Yaşamda Anlam: Keşif, İcat Ya Da Her İkisi?

Son zamanlarda, yaşamın anlamı ya da yaşamda anlam hakkında sonsuz sorular, özellikle pozitif psikolojinin katkısı içinde, giderek artan bir teorik araştırma konusu haline gelmiştir. Araştırma bulguları, yaşamdaki anlamın deneyimlenmesinin psikolojik sağlamlık, iyi oluş ve sağlığa önemli ölçüde katkıda bulunduğunu göstermektedir. Bazı insanlar, yaşamlarında bir anlam olsa bile, daha fazlasını aramakta tereddüt etmezken, bazı insanlar ise bu soruyu akıllarına bile getirmezler. Bu makalede, amacımız anlamlı yaşamın bir keşif veya bir buluş yoluyla, önde gelen iki perspektif (Frankl ve Baumeister) ve yakın zamanda yapılan ampirik bulgularla elde edilip edilemeyeceğini tartışmaktır. İlk olarak, Frankl her halükarda, bireyin onurunu korumaya çalışması ve acı çekerken bile daha derin bir anlam keşfetmesi gerektiğine inanıyordu. Öte yandan Baumeister, kişiden bağımsız olarak hayatta gizli veya geniş bir anlam olmadığını ileri sürmüştür. Anlam, sadece birey tarafından kültürün sunduğu dört kriterin karşılanmasıyla inşa edilebilir. Bununla birlikte, son ampirik araştırmalar, özellikle travma ile psikolojik sağlamlık ile ilgili olarak hem keşif hem de buluş süreçlerini içeren bu sistemlerin etkileşimi yoluyla anlamlı bir yaşama ulaşılabileceğini ortaya koymuştur. Sonuç olarak, yaşamın anlamı “ya hep ya hiç” ile karakterize değil, onu yerine bir “derece” meselesidir ve Yaşamın inşası ya da keşfi birbirini tamamlayan süreçlerdir.

Anahtar Kelimeler:

Yaşamda Anlam, Yaşamın Anlamı, Anlam, Logoterapi, Varoluşçu Psikoloji

Meaning in/of Life: Discovery, Invention or Both?

Recently, endless questions about the meaning in/of life have become a growing theoretical research topic especially within the contribution of positive psychology. Research findings suggest that experiencing meaning in life contributes significantly to psychological resilience, well-being, and health. While some people do not hesitate to look for more, even if there is meaning in their lives, some people do not even bother to bring this question to mind. In this paper, our aim is to discuss whether meaningful life can be achieved through a discovery or an invention with two leading perspectives-Frankl and Baumeister- and with recent empirical findings especially on traumatic events. First, Frankl believed that in any case, an individual should try to protect his honor and should discover a deeper meaning under the suffering. On the other hand, Baumeister suggested that there is no hidden or broad meaning in life independent from the person. Meaning can only be constructed by the individual by the satisfaction of four criteria that culture presents. Nevertheless, recent empirical research especially on resilience and trauma literature has revealed that a meaningful life can be achieved through the interplay of these two systems/processes-discovery and invention- especially in dealing with trauma. In conclusion, meaning of life can be characterized by a “degree” matter rather than “all-or-none” and the construction or discovery of life are complementary processes.

Keywords:

Meaning Of Life, Meaning In Life, Meaning, Logotherapy, Existential Psychology,

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