One Way That Meaning Is Created: A Phenomenology of Meaningful Events for Young Adults

Bargdill, Richard W.; Marasco-Kuhn, Jennifer L.; Muron, Anthony P.; Chung, Lisa Y.

doi:10.1177/0022167818824664

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…The findings of this study closely resemble the characteristics of the process by which emerging adults actively construct meaning from difficult experiences, as described by Bargdill, Marasco-Kuhn, Muron, and Chung (2019). First, an experience emerges unexpectedly that disturbs their sense of everydayness and familiar predictability, makes them aware of their inauthentic behavior, and prompts them to respond more authentically.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

The existential obituary writing technique for emerging adults: Thematic and content analyses.

Bland¹

2021

The Humanistic Psychologist

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Writing one's own obituary is a technique rooted in the theoretical/philosophical principles of existential-humanistic psychology that has long been endorsed by existential-humanistic psychologists for its value in promoting second-order change (existential liberation) and self-cultivation. These processes are pertinent for emerging adults, for whom a principal developmental task is self-authorship (transitioning out of uncritically following external formulas learned in childhood and toward making internally based decisions to meet the demands of complex work roles and interpersonal intimacy as adults). To date, literature on obituary writing has been limited to a half-dozen sources, none of which offer formal investigations of its process mechanisms/dynamics. This study provides research support for the technique's theoretical underpinnings and contextualizes its effectiveness as demonstrated in extant case studies in order to preserve its integrity in the current evidence-based practice zeitgeist. In this study, 22 emerging adults in a college course completed obituaries and reflections on the lived experience thereof. Thematic and summative content analyses were used to assess the thematic content included in the obituaries and the process by which the participants made sense of the act of writing them. Findings suggest that, in this sample, consistent with extant theorizing and informal observations, the experience of completing one's own obituary begins with emotional discomfort followed by a transformative shift in the direction of a greater sense of acceptance, appreciation, and awe toward the possibilities of living the life one envisions. Finally, connections with and contributions to the emerging adulthood literature and suggestions for further inquiry are discussed.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

The existential obituary writing technique for emerging adults: Thematic and content analyses.

Bland¹

2021

The Humanistic Psychologist

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“…A third possibility for confronting this paradox involves cultivating receptivity, curiosity, tolerance of ambiguity, flexibility, and the ability to make personal meaning. Bargdill et al’s (2019) phenomenological study of the process by which individuals construct meaning from difficult experiences can be applied to COVID-19. First, an experience emerges unexpectedly that disturbs people’s sense of everydayness and familiar predictability, makes them aware of their inauthentic behavior, and prompts them to respond more authentically.…”

Section: Meaning Versus Absurditymentioning

confidence: 99%

Existential Givens in the COVID-19 Crisis

Bland

2020

Journal of Humanistic Psychology

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COVID-19 confronts humanity with an undeniable, unprecedented crisis. The focus of this article is the opportunities it offers for a proverbial pressing of the reset button by prompting pause and reflection on habitual patterns and serving as an “urgent experience” with the potential to spark revitalizing intentionality. Using Greening’s four dialectical existential givens— life/death, community/isolation, freedom/determinism, and meaning/absurdity—as a guiding framework, I explore imbalances in aspects of life in the United States that have been illuminated by COVID-19. Then, I employ existential–humanistic theorizing and research as a vision of how these dialectical forces can be transcended by confronting paradoxes posed by these givens (vs. simplistically overemphasizing either their positive or their negative aspects) and by activating the creative potential therein. Specifically, COVID-19 offers opportunities for individuals to relinquish an unsustainable and ineffective way of being inherent in and reinforced by the U.S. cultural narrative; to embrace ambiguity and tragedy; to actively identify, remediate, and reconcile underacknowledged and underactualized human capacities; and therefore to heal false dichotomies and become more capable of living fully, authentically, and flexibly. Accordingly, COVID-19 also provides opportunities for collective co-creation of a cultural narrative involving evolution toward enhanced senses of consciousness and caring.

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“… 23 Bargdill and colleagues note that when faced with one’s fragility, there is an increased consciousness that enables one to pursue a sense of purpose and to appreciate life. 24 This leads to stronger relationships and gratitude. Therefore, the emotional experience of loneliness serves as a reminder to seek meaning in life and to ‘surrender ineffective ways of being’.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%