Hope Generation Skill 1: Find Meaning

Most research in psychology focuses on all that is negative about human functioning. However, the field of positive psychology takes a different approach, considering how “normal” people can attain greater happiness, meaning, and purpose in their lives. This new approach to psychology operates on the assumption that what is good in life is just as real as what is bad, and that mental health is not merely the absence of mental illness. Research in positive psychology suggests that meaning performs many functions in a person’s life. Some of these functions include:

· Meaning enables people to be resilient in the face of stress, bounce back from adversity and change, and provide a mechanism through which people can bounce back in life.

· Meaning provides people with a sense of direction in life. 

· Meaning enables people to set and strive to reach personal and professional goals that provide growth and progression in life.

Throughout modern history, humans have been obsessed with asking one question, “What is the meaning of life?” All people strive for a sense of meaning, a worthwhile purpose, and the feeling that life is worth more than the sum of its parts. Some believe people can find meaning in every scenario, event, occurrence, and context. People can find meaning in pain, suffering, absurd situations, flow, and extreme purpose. People intuitively know that they want meaning in their lives and that meaning helps them thrive and flourish. But what is a sense of meaning in a person’s life? Meaning is largely associated with purpose in life.