The concept of life meaning across cultures
Joane Adeclas
Citation: Adeclas, J. (2024). The concept of life meaning across cultures. European Journal of Applied Positive Psychology, 8, 8, 1-6. https://www.nationalwellbeingservice.org/volumes/volume-8-2024/volume-8-article-8/
Processing dates: Submitted 29 January 2024; Resubmitted 8 April 2024; Accepted 29 April 2024; Published 1 August 2024
Abstract
This paper aims to tackle the concept of life meaning in positive psychology. I present an alternative model of life meaning based on Eastern perceptions of the world. In the Western model, known as the compensatory model of life meaning, the presence of meaning (having a sense of meaning in life) and search for meaning (searching for more meaning in one’s life) are negatively related. Instead, the balanced model of life meaning proposes that the concept of meaning in life is based on a positive relationship between the presence of meaning and the search for meaning. This model is often found in Eastern cultures such as Korea and Japan and complements the current literature in positive psychology on this topic, which exclusively focuses on a Western approach to life meaning. Based on these two models, I define and demonstrate how life meaning may help people reach improved wellbeing in different ways. Furthermore, I propose several avenues for further investigation on this topic.
Keywords: life meaning, presence of meaning, search for meaning, culture, well-being, positive psychology
Biography
Joane Adeclas is a Doctor in culture, social, and personality psychology, Department of psychology, Korea University, Old Building Room 109, Korea University Law Building, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea.
Email: joane.adeclas@gmail.com
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0294-4131