Yaşamda Anlam: Keşif, İcat Ya Da Her İkisi?

Year 2020, Volume: 2 Issue: 3, 180 - 186, 01.12.2020

Pınar Dursun Pınar Alyağut

https://doi.org/10.35365/ctjpp.20.02.25

Abstract

Son zamanlarda, yaşamın anlamı ya da yaşamda anlam hakkında sonsuz sorular, özellikle pozitif psikolojinin katkısı içinde, giderek artan bir teorik araştırma konusu haline gelmiştir. Araştırma bulguları, yaşamdaki anlamın deneyimlenmesinin psikolojik sağlamlık, iyi oluş ve sağlığa önemli ölçüde katkıda bulunduğunu göstermektedir. Bazı insanlar, yaşamlarında bir anlam olsa bile, daha fazlasını aramakta tereddüt etmezken, bazı insanlar ise bu soruyu akıllarına bile getirmezler. Bu makalede, amacımız anlamlı yaşamın bir keşif veya bir buluş yoluyla, önde gelen iki perspektif (Frankl ve Baumeister) ve yakın zamanda yapılan ampirik bulgularla elde edilip edilemeyeceğini tartışmaktır. İlk olarak, Frankl her halükarda, bireyin onurunu korumaya çalışması ve acı çekerken bile daha derin bir anlam keşfetmesi gerektiğine inanıyordu. Öte yandan Baumeister, kişiden bağımsız olarak hayatta gizli veya geniş bir anlam olmadığını ileri sürmüştür. Anlam, sadece birey tarafından kültürün sunduğu dört kriterin karşılanmasıyla inşa edilebilir. Bununla birlikte, son ampirik araştırmalar, özellikle travma ile psikolojik sağlamlık ile ilgili olarak hem keşif hem de buluş süreçlerini içeren bu sistemlerin etkileşimi yoluyla anlamlı bir yaşama ulaşılabileceğini ortaya koymuştur. Sonuç olarak, yaşamın anlamı “ya hep ya hiç” ile karakterize değil, onu yerine bir “derece” meselesidir ve Yaşamın inşası ya da keşfi birbirini tamamlayan süreçlerdir.

Keywords

Yaşamda Anlam, Yaşamın Anlamı, Anlam, Logoterapi, Varoluşçu Psikoloji

Meaning in/of Life: Discovery, Invention or Both?

Abstract

Recently, endless questions about the meaning in/of life have become a growing theoretical research topic especially within the contribution of positive psychology. Research findings suggest that experiencing meaning in life contributes significantly to psychological resilience, well-being, and health. While some people do not hesitate to look for more, even if there is meaning in their lives, some people do not even bother to bring this question to mind. In this paper, our aim is to discuss whether meaningful life can be achieved through a discovery or an invention with two leading perspectives-Frankl and Baumeister- and with recent empirical findings especially on traumatic events. First, Frankl believed that in any case, an individual should try to protect his honor and should discover a deeper meaning under the suffering. On the other hand, Baumeister suggested that there is no hidden or broad meaning in life independent from the person. Meaning can only be constructed by the individual by the satisfaction of four criteria that culture presents. Nevertheless, recent empirical research especially on resilience and trauma literature has revealed that a meaningful life can be achieved through the interplay of these two systems/processes-discovery and invention- especially in dealing with trauma. In conclusion, meaning of life can be characterized by a “degree” matter rather than “all-or-none” and the construction or discovery of life are complementary processes.

Keywords

Meaning Of Life, Meaning In Life, Meaning, Logotherapy, Existential Psychology

References

• Antonovsky, A. (1979). Health, stress, and coping. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
• American Psychological Association (APA). (2013) The road to resilience: what is resilience? American Psychological Association, Washington, D.C., USA. [online] URL: http://www.apa.org/ helpcenter/road-resilience.aspx
• Auhagen, A.E. (2000). On the psychology of meaning of life. Swiss Journal of Psychology 59(1), 34-48.
• Baumeister R.F. (1991). Meanings of Life. NY: The Guildford Press.
• Baumeister, R.F, & Vohs, K. (2002). The pursuit of meaningfulness in life. In C.R.Synder & S.Lopez (Eds.) Handbook of positive psychology (pp.608-618). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
• 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.
• Bonanno, G. A., Galea, S., Bucciarelli, A., & Vlahov, D. (2006). Psychological resilience after disaster: New York City in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attack. Psychological Science, 17(3), 181-186.
• Bonanno, G. A., Ho, S. M., Chan, J. C., Kwong, R. S., Cheung, C. K., Wong, C. P., & Wong, V. C. (2008). Psychological resilience and dysfunction among hospitalized survivors of the SARS epidemic in Hong Kong: a latent class approach. Health Psychology, 27(5), 659-667.
• Bonanno, G. A., Moskowitz, J. T., Papa, A., & Folkman, S. (2005). Resilience to loss in bereaved spouses, bereaved parents, and bereaved gay men. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88(5), 827-843.
• Boyle, P. A., Barnes, L. L., Buchman, A. S., & Bennett, D. A. (2009). Purpose in life is associated with mortality among community-dwelling older persons. Psychosomatic medicine, 71(5), 574-579.
• Brassai, L., Piko, B.F., & Steger, M.F. (2011). Meaning in Life: Is it a protective factor for adolescents’ psychological health, Int.J.Behavior Med., 18, 44-51.
• Dunn, M. G., & O'Brien, K. M. (2009). Psychological health and meaning in life: Stress, social support, and religious coping in Latina/Latino immigrants. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 31(2), 204-227.doi:10.1177/0739986309334799
• Emmons, R.A. (1989). The personal striving approach to personality.In L. A. Pervin (Ed.) Goal concepts in Personality and Social Psychology (pp. 87–126). Hillsdale: Erlbaum.
• Frankl, V. E. (1967). Logotherapy and existentialism. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, and Practice, 4(3), 138-142.
• Frankl, V. E. (1981). The Will to Meaning: Foundations and Applications of Logotherapy. New York: New American Library.
• Frankl V. E. (1985). Man’s Search for Meaning. Oxford, England: Washington Square Press.
• Karoly, P., & Ruehlman, L. S. (2006). Psychological “resilience” and its correlates in chronic pain: findings from a national community sample. Pain, 123(1-2), 90-97.
• Kim, T. H., Lee, S. M., Yu, K., Lee, S., & Puig, A. (2005). Hope and the meaning of life as influences on Korean adolescents’ resilience: Implications for counselors. Asia pacific education review, 6(2), 143-152.
• King, L.A., & Hicks, J.A. (2009). Detecting and constructing meaning in life events. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 4(5), 317-330.
• King, L.A., Hicks, J.A., Krull, J.L., & Del Gaiso, A.K. (2006). Positive affect and the experience of meaning in life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90(1), 179-196.
• Krok, D. (2015). The role of meaning in life within the relations of religious coping and psychological well-being. Journal of Religion and Health, 54(6), 2292-2308.
• Lambert, N.M., Stillman, T.F., Baumeister, R.F., Fincham, F.D., Hicks, J.A., & Graham, S.M. (2010). Family as a source of meaning in young adulthood. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 5(5), 367-376.
• Lee, H. S., Brown, S. L., Mitchell, M. M., & Schiraldi, G. R. (2008). Correlates of resilience in the face of adversity for Korean women immigrating to the US. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 10(5), 415-422.
• Lightsey Jr, O. R. (2006). Resilience, meaning, and well-being. The counseling psychologist, 34(1), 96-107.
• Maddi, S. R. (1967). The existential neurosis. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 72, 311–325.
• Martela, F., Steger, M.F (2016). The three meanings of meaning in life: Distinguishing coherence, purpose, and significance. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 11(5), 531-545.
• Martin, A. J., & Marsh, H. W. (2006). Academic resilience and its psychological and educational correlates: A construct validity approach. Psychology in the Schools, 43(3), 267-281.
• Martos, T., Thege, B. K., & Steger, M. F. (2010). It’s not only what you hold, it’s how you hold it: Dimensions of religiosity and meaning in life. Personality and Individual Differences, 49(8), 863-868.doi:10.1016/j.paid.2010.07.017
• Pan, J. Y., Wong, D. F. K., Chan, C. L. W., & Joubert, L. (2008). Meaning of life as a protective factor of positive affect in acculturation: A resilience framework and a cross-cultural comparison. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 32(6), 505-514.
• Park, C. L. (2010). Making sense of the meaning literature: an integrative 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., Malone, M. R., Suresh, D. P., Bliss, D., & 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., & Peterson, C. (2010). When is the search for meaning related to life satisfaction. Applied psychology: Health and Well-being, 2(1), 1-13.
• Parker, G. R., Cowen, E. L., Work, W. C., & Wyman, P. A. (1990). Test correlates of stress resilience among urban school children. Journal of Primary Prevention, 11(1), 19-35.
• Pattakos, A. (2010). Prisoners of our thoughts. (2nd ed.). US: Berrett-Koehler publishers, Inc.
• Reker, G.T. (1997). Personal meaning, optimism and choice: Existential predictors of depression in community and institutional elderly. The gerontologist, 37, 709-716.
• Reker, G.T. & Wong, P.T.P. (1988). Aging as an individual process: toward a theory of personal meaning. In J. E. Birren & V. L. Bengtson (Eds.), Emergent theories of aging. (pp.214–246). New York: Springer.
• 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.
• Skaggs, B.G., & Barron, C.R. (2006). Searching for meaning in negative events: concept analysis, Journal of Advanced Nursing, 53(5), 559-570. Southwick, S. M., Bonanno, G. A., Masten, A. S., Panter-Brick, C., & Yehuda, R. (2014). Resilience definitions, theory, and challenges: interdisciplinary perspectives. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 5(1), 25338.
• Steger, M.F. (2012). Making meaning in life. Psychological Inquiry 23(4), 381-385
• Steger, M.F., & Frazier, P. (2005). Meaning in life: one link in the chain from religiousness to well-being. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52(4), 574-582.
• Steger, M.F., Frazier, P., Oishi, S., & Kaler, M. (2006). The meaning in life Questionnaire: Assessing the presence of and search for meaning in life. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53(1), 80-93.
• Steger, M.F., Kashdan, T.B., & Oishi, S. (2008). Being good by doing good: Daily eudaimonic activity and well-being. Journal of Research in Personality, 42, 22-42.
• Steger, M.F., Mann, J.R., Michels, P., & Cooper, T.C. (2009). Meaning in life, anxiety, depression, and general health among smoking cessation patients. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 67, 353-358.
• Steger, M. F., Pickering, N. K., Adams, E., Burnett, J., Shin, J. Y., Dik, B. J., & Stauner, N. (2010). The quest for meaning: Religious affiliation differences in the correlates of religious quest and search for meaning in life. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 2(4), 206-226.
• Stillman, T.F., & Baumeister, R.F. (2009). Uncertainty, Belongingness, and Four needs of Meaning. Psychological Inquiry, 20, 249-251.
• Tedeschi, R. G., & Calhoun, L. G. (2004). " Posttraumatic growth: Conceptual foundations and empirical evidence". Psychological inquiry, 15(1), 1-18. van Deurzen, E. & Kenward, R. (2005). Dictionary of Existential Counselling and Psychotherapy. London: Sage Publications
• Yalom, I. (1980). Existential therapy. New York: Basic Books.
• Zika, S., & Chamberlain, K. (1992). On the relation between meaning in life and psychological well-being. British Journal of Psychology, 83, 133–145.