter 29: Resilience in Youth across Cultures: A Meaning-centered Approach
Chapter 30: From Logotherapy to Meaning-centered Counseling and Narrative Therapy
Chapter 31: Introduction: Towards a Meaning-centered Dual-process Model of What Makes Life Worth Living
Chapter 32: When Meaning is threatened: The Importance of Goal Disengagement for Psychological and Physical Health
Biography
Paul T. P. Wong, PhD, is a registered clinical psychologist in Ontario, Canada. He is president of the International Network on Personal Meaning, editor of the International Journal of Personal Meaning, and has held professional positions at various universities.
“The human heart is a meaning-making organ. Living meaningfully with intention is a fulcrum that can counter the gravity of any predicament. In The Human Quest for Meaning a host of old pros provide the theory, research, and methods of meaning-centered practice.” - Jeffrey K. Zeig, The Milton H. Erickson Foundation, Arizona, USA
“This new edition of The Human Quest for Meaning: Theories, Research, and Applications presents much of the best thinking and research on the human quest for meaning done in clinical, experimental, and social psychology today. Paul T.P. Wong has done a commendable job in selecting and bringing together leading researchers and their ideas. This book is destined to become a classic textbook in positive psychology, counseling, and the existential philosophy of psychology.” - Alexander Batthyany, University of Vienna, Austria and author of Empirical Research on Logotherapy and Meaning-Oriented Psychotherapy and Mind and Materialism; principal editor, Collected Works of Viktor Frankl (14 volumes)
“This is a book of enormous scope and diversity. Reflective of Paul Wong’s philosophical legacy, this work combines some of the best literature on meaning research with some of the wisest and most personally meaningful applications of that literature. I strongly recommend this volume.” - Kirk J. Schneider, co-author of Existential-Humanistic Therapy and Existential-Integrative Psychotherapy; editor, Journal of Humanistic Psychology
“Meaning matters! That’s the persuasive message of this evidence-based review of the roots and fruits of meaning. Anyone interested in the human quest for meaning need look no further than this synopsis of state-of-the-art scholarship.” - David Myers, Hope College, Michigan, USA, author of The Pursuit of Happiness
“Anyone interested in the concept of meaning, whether student or senior faculty, researcher or clinician, will find this volume difficult to put down. Each chapter broadens and deepens our understanding of this fascinating topic. As a whole, the volume should be treasured as a compendium of contemporary thought about meaning.” - Susan Folkman, PhD, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), USA
“Paul Wong is the expert on the psychology of meaning, and this edited volume shows why. Within these chapters he has assembled a comprehensive, authoritative, and cutting-edge review of the topic. This book is not to be placed on the shelf and forgotten. It is an essential resource for both researchers and practitioners who want a deeper understanding of why meaning matters.” - Robert A. Emmons, University of California, USA, editor-in-chief, The Journal of Positive Psychology
“With absolute conviction, this is the most comprehensive, scholarly statement to date on the nature of meaning and purpose in life. There is no better example of the deep dialogue between science, philosophy, and practice than this classic work. Anybody who is interested in this topic should have a copy on their bookshelf.” - Todd B. Kashdan, George Mason University, Virginia, USA, author of Curious? Discover the Missing Ingredient to a Fulfilling Life and Designing Positive Psychology
“Like the previous edition, this book represents a landmark contribution to the study of meaning. This stimulating volume is essential reading for researchers and practitioners interested in the topic of meaning. It will set the intellectual agenda in this field for years to come.” - Camille B. Wortman, Stony Brook University, New York, USA, coauthor of Traumatic Bereavement and Treatment for Survivors of Sudden Death