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삶의 의미에 대한 이론적 고찰과 임상적 함의

A theoretical review with clinical implications for the meaning in life

한국심리학회지: 일반 / Korean Journal of Psychology: General, (P)1229-067X; (E)2734-1127
2012, v.31 no.3, pp.741-768
박선영 (서울대학교)
권석만 (서울대학교)
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초록

Frankl이 의미치료를 제안한 이후 삶의 의미에 대한 많은 논의와 연구들이 이루어져왔다. 특히 최근에는 긍정심리학이 대두되고 ‘행복’에 대한 관심이 증가하면서 안녕감의 또 다른 흐름으로서 ‘삶의 의미’에 대한 연구들이 재조명되고 있다. 그러나 삶의 의미는 모호하고 추상적인 개념이라는 점에서 학자마다 다양하게 정의되어 왔고, 그 유형에 대해서도 사실상 합의가 이루어지지 못했다. 이에 본고에서는 ‘의미’에 대한 사전적 정의를 통해 삶의 의미에 대해 개념적 합의를 시도하였고, 지금까지 분류된 삶의 의미의 유형을 이론적으로 고찰해봄으로써 삶의 의미의 유형을 새롭게 구분할 필요가 있음을 제안하였다. 또한 사람들이 삶의 의미를 왜 추구하고자 하는지, 무엇으로부터 삶의 의미를 경험하는지를 논의하였고, 지금까지의 경험적 연구를 삶의 의미의 유형에 따라 개관하면서 삶의 의미가 인간의 정신건강에 어떠한 영향을 미치는지 살펴보았다. 아울러 Frankl의 의미치료, Wong의 의미중심치료, Hayes의 수용전념치료를 개관하면서 삶의 의미가 치료적으로 어떻게 적용될 수 있는지 살펴보았고, 삶의 의미가 갖는 임상적 함의를 논의하였다. 마지막으로 향후 삶의 의미에 대한 연구의 활성화를 위해 고려해야 할 점을 제안하였다.

keywords
삶의 의미, 전반적 삶의 의미, 상황 특정적 의미, 초월적 의미, 개인적 의미, 의미부여, 의미중심치료, meaning in life, global life meaning, situation specific meaning, transcendental meaning, personal meaning, meaning making, Meaning-Centered counseling

Abstract

Since Frankl proposed Logotherapy, a lot of research has focused on the meaning in life. More recently, as positive psychology emerged and there is an increasing interest in happiness, research in the meaning in life has been revisited from the perspective of psychological wellbeing. However, because the meaning in life is a vague and abstract concept, it has been variously defined by different scholars and there is no agreement on its types. This study attempted to integrate the concepts of meaning in life, based on the dictionary definition of meaning, and proposed types of meaning in life by reviewing literature on typology of meaning in life. Also, this study discussed why people pursue the meaning in life and what experiences lead people to think about it, and examined the influence of three types of meaning in ones' life on their mental health through the review of empirical studies. In addition, by examining the Logotherapy of Frankl, Meaning-Centered counseling of Wong, Acceptance-Commitment therapy of Hayes, it discussed the clinical implications that can be drawn from the meaning in life. Lastly, some suggestions were made for further research on the meaning in life.

keywords
삶의 의미, 전반적 삶의 의미, 상황 특정적 의미, 초월적 의미, 개인적 의미, 의미부여, 의미중심치료, meaning in life, global life meaning, situation specific meaning, transcendental meaning, personal meaning, meaning making, Meaning-Centered counseling

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