The Psychology of Meaning

From moral philosophy and existentialism to the clinical realm of psychotherapy, The Psychology of Meaning explores the multifaceted nature of this highly subjective construct. Contributors to this groundbreaking edited volume examine not only the many phenomenological aspects of meaning, but also the clinical aspects of people's reactions to the loss of meaning, to uncertainty, and to meaning violations-when things that were once central to one's life no longer make much sense. Divided into five parts, the book's final section contains chapters on how neurocognitive mechanisms compensate for meaning violations. The book's concluding chapter addresses how psychotherapy can help restore meaning in the face of persistent meaning violations. The Psychology of Meaning is an ideal course adoption for students in introductory or applied social psychology courses, and also for clinicians specializing in existential-humanistic psychotherapy.