The Emergence of Meaning From Meaningful Moments in Life

Meaningful moments are specific events in life that are felt to be of great value and significance. This empirical study presents a framework on the way a sense of meaning emerges from these moments. Out of an existing data set of narratives of meaningful moments, a purposeful sample of nine narrati...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of humanistic psychology 2025-01, Vol.65 (1), p.192-218
Main Authors: van de Goor, Jacky, Sools, Anneke M., Westerhof, Gerben J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Coherence
Content analysis
Discovery
Life events
Meaning
Middle age
Narratives
Personal development
Selftranscendence
Transcendence
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Summary:Meaningful moments are specific events in life that are felt to be of great value and significance. This empirical study presents a framework on the way a sense of meaning emerges from these moments. Out of an existing data set of narratives of meaningful moments, a purposeful sample of nine narratives was chosen from different participants, all middle-aged, higher educated, and with an interest or profession in personal development. Interviews were conducted about the way these moments were experienced to be meaningful. A holistic content analysis led to the distinction of five main themes in the process of meaning emergence. The study showed how meaning discovery may lead to meaning creation, which in turn may lead to retrospective meaning discovery. Results highlighted the crucial role of the awareness of contrasts and letting go. Finally, the study showed a variety of ways in which meaningful moments have a lasting impact on life. The value of the developed framework lies in its focus on meaning as a process, integrating the concepts of coherence, purpose, significance and self-transcendence, and illustrating how meaning emerges through forward acts and discoveries as well as in retrospect.
ISSN:0022-1678
1552-650X
DOI:10.1177/0022167820967779