Young men’s experiences of living with existential concerns: “living close to a bottomless darkness”

Abstract

Introduction: Young men may struggle in life with challenges of various concerns about their identity and who they want to be in life. Many health issues arise from social norms and wider societal determinations and for today's young men, following such norms poses a risk of losing oneself. An essential part of health are connected to the existential dimensions in life and concerns who you are, and how well you know and understand yourself. However; little is known about what it means for young men to live a life with existential concerns. Purpose and method: The purpose of this phenomenological study, based on reflective lifeworld research (RLR), is to describe young men's experiences of living with existential concerns for which they have sought support. Eight lifeworld interviews were conducted. Results: The results essentially show that young men living with existential concerns describe their situations as living close to a bottomless darkness. This is further described according to four constituents: enduring everyday life, striving for a solution, hearing an inner self-critical voice, and wearing a hard shell. Conclusion: We conclude that strengthening young men's health processes requires healthcare professionals to create an atmosphere where young men feel safe talking about existential concerns without feeling exposed and vulnerable.

Preliminary Efficacy of an Occupation-Oriented Purpose in Life Intervention After Breast Cancer

“…Group interventions such as the Compass Course have the potential to advance purpose in life for occupational therapy clients who have experienced health or life transitions that leave them adrift and disconnected from themselves (Bridges, 2004). Beyond the purpose disruption that can accompany sudden onset illness or disability such as stroke (Lewis, Brazeau, & Hill, 2020), purpose in life tends to decline as people age (Ryff & Keyes, 1995) and even young adults are at-risk for purpose-related existential distress as they figure out a path for their lives (Lundvall, Lindberg, Horberg, Carlsson, & Palmer, 2019;Lundvall, Horberg, Palmer, Carlsson, & Lindberg, 2020).…”

“…Group interventions such as the Compass Course have the potential to advance purpose in life for occupational therapy clients who have experienced health or life transitions that leave them adrift and disconnected from themselves (Bridges, 2004). Beyond the purpose disruption that can accompany sudden onset illness or disability such as stroke (Lewis, Brazeau, & Hill, 2020), purpose in life tends to decline as people age (Ryff & Keyes, 1995) and even young adults are at-risk for purpose-related existential distress as they figure out a path for their lives (Lundvall, Lindberg, Horberg, Carlsson, & Palmer, 2019; Lundvall, Horberg, Palmer, Carlsson, & Lindberg, 2020). Because purpose in life contributes to psychosocial adaptation for people with potentially disabling conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis (Verduin et al, 2008), depression (Blazek, Kazmierczak, & Besta, 2015), and spinal cord injury (Krause, Cao, & DiPiro, 2020), purpose renewal research should be expanded to include other diagnostic and demographic populations served by occupational therapists.…”

Finding an existential place to rest: enabling well-being in young adults

“…At the same time, this can cause their existential concerns to become unmanageable. By sharing their life stories, they might come to peace with their situations while taking a risk in allowing themselves to be vulnerable (Lundvall et al, 2020 , 2019 ). Östman et al ( 2020 ) explain that young adults strive to understand their ethos (innermost values, or the voice of their heart) and their access to health by self-managing their freedom, independence, and responsibility.…”

“…They can feel an intense longing to share their existential concerns with others whilst being afraid of being vulnerable through such sharing. While this longing indicates a willingness to feel harmony with oneself, it can feel unachievable, creating feelings of hopelessness and loneliness (Lundvall et al, 2020 , 2019 ).…”

“…To support and strengthen the health and well-being of young adults with existential concerns, it is proposed that healthcare professionals create spaces in which young adults can dwell without feeling vulnerable (Lundvall et al, 2020 , 2019 ). In a mental health context, support has been described as using health-promoting strategies to strengthen individuals’ autonomy and participation in care, to improve their quality of life (Seow et al, 2016 ).…”