A Meaningful Life: Assoc. Prof. Stasė Matulaitytė (1933–2020)

The death of a mate has been described as one of the number one stressors in our society today. This article proposes a group design for bereaved widows for the purpose of support and preventive and remedial interventions to help members learn to cope with loss and create a more meaningful life.

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Cardiovascular disease and meaning in life: A systematic literature review and conceptual model

Palliative & Supportive Care ◽

10.1017/s1478951520001261 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Joel Vos

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Literature Review ◽

Conceptual Model ◽

Psychological Stress ◽

Systematic Literature Review ◽

Meaning In Life ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Lifestyle Changes ◽

Meaningful Life ◽

Psychological Treatments

Abstract Objectives Previous studies have shown that psychological stress and mental health problems increase the risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) events, such as heart attack or stroke. Furthermore, after CVD events, the majority of patients report large stress. However, psychological treatments have only modest effects in CVD patients. Therefore, it has been argued that new conceptual models are needed to understand the aetiology of stress and mental health problems in CVD patients. Therefore, this study included a systematic literature review and a conceptual model on the role of meaning in life for psychological stress, mental health, and CVD risks. Methods A systematic literature review was conducted on relationships between CVD and meaning in life. PRISMA/MOOSE review guidelines were followed. These findings were used to build a conceptual model. Results The literature review included 113 studies on meaning and CVD. The included studies described meaning as a predictor of cardiovascular risks and health, meaning-centered needs of patients in conversations with medical staff, meaning-centered changes after CVD events, meaning-centered coping with CVD, meaning as motivator of CVD-related lifestyle changes, and meaning as an element in psychological treatments of CVD patients. In sum, the literature showed that a central clinical concern for patients is their question how to live a meaningful life despite CVD. Meaning-centered concerns seem to lead to lower motivation to make lifestyle changes, more psychological stress, lower quality-of-life, worse physical well-being, and increased CVD risk. The ability to live a meaningful life after CVD events is related with lower stress, better mental health, and several biomarkers. Significance of results An evidence-based conceptual framework was developed for the relationship between meaning and CVD. It may be hypothesized CVD patients may benefit from psychological therapies focused on meaning.

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„Viel Papier beschrieben / Und im Irrtum geblieben“?

Der Staat ◽

10.3790/staa.59.3.451 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 59 (3) ◽

pp. 451-462

Author(s):

Reinhard Mehring

Keyword(s):

Historical Perspective ◽

Legal Doctrine ◽

Meaningful Life ◽

First Time ◽

Insight Into

Kelsens „reine Rechtslehre“ abstrahiert von metajuristischen Einflüssen. Parallel zur entstehenden Kelsen-Gesamtausgabe liegt nun endlich eine überaus materialreiche, auf umfassenden Recherchen beruhende, ebenso detaillierte wie monumentale Biographie vor, die in knappen und prägnanten Zügen Kelsens umfangreiches Werk und sein schwieriges, in der Karriere wie im Emigrationsschicksal vielfach bedeutsames Leben in seinen Kontexten erschließt. Olechowski historisiert Kelsen ohne psychologisierende oder hagiographische Tendenz. Sein instruktives, nüchternes Gesamtpanorama stellt die Kelsen-Forschung erstmals auf eine solide historisch-biographische Basis. Kelsen’s „absolute legal doctrine“ sets aside any influence that goes beyond the limits of mere jurisdiction. A complete edition of Kelsen’s writings is under progress. Finally also a major biography is available, based on comprehensive and detailed research. It provides concise and accurate insight into Kelsen’s extensive oeuvre. It also contextualizes his often meaningful life as far as his career or his fate as an emigrant are concerned. Olechowski puts Kelsen into a historical perspective without emphasising aspects of psychology or hagiography. His instructive and matter-of-fact overview for the first time puts the research on Kelsen on a firm historical and biographical footing.

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Comparing the Meaningfulness of Finite and Infinite Lives: Can We Reap What We Sow if We Are Immortal?

Royal Institute of Philosophy Supplement ◽

10.1017/s1358246121000254 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 90 ◽

pp. 105-123

Author(s):

Thaddeus Metz

Keyword(s):

Natural World ◽

The Other ◽

Meaningful Life ◽

The Past ◽

William Lane Craig ◽

Other Hand ◽

Important Argument ◽

Moral Choices ◽

The One

AbstractOn the rise over the past 20 years has been ‘moderate supernaturalism’, the view that while a meaningful life is possible in a world without God or a soul, a much greater meaning would be possible only in a world with them. William Lane Craig can be read as providing an important argument for a version of this view, according to which only with God and a soul could our lives have an eternal, as opposed to temporally limited, significance since we would then be held accountable for our decisions affecting others’ lives. I present two major objections to this position. On the one hand, I contend that if God existed and we had souls that lived forever, then, in fact, all our lives would turn out the same. On the other hand, I maintain that, if this objection is wrong, so that our moral choices would indeed make an ultimate difference and thereby confer an eternal significance on our lives (only) in a supernatural realm, then Craig could not capture the view, aptly held by moderate supernaturalists, that a meaningful life is possible in a purely natural world.

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What makes a life meaningful? Folk intuitions about the content and shape of meaningful lives.

10.31234/osf.io/7vbh5 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Joffrey Fuhrer ◽

Florian Cova

Keyword(s):

Philosophical Literature ◽

Folk Concept ◽

Meaningful Life ◽

Third Person ◽

Folk Intuitions ◽

Susan Wolf ◽

Meaningful Lives

It is often assumed that most people want their life to be “meaningful”. But what exactly does this mean? Though numerous researches have documented which factors lead people to experience their life as meaningful and people’s conceptions about the best ways to secure a meaningful life, investigations in people’s concept of meaningful life are scarce. In this paper, we investigate the folk concept of a meaningful life by studying people’s third-person attribution of meaningfulness. We draw on hypotheses from the philosophical literature, and notably on the work of Susan Wolf (Study 1) and Antti Kauppinen (Study 2). In Study 1, we find that individuals who are successful, competent, and engaged in valuable and important goals are considered to have more meaningful lives. In Study 2, we find that the meaningfulness of a life did not depend only on its components, but also on the order in which these elements were ordered to form a coherent whole (the “narrative shape” of this life). Additionally, our results stress the importance of morality in participants’ assessments of meaningfulness. Overall, our results highlight the fruitfulness of drawing on the philosophical literature to investigate the folk concept of meaningful life.

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The Experience of Relations in Persons with Dementia: A Systematic Meta-Synthesis

Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders ◽

10.1159/000452404 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 42 (5-6) ◽

pp. 342-368 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Siren Eriksen ◽

Anne-Sofie Helvik ◽

Lene Kristin Juvet ◽

Kirsti Skovdahl ◽

Linn Hege Førsund ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Relationships ◽

Social Roles ◽

Qualitative Studies ◽

Life Change ◽

Meaningful Life

Background: Dementia influences a person's experience of social relationships, as described in several studies. In this systematic meta-synthesis of qualitative studies, we aim to interpret and synthesize the experiences of persons with dementias and their relations with others. Summary: Living with dementia changes life, leading to new social roles and different social statuses. Persons with dementia experience being disconnected and dependent on others, feeling like being a burden, and being a person who is treated in paternalistic ways. Family, friends and others with dementia might play significant roles in their ability to maintain a meaningful life. Key Messages: Three categories emerged from the data, change in life, change in relations, and maintenance of meaningful aspects in life; these categories are intertwined and essential in sustaining a lifeline for persons with dementia. The comprehensive meaning of the material is understood as the expression: Living a meaningful life in relational changes.

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