Implicit Religion and the Meaning Making Model

Abstract

This article explores the potential contributions of a model of meaning making (Park 2010a) to the emerging study of implicit religion. A model of meaning making is first explicated; this model describes the ways in which meaning is central to human beings in both their everyday lives and in stressful circumstances and delineates global and situational levels of meaning. Previous applications of the meaning making model to religiousness/spirituality are discussed. The concept of implicit religion is introduced, and implications of its integration into a broader religious meaning-making model are considered. Suggestions for future research on implicit religion and meaning-making conclude the article. The meaning making modelThe meaning making model proposed by Park and colleagues (Park 2010a; Park and Folkman 1997) was developed to bring together an accumulating literature on multiple related but distinct topics, including meaning in life, spirituality, worldviews, and coping with difficult experiences such as trauma, bereavement, and physical illness. Collectively, this literature suggests that meaning is central to and pervasive in human experience and, through multiple pathways, affects psychological, physical and social well-being (Park 2010b). This section briefly reviews the meaning making model; a more detailed treatment is provided hy Park ( ,2010a. The meaning making model describes two levels of meaning, global and situational. Global meaning refers to individuals' general orienting systems (Pargament 1997). Situational meaning refers to the influence of global meaning in the context of particular situations. Meaning systems

Coping research: Historical background, links with emotion, and new research directions on adaptive processes

“…For some researchers such as Ross, Handal, Clark, and Wal (), religiousness and non‐self‐directedness are predictive of psychological adjustment. Others, like Park (), highlight that at times of trauma and major life stress that are less amenable to problem solving, ‘implicit religiousness’ is incorporated into a religious meaning–making model where spirituality plays a part. There are many ‘faces’ of religious coping and Emery and Pargament () consider the challenges of later life where the majority of adults claim that they incorporate religion and spirituality into their coping repertoire.…”

Perceived Spirituality, Mindfulness and Quality of Life in Psychiatric Patients

“…With regard to the Hope domain, the latter plays an existential role in life-one of constructing meaning- (Rovers and Kocum 2010). In the opinion of Park (2011), it is possible for spirituality to act in the daily construction of meaning, and according to Emmons (2003), there appears to be a positive relation between spirituality and existential issues aimed at personal goals. It is also possible to note different levels of spiritual outlook among religious groups, suggesting that some of these patients may have an approach to spirituality that is more practical than it is attitudinal, or more methodical and dogmatic than experiential.…”

Beyond “Religion” and “Spirituality”

“…These meaning systems can be viewed at two levels, the global and the situational (Park, 2011). According to Park, global meaning systems are the core schemas that people use to interpret their experiences.…”

“…It is at this level of situational meaning that research investigating meaning in life and meaningfulness in life (e.g., Hicks & King, 2009;Martela & Steger, 2016) is situated. Park (2011) argues that the process of attributing meaning in life, the ways by which an individual creates purpose, significance and coherence out of the many things that they experience, is just one aspect of global meaning systems. They are applications of an individual's global meaning systems for specific purposes.…”