Reconstructing Meaning in Bereavement

Religion and pet loss: afterlife beliefs, religious coping, prayer and their associations with sorrow

“…More importantly, mourners appear to draw on both positive as well as negative facets of religion during times of crisis (Pargament, 1997). This multifaceted use of religion may reflect the many ways mourners search for meaning in the wake of loss (Neimeyer, 2011).…”

“…Naturally, when a beloved pet dies, many of their owners experience emotional pain comparable to losing a significant person (Gerwolls & Labott, 1994). This kind of pain can often reflect a crisis of meaning where the bereaved struggle to make sense of and find benefit in their loss (Neimeyer, 2011). As religion is often used to derive meaning from death and loss (Park, 2005), it should be no surprise that many bereaved pet owners also rely on religion during mourning (Lee & Surething, 2013;Podrazik, Shackford, Becker, & Heckert, 2000).…”

What brings meaning to life in a highly secular society? A study on sources of meaning among Danes

“…Furthermore, meaning in life is often construed in a uni-dimensional way, that is, it only measures the degree of perceived meaning and purpose in life, but not the factors that contribute to this perception (Brands€ atter, Baumann, Borasio & Fegg, 2012). Having multidimensional measures of personal sources of meaning, may be especially relevant for health personnel operating with individuals in crisis due to sudden life change such as bereavement (Neimeyer, 2011), chronic or life-threatening illness (Guerrero-Torrelles, Monforte-Royo, Rodr ıguez-Prat, Porta-Sales, & Balaguer, 2017;Lin, Bauer-Wu, 2003;Vos, 2016), or traumatic events (Silver & Updegraff, 2013), who might have lost access to their primary source of meaning in life. Therefore, there is a need for multidimensional instruments that are able to address both dimensions, for example, experienced meaning in life as well as the sources that contribute to its experience.…”

In limbo: A systematic review of psychological responses and coping among people with a missing loved one

“…to spiritual or existential (e.g., "Why did God allow this to happen?"). How and whether or not these questions are resolved shapes how one adjusts to the loss (Neimeyer, 2011). In the context of war and conflict, Barber (2009) found that perceived meaningfulness of an experienced war (e.g., the meaningful Intifada compared with the Bosnian war which was deemed by many as senseless) contributed to one's post-war social and psychological adjustment.…”