How Idealists can find Meaning in their Lives
The primary aspiration of all
Idealists (Spontaneous Idealists, Dreamy
Idealists, Harmony-seeking Idealists and
Engaged Idealists) is
self-discovery and
self-actualization. If you are an Idealist, life
represents one continuous search for a deeper meaning: Who am I?
Where am I going? What is my destiny? This already describes the
most important pillar of your personal concept of happiness:
The meaning of life! Continue
reading ...
Give your life a meaning
04/15/11 by Felicitas Heyne | Filed in:
Happiness
Born in 1905, psychiatrist Viktor
Frankl founded a special psychotherapy school of thought: the
Logotherapy. The Greek word “logos” stands
for meaning and this basically already outlines the central content
of this therapy concept. Frankl sees the search for meaning as a
human fundamental motivation: As the only living creature aware of
its finiteness, and so as not to despair, the human being must give
its existence meaning. If his innate “need for meaning” is
frustrated, the resulting sense of futility manifests itself in
emotional disturbances such as depression, aggression, or
addiction. Conversely, one could say: happiness is to have found
the meaning to one’s life. Continue reading
...
Salutogenesis: Why it is healthy to give your life meaning
08/24/10 by Felicitas Heyne | Filed in:
Psychology
The word salutogenesis is composed
of the Latin word salus (= inviolacy, happiness) and the Greek word
genesis (= origin). Thus it stands for the origin of health and was
coined in the 70s by the Israeli-American medical sociologist
Aaron
Antonovsky. Antonovsky was looking for an explanation
for his observation that, while many Holocaust survivors were
suffering from severe after effects (physical and emotional
illnesses), others did not show any such symptoms, at all. He
intended to find out, which factors determined whether a person
would cope with the same traumatic experiences more easily or with
more difficulty than another. Therefore he was interested in the
origin (or retention) of health – even under difficult and
stressful conditions.
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