Meaning sensitive psychotherapy: Binding clinical, existential, and positive psychological perspectives

Abstract

Meaning in life, defined as a sense of coherence and purpose that has personal, spiritual/self-transcendent, and implicit/normative-ethical components, plays an integral role in promoting psychological health, whether viewed from a clinical, existential, or positive psychological perspective. Clinical research focuses on the impact that one’s ability to make meaningful assumptions about self and world has on levels of anxiety, particularly posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, as well as the link between alleviation of depressive symptoms and a sense of purpose motivating activation of meaningful behaviors. Positive psychological research emphasizes the resiliency against psychopathology and positive emotions experienced by individuals with a strong sense of meaning in life. The existential tradition deals with the intrinsic value in facing the tension between absurdity and malevolence we encounter in the world and the pervasiveness and intricacy of our encounters with coherence and virtue. Insofar as the concept of meaning in life winds its way from symptom focused, clinical concerns, through aspects of resiliency and positive emotions, and finally to concerns that transcend the dichotomy between positive and negative states, sensitivity to this concept results in a well-rounded and farsighted framework for the conduct of psychotherapy. This framework promotes the alleviation of acute distress, remediation of vulnerabilities for such distress, enhancement of positive well-being beyond the mere absence of or resiliency against psychopathology, and contact with frequently unnoticed or avoided aspects of existence that stir self-transcendent motivation and emotion. This chapter reviews research findings and theory informing a meaning sensitive approach to psychological well-being, details a framework for applying these findings in the practice of psychotherapy, and, where appropriate, suggests useful research directions.