Resilience and recovery following disasters: The meaning making model

Abstract

In this chapter, we use Park’s (Park’s (2010) meaning making model as a framework for organizing current knowledge of how people recover from disasters, highly stressful events that can severely violate people’s meaning systems. First, we review the main components of the meaning making model, then review how both global meaning (global beliefs and goals) and situational meaning (appraisals, meaning making and meanings made) are implicated in recovery following disasters. We highlight the central role that religiousness and spirituality often play in these meaning-related recovery processes. We conclude with limitations of current research and directions for future research.