Meaning in Life: A Therapist's Guide

240 Pages·2018·0.829 MB·English

by  Dr. Clara E. Hill PhD

MEANING
LIFE
IN
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M E A N I N G
L I F E
IN
A THERAPIST’S
GUIDE
CLARA E. HILL
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Copyright © 2018 by the American Psychological Association. All rights reserved. Except as
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Printed in the United States of America
First Edition
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0000083-000
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
acknowledgments vii
introduction 3
prologue 9
I
Overview of Meaning in Life 17
Chapter 1. Defnition of Meaning in Life 19
Chapter 2. Development and Nature of Meaning
in Life 39
Chapter 3. Sources of Meaning 51
II
Therapeutic Applications for Working
With Meaning in Life 63
Chapter 4. E xisting Psychotherapy Theories About
Meaning in Life 65
Chapter 5. A Model for Working With Meaning in Life 75
Chapter 6. Meaning-in-Life Work With Specifc
Client Problems 97
Chapter 7. Case Examples of Clients With Meaning-
in-Life Concerns 115
Chapter 8. M ulticultural and Ethical Considerations
in Working With Meaning in Life
in Psychotherapy 139
Chapter 9. F inding Meaning in Life: A Self-Help Guide 153
v
vi CONTENTS
III
Research on Meaning in Life 161
Chapter 10. Our Research at the University of Maryland
on Meaning in Life 163
Chapter 11. Measurement of Meaning in Life 187
IV
Conclusion 197
Chapter 12. Future Directions 199
references 205
index 221
about the author 231
Acknowledgments
Susan Reynolds and Ed Meidenbauer heard my keynote address on mean-
ing in life at the Society for Psychotherapy Integration in April 2014 and
immediately asked me to write a book about the topic. I was terrifed
because I felt that I did not know enough to write such a book. I have
since learned a lot, although I still feel that there is much more to know. I am
grateful for their encouragement and support. I also thank Andrew Gifford as
the developmental editor and the other folks at the American Psychological
Association who have worked so hard to make this book a reality.
I am grateful to the following people who have reviewed chapters in
this book and given me feedback: Zack Borkowski, Dana Falk, Jim Gormally,
Shakeena King, Carol Mishler, Kathy O’Brien, Kristen Pinto-Coelho, Pat
Spangler, Eva Suliman, Barbara Thompson, and Heidi Zetzer. I am also indebted
to the many family members and friends who have endured endless discussions
about meaning in life. In addition, the three undergraduate classes in which we
did qualitative research projects on meaning in life were incredibly benefcial
for helping me think about the topic. Trying to develop a measure of meaning
in life with Kathryn Kline, Matthew Miller, Heidi Zetzer, Kristen Pinto-Coelho,
and Ellen Baumann Marks also forced us to think about this construct and how
to measure it. A project with Dennis Kivlighan, Shakeena King, and Aaron
Borkowski looking at changes in meaning in our clinic also shaped my thinking
about psychotherapy. I also thank all the people who participated in our studies
on meaning in life and all the people who attended workshops that I gave on
meaning in life; without their input, I could not have developed my ideas. I am
particularly grateful to the experienced therapists who provided cases that are
highlighted in Chapter 7. I also especially want to thank the three reviewers of
the book; their comments really helped shape the book.
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MEANING
LIFE
IN

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