The Roles of Meaning-Making Models in Resilience and Coping with Stress

Yıl 2024, Cilt: 10 Sayı: 3, 875 - 892, 30.11.2024

Pınar Dursun Karslı , Temel Alper Karslı

https://doi.org/10.31592/aeusbed.1510696

Öz

Meaningful life refers to the experience of individuals making sense of their lives with the perception that there is a purpose, significance, and mission. People are motivated to have meaning and search for meaning in life. Increased studies in the last twenty years with the alignment of the positive psychology school have revealed that people are psychologically and physically healthier and more resilient when they experience a sense of meaning in their lives. On the other hand, the search for meaning or a lack of meaning in ones life is associated with many psychological disorders such as alcohol, substance abuse, behavioral addictions, depression, death anxiety, and suicide. Having meaning in life, besides being a means of achieving psychological resilience, It is also important in the context of coping with stress and trauma in terms of meaning-making model. When individuals are faced with a significant loss or adverse events, they experience making sense of this stressful event with a sense of uncertainty and insecurity. These events may disrupt or destroy their preexisting situational and global systems of meaning. Therefore, they need to reconstruct their meaning systems in order to overcome the difficulties or traumatic experiences they have experienced. However, in the face of these stressful events, finding or re-establishing meaning encourages people to take on more challenges and eventually regain control over their lives. In this traditional review, we aimed to mention the leading models in the meaning literature, especially the meaning-making models that are effective in the stress and trauma literature, accompanied by current research findings.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Meaning of Life, Meaning in Life, Meaning Models, Search for Meaning, Meaning Making

Psikolojik Dayanıklılık ve Stresle Başa Çıkmada Anlam Algısı Oluşturma Modellerinin Rolleri

Öz

Anlamlı yaşam, yaşamlarında bir amacın, önemin ve bir misyonun olduğu duygusu ile bireylerin yaşamlarını anlamlveırmaları deneyimidir. İnsanlar hem anlam sahibi olmak hem de hayatta anlam aramak için motive olurlar. Nitekim, pozitif psikoloji akımının da etkisiyle son yirmi yılda artan çalışmalar, insanların yaşamlarında anlam olduğundan ve yaşadıklarından bir anlam çıkardıklarında, psikolojik ve fiziksel olarak daha sağlıklı ve daha dayanıklı olduklarını ortaya koymaktadır. Öte yandan, kişinin yaşamındaki anlam eksikliğinin ve anlam arayışının alkol-madde ve davranışsal bağımlılıklar, depresyon, ölüm kaygısı, intihar gibi pek çok psikolojik bozukluk göstergeleriyle ilişkili olduğu bilinmektedir. Yaşamda anlam sahibi olmanın psikolojik dayanıklılık elde etmenin bir aracı olmasının dışında anlam oluşturma modeli bakımından aynı zamanda stres ve travmayla başa çıkma bağlamında da önemlidir. Nitekim, bireyler önemli bir kayıp ya da ciddi bir zorluk karşısında kaldıklarında, bu durumu anlamakta güçlük çeker, belirsizlik ve güvensizlik yaşarlar. Varolan durumsal ve global anlam sistemleri bozulur ya da sekteye uğrar. Bu nedenle, yaşadıkları zorlukları ya da travmatik deneyimleri aşmak için anlam sistemlerini yeniden oluşturmak ve inşa etmek zorunda kalırlar. Ancak bu stresli olaylar karşısında, yeniden anlamı bulmak ya da oluşturmak, insanları daha fazla zorlukla başa çıkmaya ve sonunda yaşamları üzerindeki kontrolü yeniden kazanmaya teşvik eder. Bu geleneksel derleme yazısında amacımız, güncel araştırma bulguları eşliğinde, önce yaşamda anlam literatüründe yer alan önde gelen modellerden ve özellikle stres ve travma literatüründe etkili olan anlam oluşturma modellerinden bahsetmektir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Yaşamın Anlamı, Yaşamda Anlam, Anlam Modelleri, Anlam Arayışı, Anlam Oluşturma

Etik Beyan

Makalemiz, derleme türü olduğu için etik kurul izni alınmamıştır.

Kaynakça

• Allen, A.R. (2022). Meaninglessness, depression and suicidality: A review of the evidence. R. G. Menzies, R. E. Menzies and G.A. Dingle (Eds), Existential Concerns and Cognitive-Behavioral Procedures in (pp. 261-281). NewYork: Springer Cham.
• Alparslan, A. M., Yastıoğlu, S., Taş, M. A. ve Özmen, M. (2022). Yaşamın-işin anlam kaynakları ve iyi oluş ilişkisi üzerine bir araştırma. Süleyman Demirel Universitesi Vizyoner Dergisi, 13(33), 14-33. doi:10.21076/vizyoner.947733
• Auhagen, A. E. (2000). On the psychology of meaning of life. Swiss Journal of Psychology/ Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Psychologie/Revue Suisse de Psychologie, 59(1), 34-48. doi:10.1024/1421-0185.59.1.34
• Bar-Tur, L., Savaya, R. and Prager, E. (2001). Sources of meaning in life for young and old Israeli Jews and Arabs. Journal of Aging Studies, 15(3), 253-269
• Baumeister R.F. (1991). Meanings of Life. New York: The Guildford Press.
• Baumeister, R.F. and Vohs, K. (2002). The pursuit of meaningfulness in life. C.R. Synder and S. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology in (pp.608-618). New York: Oxford University Press.
• Beaglehole, B., Mulder, R. T., Frampton, C. M., Boden, J. M., Newton-Howes, G. and Bell, C. J. (2018). Psychological distress and psychiatric disorder after natural disasters: Systematic review and meta-analysis. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 213(6), 716-722. doi:10.1192/bjp.2018.210
• Bonanno, G. A. (2004). Loss, trauma, and human resilience: Have we underestimated the human capacity to thrive after extremely aversive events? American Psychologist, 59(1), 20-28. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.59.1.20
• Brassai, L., Piko, B. F. and Steger, M. F. (2011). Meaning in life: Is it a protective factor for adolescents’ psychological health? International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 18, 44-51. doi:10.1007/s12529-010-9089-6
• Brijan, B. (2024). Meaning in life in the context of psychopathology and personal recovery. Journal of Philosophy of Life,14(1), 35-53
• Cai, W., Ding, C., Tang, Y.L., Wu, S. and Yang, D. (2014). Effects of social supports on posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms: Moderating role of perceived safety. Psychological Trauma, 6(6), 724–730. doi:10.1037/a0036342
• Chenell, S. L., Murphy, S. A., Valente, S. M. and Roper, J. M. (1992). Beliefs of preventability of death among the disaster bereaved. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 14(5), 576-594. doi:10.1177/019394599201400503
• Cooper, M. (2006). Existential Therapies. London: Sage Publications.
• Çiçek, H. ve Öztürk, F. (2023). Psikolojik sağlamlığın işgören performansı üzerindeki etkisinde öz-şefkatin aracı rolü. Ahi Evran Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 9(2), 363-381. doi:10.31592/aeusbed.1230105
• Debats, D. L., Drost, J. and Hansen, P. (1995). Experiences of meaning in life: A combined qualitative and quantitative approach. British Journal of Psychology, 86(3), 359-375. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8295.1995.tb02758.x
• Du, H., Li, X., Chi, P., Zhao, J. and Zhao, G. (2017). Meaning in life, resilience, and psychological well-being among children affected by parental HIV. AIDS Care, 29(11), 1410-1416. doi:10.1080/09540121.2017.1307923
• Dursun, P., Alyagut, P. and Yılmaz, I. (2022). Meaning in life, psychological hardiness and death anxiety: individuals with or without generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Current Psychology, 41(6), 3299-3317. doi:10.1007/s12144-021-02695-3
• Dursun, P., Steger, M. F., Bentele, C. and Schulenberg, S. E. (2016). Meaning and posttraumatic growth among survivors of the September 2013 Colorado floods. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 72(12), 1247-1263. doi:10.1002/jclp.22344
• Frankl, V. E. (1967). Logotherapy and existentialism. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, and Practice, 4(3), 138-142.
• Frankl, V. E. (1985). Man’s Search for Meaning. Oxford, England: Washington Square Press
• Gaillard, J. C. and Texier, P. (2010). Religions, natural hazards, and disasters: An introduction. Religion, 40(2), 81-84. doi:10.1016/j.religion.2009.12.001
• Glaw, X., Kable, A., Hazelton, M. and Inder, K. (2017). Meaning in life and meaning of life in mental health care: An integrative literature review. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 38(3), 243-252. doi:10.1080/01612840.2016.1253804
• Grouden, M. E. and Jose, P. E. (2015). Do sources of meaning differentially predict search for meaning, presence of meaning, and wellbeing. International Journal of Wellbeing, 5(1), 33-52. doi:10.5502/ijw.v5i1.3
• Hirschel, M. J. and Schulenberg, S. E. (2009). Hurricane Katrina’s impact on the Mississippi Gulf Coast: General self-efficacy’s relationship to PTSD prevalence and severity. Psychological Services, 6(4), 293–303. doi:10.1037/a0017467
• Hobfoll, S. E. (2002). Social ve psychological resources and adaptation. Review of General Psychology, 6(4), 307-324. doi:10.1037/1089-2680.6.4.307
• Hobfoll, S. E., Halbesleben, J., Neveu, J. P. and Westman, M. (2018). Conservation of resources in the organizational context: The reality of resources and their consequences. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 5(1), 103-128. doi:10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032117-104640
• Hollifield, M., Hewage, C., Gunawardena, C. N., Kodituwakku, P., Bopagoda, K. and Weerarathnege, K., (2008). International Post-Tsunami Study Group. Symptoms and coping in Sri Lanka 20–21 months after the 2004 tsunami. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 192(1), 39-44. doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.107.038422
• Ishida, R. and Okada, M. (2006). Effects of a firm purpose in life on anxiety and sympathetic nervous activity caused by emotional stress: Assessment by psycho‐physiological method. Stress and health: Journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress, 22(4), 275-281. doi:10.1002/smi.1095
• Kar, N. (2022). Coping strategies used by adult survivors in the process of recovery from disaster trauma: A narrative review. Odisha Journal of Psychiatry, 18(1), 3-10. doi:10.4103/OJP.OJP_5_22
• King, L. A. and Hicks, J. A. (2009). Detecting and constructing meaning in life events. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 4(5), 317-330. doi:10.1080/17439760902992316
• Koç, Ö. Ö., Soysal, S. ve Bilge, F. (2023). Ergenlerde bilinçli farkındalık ve psikolojik iyi oluş arasındaki ilişkide cinsiyetin düzenleyici rolü. Ahi Evran Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 9(1), 154-169. doi:10.31592/aeusbed.1231193
• Kyutoku, Y., Tada, R., Umeyama, T., Harada, K., Kikuchi, S., Watanabe, E., ... and Dan, I. (2012). Cognitive and psychological reactions of the general population three months after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. PloS One, 7(2), e31014.
• Lambert, N. M., Stillman, T. F., Baumeister, R. F., Fincham, F. D., Hicks, J. A. and Graham, S. M. (2010). Family as a salient source of meaning in young adulthood. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 5(5), 367-376. doi:10.1080/17439760.2010.516616
• Lazarus, R. S. and Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, Appraisal, and coping. US: Springer Publishing Company.
• Levy, B. R., Slade, M. D. and Ranasinghe, P. (2009). Causal thinking after a tsunami wave: Karma beliefs, pessimistic explanatory style and health among Sri Lankan survivors. Journal of Religion and Health, 48, 38-45. doi:10.1007/s10943-008-9162-5
• Lyke, J. (2013) Associations among aspects of meaning in life and death anxiety in young adults. Death Studies, 37(5), 471-482. doi:10.1080/07481187.2011.649939
• Marcu, O. (2007). Meaning making and coping: making sense of death. Cognition, Brain, Behavior, 11(2), 397-416.
• O'Dea, M. K., Igou, E. R. van Tilburg, W. A. and Kinsella, E. L. (2022). Self-compassion predicts less boredom: The role of meaning in life. Personality and Individual Differences, 186, 111360. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2021.111360
• Ostafin, B. D. and Proulx, T. (2020). Meaning in life and resilience to stressors. Anxiety, Stress, and Coping, 33(6), 603-622. doi:10.1080/10615806.2020.1800655
• Öcalan, D., Ceylantekin, Y., Karslı, T. A. and Dursun-Karslı, P. (2024). Psychosocial adaptation, marital satisfaction and meaning in life between women with high and low-risk pregnancies. Current Psychology, 43(1), 15-27. doi:10.1007/s12144-023-05407-1
• Park, C. L. (2010). Making sense of the meaning literature: An integratiand review of meaning making and its effects on adjustment to stressful life events. Psychological Bulletin, 136(2), 257–301. doi:10.1037/a0018301
• Park, C. L. (2016). Meaning making in the context of disasters. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 72(12), 1234-1246. doi:10.1002/jclp.22270 Park, C. L., Malone, M. R., Suresh, D. P., Bliss, D. and Rosen, R. I. (2008). Coping, meaning in life, and quality of life in congestive heart failure patients. Quality of Life Research, 17(1), 21-26. doi:10.1007/s11136-007-9279-0
• Park, N., Park, M. and Peterson, C. (2010). When is the search for meaning related to life satisfaction. Applied psychology: Health and Well-being, 2(1), 1-13. doi:10.1111/j.1758-0854.2009.01024.x
• Reker, G. T. (1997). Personal meaning, optimism, and choice: Existential predictors of depression in community and institutional elderly. The Gerontologist, 37(6), 709-716. doi:10.1093/geront/37.6.709
• Routledge, C., and Juhl, J. (2010). When death thoughts lead to death fears: Mortality salience increases death anxiety for individuals who lack meaning in life. Cognition and Emotion, 24(5), 848-854. doi:10.1080/02699930902847144
• Schnell, T. (2009). The Sources of meaning and meaning in life questionnaire (SoMe): Relations to demographics and well-being. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 4(6), 483-499. doi:10.1080/17439760903271074
• Schulenberg, S. E., Schnetzer, L. W. and Buchanan, E. M. (2011). The purpose in life test-short form: Development and psychometric support. Journal of Happiness Studies, 12, 861-876.
• Seligman, M. E., Steen, T. A., Park, N. and Peterson, C. (2005). Positive psychology progress: Empirical validation of interandntions. American Psychologist, 60(5), 410-421.
• Shiah, Y. J., Chang, F., Chiang, S. K., Lin, I. M. and Tam, W. C. C. (2015). Religion and health: Anxiety, religiosity, meaning of life and mental health. Journal of Religion and Health, 54(1), 35-45. doi:10.1007/s10943-013-9781-3
• Shing, E. Z., Jayawickreme, E. and Waugh, C. E. (2016). Contextual positive coping as a factor contributing to resilience after disasters. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 72(12), 1287-1306. doi:10.1002/jclp.22327
• Skaggs, B. G. and Barron, C. R. (2006). Searching for meaning in negative events: Concept analysis. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 53(5), 559-570. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2648.2006.03761.x
• Spence, P. R., Lachlan, K. A. and Burke, J. M. (2007). Adjusting to uncertainty: Coping strategies among the displaced after Hurricane Katrina. Sociological Spectrum, 27(6), 653-678. doi:10.1080/02732170701533939
• Steger, M. F. (2012). Making meaning in life. Psychological Inquiry, 23(4), 381-385.doi:10.1080/1047840X.2012.720832
• Steger, M.F. and Frazier, P. (2005). Meaning in life: One link in the chain from religiousness to wellbeing. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52(4), 574-582. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.52.4.574
• Steger, M. F., Frazier, P., Oishi, S. and Kaler, M. (2006). The meaning in life questionnaire: Assessing the presence of ve search for meaning in life. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53(1), 80-93. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.53.1.80
• Steger, M. F. and Kashdan, T. B. (2007). Stability and specificity of meaning in life and life satisfaction over one year. Journal of Happiness Studies, 8(2), 161-179. doi:10.1007/s10902-006-9011-8
• Steger, M. F. and Kashdan, T. B. (2013). The unbearable lightness of meaning: Well-being and unstable meaning in life. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 8(2), 103-115. doi:10.1080/17439760.2013.771208
• Steger, M. F., Kawabata, Y., Shimai, S. and Otake, K. (2008). The meaningful life in Japan and the United States: Levels and correlates of meaning in life. Journal of Research in Personality, 42(3), 660-678. doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2007.09.003
• Steger, M. F., Mann, J. R., Michels, P. and Cooper, T. C. (2009). Meaning in life, anxiety, depression, and general health among smoking cessation patients. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 67(4), 353-358. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2009.02.006
• Stillman, T.F. and Baumeister, R.F. (2009). Uncertainty, belongingness, and four needs of meaning. Psychological Inquiry, 20, 249-251.
• Sümer, N., Karanci, A. N., Berument, S. K. and Gunes, H. (2005). Personal resources, coping self‐efficacy, and quake exposure as predictors of psychological distress following the 1999 earthquake in Turkey. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 18(4), 331-342. doi:10.1002/jts.20032
• Tang, C. S. K., Wu, A. M. and Yan, E. C. (2002). Psychosocial correlates of death anxiety among Chinese college students. Death Studies, 26(6), 491-499. doi:10.1080/074811802760139012
• Tillich, P. (1952). The Courage to Be. USA: Yale University Press.
• van Deurzen, E. and Kenward, R. (2005). Dictionary of Existential Psychotherapy and Counseling. London: Sage Publications.
• Wong, P. T. P. (1998). Spirituality, meaning, and successful aging. P. T. P. Wong and P. S. Fry (Eds.), The human quest for meaning: A handbook of psychological research and clinical applications in (pp. 359–394). Toronto: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
• Wong, P. T. (2017). A decade of meaning: Past, present, and future. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 30(1), 82-89. doi:10.1080/10720537.2015.1119085
• Wong, P. T. P. and Tomer, A. (2011) Beyond terror and denial: The positive psychology of death acceptance. Death Studies, 35(2), 99-106. doi:10.1080/07481187.2011.535377
• Zhang, J., Peng, J., Gao, P., Huang, H., Cao, Y., Zheng, L. and Miao, D. (2019). Relationship between meaning in life and death anxiety in the elderly: Self-esteem as a mediator. BMC Geriatrics, 19(1), 1-8. doi:10.1186/s12877-019-1316-7