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Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research pp 1–6Cite as

Meaning in Life

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Synonyms

Life meaning; Meaning of life; Purpose in life

Definition

A comprehensive definition of meaning in life can be conceived in terms of PURE: purpose, understanding, responsible action, and enjoyment/evaluation (Wong 2010, 2011).

Description

Introduction

Meaning is not only the core of human experience, but also the key to human survival and thriving as individuals as a species. In addition to functioning as a protective factor, meaning also plays a crucial role in navigating troubled waters, and recovering from trauma and mental illness (Russo-Netzer et al. 2016).

After several decades of scientific research, I can confidently support Viktor Frankl’s thesis: “the quest for meaning is the key to mental health and human flourishing” (Frankl 1985). All the available research findings on meaning in life (e.g., Wong 2012a; Hicks and Routledge 2013; Batthyany and Russo-Netzer 2014) indicate that the human quest for meaning is a primary human motivation, favored by evolution because...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada

    Paul T. P. Wong

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  1. Paul T. P. Wong
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Scienze Statistiche, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Italy

    Filomena Maggino

Section Editor information

  1. Institut de Sociologie, Université de Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland

    Christian Suter

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Wong, P.T.P. (2021). Meaning in Life. In: Maggino, F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69909-7_1755-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69909-7_1755-2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-69909-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-69909-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Social SciencesReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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