UGED1600D / SOWK1150D

Choices in Life: An Invitation to

Self Development
Lesson 12: Meaning &
Values

Let us recap last lesson

From death to
meaning of life

Death and meaning of life

One of distinguishing characteristic
of human being:
to grasp the concept of the future
questions about existence and meaning
The inevitability of death

Can you think of other creatures

that ask questions about existing &
meanings?

The six ultimate questions of human

existence (Wong, 2006)
Who am I? What truly defines me?
How can I be happy? Why am I dissatisfied
and bored?
What should I do with my life? How shall I
then live?
How do I make the right choices?
Where do I belong? Why do I feel so alone in
this world?
What is the point of striving when life is so
short?

Death and meaning of life

A rearrangement of lifes priority, paying little
attention to trivial matters
A sense of liberation, the ability to choose to
do those things they really wanted to do
An increased sense of living in the moment
A vivid appreciation of the basic facts of life
A deeper communication with loved ones
Fewer interpersonal fears, less concern over
security, willingness to take risks
(Irvin Yalom, 1980)

Death and meaning of life

Learn to live comfortably with
uncertainty
Re-examine what are your life values
and purpose
Honor your dreams and live a life
true to yourself
Use your time & energy in line with
your priorities
Live your everyday fully & happily

Why meaning
matters?

Why meaning matters

Living, not just existing

It gives us sense of direction and purpose
It mobilize our energy and strength
It provides principles to guide decisions &
actions
It gives sense of worth and validation
It enhances psychological adjustment to
adversity
It gives us anchor in face of changes and
adversity beyond our control

Research findings
People who rate themselves as having a
great deal of meaning in their lives report:
Higher levels of happiness
Higher levels of life satisfaction
Higher levels of general well-being
Higher levels of physical health
(Steger & Kashdan, 2013)

The questionnaire of meaning of

life

www.michaelfsteger.c
om

What if you have.

one year left in your life?
Three month left in your life?
One week left in your life?
How will you spend your time?
What things will you give up in your
life?

What if you have

Ten million dollars, what will you do?
Any
Any
Any
Any

purchase?
investment?
donation?
changes in your life?

Healing through meaning: Logotherapy

(Viktor Frankl)
Therapy through Logo
Logo: a Greek word meaning
meaning
Logotherapy is a meaning-centered
therapy
Making people aware of meanings of
their lives and their yearnings and
capacity for meaning

Basic tenets of Logotherapy

1. Freedom of will
2. Will to meaning
3. Meaning of life

. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQXsopoJF4M
(Viktor Frankl)
. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0o2Tz-rVEg
.

Freedom of will
Without the capacity for freedom of will,
people would not be able to choose how
to respond to a given situation and decide
on their own preferred life path.
There is no escape from making choices,
and people are accountable for the
consequences of their decisions and
actions
Freedom of will enables people to be
responsible, moral agents.

Freedom of will
This is an individual responsibility, a
personal response to ultimate
meaning and to the meanings of the
moments.
Denying the freedom of will reduces
people to animals and machines.

Will to meaning
Human beings are not pushed by
drives, instincts, and past histories of
reinforcement but drawn forward by
the need to fulfill future meanings.

Will to meaning
The will to live is best understood as
the will to meaning, which is
essential for survival and health.
A strong will to meaning enables
people to endure unimaginable
sufferings and to persist in pursuing
their ideals.

Will to meaning
Denial of will to meaning results in
pan-determinism and
conceptualization of the ultimate
purpose in life as merely to gain
pleasure or power.
Contrary to Nietzschean doctrine
ofwill to power or Freud'swill to
pleasure

Will to meaning
pleasure is a by product or side
effect of the fulfillment of our
strivings, but is destroyed and
spoiled to the extent to which it is
made a goal or target. The will to
pleasure mistakes the effect of the
end, the will to power mistakes the
means to an end for the end itself.
(Frankl)

Meaning of life
Life has meaning not only in specific
situations but also in ones existence
as a whole.
Meaning can be found even in the
most miserable and tragic
circumstances.

Meaning of life
It is precisely when facing such fate,
when being confronted with a
hopeless situation, that man is given
a last opportunity to fulfill a meaning
to realize even the highest value,
to fulfill even the deepest meaning
the meaning of suffering

Meaning of life
One cannot understand the meaning
of life apart from the meaning of
suffering because suffering is an
inevitable aspect of human
existence. To discover meaning in
suffering is essential to meaningful
living.

Meaning of life
Every meaning is unique to each
person, and each person has to
discover the meaning of each
particular situation for him or herself.
Meaning can be detected only
through ones reflection on life
experiences, in addition to active
engagement in the world and with
people.
Meaning and values are closely

 What does he share about meaning

of life?
http://tedxtaipei.com/talks/2013-wen-je
-ko/
-

Meaning of life
Denying and ignoring meaning of life
results in nihilism and existential
vacuum

Existential Vacuum
When the will to meaning is
frustrated, existential vacuum may
result, enveloping the individual with
a general sense of meaninglessness
or emptiness, as evidenced by a
state of boredom.

Existential Vacuum
Existential vacuum is a universal and
widespread phenomenon,
exacerbated by industrialization, the
loss of traditional values, and the
dehumanization of individuals in the
modern world.

Existential Vacuum
Many people feel that life has no
purpose, no challenge, and no
obligation; they try to fill their
existential vacuum with material
goods or superficial things, but their
misguided efforts lead only to
frustration, despair and depression.

The unbearable lightness of

meaning
To live without meaning, goals, or
values provokes considerable
distress:
1.
2.
3.
4.

depression
suicide
addiction
aggression

Pathway to meaning
1. Giving or contributing something to
the world through our work and
creation
2. Experiencing something,
encountering someone or
developing connectedness through
relationships
3. Choosing a courageous attitude
toward unavoidable suffering.

Sources of meaning
1. Achievement and creation
Work
Service
Self actualization

Sources of meanings
2. Connectedness and relationship

Family
Partner/lover
Friends
Co-workers

Sources of meanings
3. Attitudes and beliefs
Appreciation of life
Religious/spiritual
Social/political

Discovering meanings
Meanings are unique to each person
It must be sought and found by
oneself
Meaning in life will be changed
during the life

Ways to understand and identify

meaning in life
Reflect on what we are doing
Reflect on our choices, conscious or
unconscious
Reflect on who we really are and what we
cherish under circumstances of crisis and
suffering
https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYX71tGJfEY
Dont let yourself regret