The Significance of Meaning to Conceptualizations of Resilience and Posttraumatic Growth: Strengthening the Foundation for Research and Practice

Weathers, Lauren N.; Aiena, Bethany J.; Blackwell, Meredith A.; Schulenberg, Stefan E.

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-41397-6_8

Cited by 17 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 109 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Reports of PTG often fall within five domains: closer relationships with others, acknowledgment of new possibilities, a greater sense of personal strength, spiritual change and development, and a greater appreciation of life (Tedeschi et al, 2018;Weathers, Aiena, Blackwell, & Schulenberg, 2016). Posttraumatic growth has been studied in earthquake (McBride, Lovelock, Shepherd, Zubizaretta, & Burch, 2018) and flood survivors (Dursun et al, 2016), among other natural hazard survivors (see Cohen, Hettler, & Pane, 2008 for a review).…”

Section: Natural Hazardsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Meaning, social support, and resilience as predictors of posttraumatic growth: A study of the Louisiana flooding of August 2016.

Boullion¹,

Pavlacic²,

Schulenberg³

et al. 2020

American Journal of Orthopsychiatry

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Individuals who survive natural hazards often develop posttraumatic stress symptoms or other forms of psychological distress. However, some experience psychological growth. Given that the probability that such events will increase in the near future due to global warming, it would probably be helpful to examine predictors of growth across different kinds of natural hazards.The present study examined positive psychological factors that may serve as buffers against the negative effects of exposure to a natural hazard, specifically following the Louisiana flooding of August 2016. Volunteer participants (N = 120) self-reported perceived presence and search for meaning in life, social support, resilience, and posttraumatic growth (PTG). After controlling for amount of property damaged, posttraumatic stress symptoms, sex, religiosity, and ethnicity/race, presence and search for meaning, social support, and resilience explained significant additional variance in PTG scores. This research adds to our growing understanding of how individuals respond to natural hazards.

show abstract

Section: Natural Hazardsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Meaning, social support, and resilience as predictors of posttraumatic growth: A study of the Louisiana flooding of August 2016.

Boullion¹,

Pavlacic²,

Schulenberg³

et al. 2020

American Journal of Orthopsychiatry

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Frankl (1963) observed that his fellow Holocaust survivors were able to endure suffering and persist under the most atrocious conditions if they held onto a reason for living, whereas those who lacked a strong sense of mattering or lost their grasp of what made life worth living perished. Research supports Frankl's observations, as people who experience their lives as meaningful tend to be resilient and experience posttraumatic growth (e.g., Weathers, Aiena, Blackwell, & Schulenberg, 2016). People who report their lives as meaningful also experience better physical and psychological health as compared to individuals who report low levels of meaning in life (e.g., Ryff, 1989;Peterson, Park, & Seligman, 2005;Steger, Frazier, Oishi, & Kaler, 2006).…”

Section: A Primer On Meaning In Life Theorymentioning

confidence: 55%

Helping Students Find Their Way to Meaning: Meaning and Purpose in Education

Steger

O’Donnell

Morse

2021

The Palgrave Handbook of Positive Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Meaning in life is a cornerstone of wellbeing and flourishing. Emerging generations express intense interest, and even anxiety, about living and working in a meaningful way, yet contemporary society seems ill-equipped to provide them with constructive pathways to meaning. In this chapter, we place meaning in life theory and research in the context of positive education, and suggest a number of simple activities and tools, as well as a broader perspective on meaning and purpose, that both can be integrated into positive education programs and also may be used as the very basis for integrating such programs. Meaning in life captures our universal desire for life to be significant, coherent, and purposeful. By helping students begin and continue to take steps on pathways to meaning, positive educational institutions may profoundly assist the flourishing of students in their care and the communities in which those institutions and students thrive.

show abstract

“…When one has a reason, a purpose, or a "why" to live for, there is a higher probability to tolerate negative emotions such as pain, sadness, or disappointment, and in turn to develop perseverance and discipline, and to make necessary adjustments or even sacrifices for the sake of meaning. Along these lines, previous research suggests that meaning has been found to be associated with selfacceptance, emotional stability, resilience, and post-traumatic growth (e.g., Melton and Schulenberg, 2008;Breitbart and Masterson, 2016;Southwick et al, 2016;Weathers et al, 2016).We propose to complement the original Ellis's emotional disturbance model of irrational beliefs with Demandingness as the core irrational belief with a logotherapy based model of self-transcendence, with Meaning as the core beneficial belief, conceptualized in Figure 1.…”

Section: Proposal For An Integrative Model: Optimal Sense-makingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Meaning-centered individual and group therapy psychotherapy programs have also been found as highly effective and empirically validated in various settings and populations (e.g., Breitbart and Masterson, 2016 ; Southwick et al, 2016 ; Weathers et al, 2016 ). These ideas and tools appear to be especially relevant in the context of the present COVID crisis.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimal Sense-Making and Resilience in Times of Pandemic: Integrating Rationality and Meaning in Psychotherapy

Russo‐Netzer

Ameli

2021

Front. Psychol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The global COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a wide variety of psychological crises worldwide. In order to respond rapidly and efficiently to the complex challenges, mental health professionals are required to adopt a multidimensional and integrative view. Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) founded by Albert Ellis promotes rationality and self-acceptance. Logotherapy, pioneered by Viktor Frankl potentiates meaning and resilience. Both approaches are complementary and mutually enriching. The goal of this paper is to propose an integrative model of “optimal sense-making,” a concept that combines both rationality and meaning, as well as the role of self-transcendence and healthy negative emotions. The model offers a theoretical and clinical foundation for efficient and effective psychological intervention plans for those affected by the pandemic. Along with theoretical background, illustrating case studies are presented to support potential application of the integrative model to affected individuals as well as the work of first-line health professionals during these times of pandemic. Implications are considered for utilizing theoretical and applied insights from the model to cultivate resilience in face of adversity and suffering.

show abstract

The Significance of Meaning to Conceptualizations of Resilience and Posttraumatic Growth: Strengthening the Foundation for Research and Practice

Cited by 17 publications

References 109 publications

Meaning, social support, and resilience as predictors of posttraumatic growth: A study of the Louisiana flooding of August 2016.

Meaning, social support, and resilience as predictors of posttraumatic growth: A study of the Louisiana flooding of August 2016.

Helping Students Find Their Way to Meaning: Meaning and Purpose in Education

Optimal Sense-Making and Resilience in Times of Pandemic: Integrating Rationality and Meaning in Psychotherapy

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About