Values and Significance: A case study uncovering the search for meaning among young people in Central and Eastern Europe

Abstract

This paper will present a few of the results of qualitative, case study research conducted among students in six cities in Central and Eastern Europe. It will describe the use of images in interviews and how this enabled digging beyond cultural, customary religious belief to uncover a search for ultimate meaning and spirituality. A summary of the findings regarding the emerging values of the young people and their descriptions of what is significant to them in life will be related to Savage, Collins-Mayo and Mayo's research conducted in the UK, specifically to their theories of formative and transformative spirituality and the happy midi-narrative. The tension between a young person's actual situation and their dream about their ideal life will be discussed in terms of the research findings regarding the students' use of celebrity images in their living space. The young people's values, as they emerged from the research, will be contrasted with the values and practices of churches in this region, as seen through the young people's perceptions of traditional church and as articulated by local church leaders. The paper will include a short analysis of the current religious situation in former Soviet countries in light of the finding of the research..