Meaninglessness Of Life Research Articles

Pornography consumption as existential escape from boredom

We tested if boredom is associated with pornography use and what role low perceived meaning in life plays in their association. Following work on the existential escape hypothesis, we hypothesised that pornography consumption may be used to escape from the perceived meaninglessness that boredom signals. We tested whether perceived meaninglessness predicted increased pornography use via boredom and using pornography for emotional avoidance. Subsequently, we tested this indirect serial relationship using scales that measured pornography use for excitement seeking and sexual pleasure. We found significant indirect relationships in each case. Our research contributes to understanding the role of boredom in promoting pornography consumption and how it may function as an escape from perceived meaninglessness in life.

Warning Signs of Elderly Suicide and Factors Affecting Professional Help-Seeking: Case of Sri Lanka

Though the suicide rate is remarkably high among older persons in many countries, seeking external assistance in dealing with suicidality is infrequent. Against this background, the objectives of this paper are twofold: to identify possible depressive signs and suicide warnings exhibited by older people before the act of suicide, and to examine the factors affecting the help-seeking behavior of older people who die by suicide. The study revealed that angry outbursts, sleep disturbance, isolation, reduced speaking, and thoughts of the meaninglessness of life are the significant possible signs of depression. However, only a few older persons directly expressed early warnings such as ‘talking about death or suicide.’ Yet, it seems that family members are unaware of the early warning signs. The study found four significant factors that limit the help-seeking behavior of older people dealing with suicidality: a weak social network, poor understanding of depressive and suicidal signs by family members, negative attitudes relating to old age culture, and a crisis of personal perspectives in help-seeking. We conclude that promoting mental health services to older persons and improving their help-seeking behavior in response to various life stressors would help prevent suicide in the older population.

Influences of European Existentialism on Syed Waliullah’s Chander Amabassya

Some theorists and authors, after the WWII, attempted to focus on the concept of meaning and meaninglessness of life and its inevitability in society. Though the concept dates back to the ancient period, as a literary issue, it has been popularized following two World Wars. Existentialism, as a concept, was coined in the late nineteenth century by Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard in his Either/Or (1843). Later on, Albert Camus, Franz Kafka, and Jean-Paul Sartre became well-known for their vivid use of the notion in their writings that emphasized and promoted ultimate freedom. As a result, they have garnered a sizable following worldwide. However, Syed Waliullah was the first novelist among his contemporaries who applied this concept to his works. Chander Amabassya (Night of No Moon) is one of them, with his search for the meaning of life and truth-bearing a strong continental philosophical impact. This article discusses how Waliulla's novel gets influenced by Camus, Kafka, and Sartre's concepts while retaining its uniqueness. Furthermore, it elucidates how the narrative of Chander Amabassya sheds light upon the vital issues of Existentialism.

Kebermaknaan Hidup Perempuan Single Parent di Tengah Masayarakat (Studi Fenomenologis pada Perempuan Single Parent di Daerah Jenggawah Kabupaten Jember)

Having a peaceful married life is everyone's dream. Being able to build a harmonious household is happiness for every woman. But the circumstances that occur are often beyond human expectations. Experiencing failure in marriage for women sometimes makes their life meaningless. When someone experiences meaningless, of course he will try to find a way to give meaning to his life. After the failure of marriage, women become single parents or single parents. Being a woman with a single parent status is not an easy thing to do, in addition to changing their status to being a single parent, they also have to carry out dual roles as a mother and a father for their children. Getting negative stigma from the wider community is also often a burden in life. Positive support will help them find meaning in their lives. This study was conducted to see the meaning of life in women who have the status of a single parent. The number of subjects in this study were 3 women as single parents located in the Jember area, with different separation backgrounds. The results showed that the three subjects experienced suffering after divorce and the death of their husbands, including full responsibility for their children. But with lots of support, I feel calmer and find the meaning of life even though I have to live life as a single parent.

Listening to the voice of older people: dimensions of loneliness in long-term care facilities

AbstractLoneliness has proved to be common in long-term care facilities (LTCF) and is associated with adverse health outcomes. Although older residents have expressed their experiences of loneliness in previous studies in various ways, researchers have rarely distinguished or explored the three dimensions of loneliness: social, emotional and existential. Furthermore, descriptions of existential loneliness in LTCF is still a neglected area of research. The aim of this study was to explore how the experiences of loneliness of older people in LTCF are manifested and divided into these dimensions. We used an ethnographic multi-method approach. The analysis leaned on abductive reasoning. In terms of social loneliness, the respondents missed company and lacked peer support, but also felt lonely in a crowd. Emotional loneliness felt miserable and could not be shared with anyone. It was related to a feeling of meaninglessness of life and a lack of meaningful others. Existential loneliness was characterised by waiting and a feeling of emptiness. It reflected the fundamental issues of humanity. The present study is one of the first to explore the dimensions of the experiences of loneliness among frail and cognitively impaired older people in LTCF. According to the voices of the lonely respondents, loneliness has many social, emotional and existential aspects. These features of loneliness should be recognised in studies, care practices and interventions.

Social Alienation in “The Foreigner” A Novel by Arun Joshi

The alienation of men and women in society is conditionally contextualized according to past birth karma as a belief. Currently, men and women want to avoid being tortured, marginalized by society from a social point of view. Sometimes the situation is very critical and there are people who have suddenly lost everything. The belief is that costiveness will turn into an innovation. The crisis is that those who turned the progress of living it into an opportunity. Arun Joshi tried in his fiction novel “the Foreigner” with a character Sindi Oberoi who believed in the cyclical misfortune of losing his childhood family. The shelter collapsed from his head, and he was standing there thinking of a meaningless life and struggling to commit suicide. Everyone is alienated here from birth to death. Only our karma must live a segregated life that shines like gold.

Psychometric evaluation of the Persian version of the spiritual well-being scale (SWBS) in Iranian patients with cancer.

The spiritual well-being scale (SWBS) is a widely used clinical scale which should be evaluated for Iranian patients with cancer. The aim of this study is to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the SWBS in Iranian patients with cancer. This cross-sectional, methodological study was conducted among Iranian patients with cancer (n = 400). The participants were recruited using convenience sampling. The content, construct, convergent and discriminant validity, and reliability of the Persian version of the SWBS were evaluated. A two-factor structure for the scale was indicated with the factors being: connecting with God and meaningless life that explained 54.18% of the total variance of the concept of spiritual well-being. The results demonstrated the model had a good fit. Cronbach's alpha, McDonald's omega, and the inter-item correlation values of the factors indicated good internal consistency of the scale. These results suggest that the Persian version of the SWBS is a reliable and valid measure to assess the spiritual well-being of patients with cancer through 16 items related to connecting with God and meaningless life.

Effects of meaning in life on subjective well-being: The mediating role of self-efficacy

Previous research has shown that meaning in life is closely related to well-being, a relationship that has been receiving increasing scholarly attention. We explored the mechanism by which people with a high level of meaning in life show enhanced subjective well-being, with a focus on the mediating role of self-efficacy in this link. Participants in this study were 245 undergraduates at three Chinese universities. Data were collected by using the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, and the Meaning in Life Questionnaire. Structural equation modeling results show that self-efficacy partially mediated the relationship between meaning in life and subjective well-being. Moreover, the results of a bootstrapping analysis show there were both indirect and direct significant links between meaning in life and subjective well-being through self-efficacy. These findings are useful for those working in public health services to enhance the subjective well-being of individuals by addressing their sense of meaninglessness in life and inspiring confidence.

Meaning in life as a mediator of the associations among depression, hopelessness and suicidal ideation: A path analysis

The meaning in life consists of an individual's values, experiences, goals and beliefs. It has been shown to be negatively associated with depression, hopelessness and suicidal ideation. Depression and hopelessness are related to increased suicidal ideation. Meaning in life has been shown to be a protective factor against depression, hopelessness and suicidal ideation. A path model was developed to clarify the associations among meaning in life, depression, hopelessness and suicidal ideation. For clarity, the outcomes were depression and suicidal ideation, the independent variable was hopelessness, and the mediator was meaning in life. Hopelessness had a direct association with meaning in life, and meaning in life had a direct association with depression, supporting the mediating effect of meaning in life from hopelessness to depression. Meaning in life had the strongest association with depression, and depression had the strongest association with suicidal ideation. Meaning in life did not have a significant direct association with suicidal ideation; it did have an indirect association with suicidal ideation through depression. This study estimated that one-point increase in meaning in life score was associated with 0.47-point decrease in depression score and 0.13-point decrease in suicidal ideation score, respectively. Logotherapy is a meaning-centred therapy to find meaning in life. This study reveals that increased levels of meaning in life are associated with decreasing degrees of depression. Mental health nurses could help patients to find meaning in life by logotherapy and thus associated with reductions in depression. Mental health nurses could help patients to find hope by exploring meaning in life and promoting positive attitudes towards life from meaningless life to meaningful life, there is a reduction in depression, which in turn reduces suicidal ideation indirectly. Introduction Meaning in life can be good protective factor against depression, hopelessness and suicidal ideation. Aim To analyse the mediating effect of meaning in life on the associations among hopelessness, depression and suicidal ideation. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted among 90 patients diagnosed with depression. A structural equation modelling approach was applied for this path analysis to examine the mediating effect of meaning in life on the association among hopelessness, depression and suicidal ideation. Results The results showed that meaning in life mediated the association between hopelessness and depression. Hopelessness had a direct positive association with depression (β=0.23, p<.03), and meaning in life had a direct negative association with depression (β=-0.51, p<.01) and indirect association with suicidal ideation through depression; this indirect association was -0.21 (p<.01). Discussion Meaning in life revealed strong mediating association with the relationship between hopelessness and depression. By reducing the level of depression, meaning in life demonstrated its mediator association with suicidal ideation. Implications for Practice Logotherapy is a meaning-centred therapy to find meaning in life. Mental health nurses could help patients to manage their depression through logotherapy, thus leading to reductions in suicidal ideation.

Experience of Psychological Distress: A Qualitative Inquiry Into Female Nursing Students of India

Psychological distress defines as a combination of negative emotional symptoms, such as depression,anxiety, and stress. This study explores qualitatively, analyzes thematically, and identifies the causes andconsequences of psychological distress among Indian baccalaureate first-year female nursing studentsat Kerala University of Health Sciences, South India. The participants’ experiences and perspectivesare analyzed thematically by using Braun &amp; Clarke’s step -by- step method. In-depth semi-structuredinterviews (ten participants) and focus group discussions (eight participants) were held to acquire an indepthunderstanding of the lived experiences. The findings of this qualitative study show that the nursingstudents endure thought problems (distorted cognitions, distressing thoughts), emotional problems (anxiousfeelings, emotional stress, depressed mood), behavioral problems (poor social behavior, meaninglessnessin life, lack of dedication) physical problems (health-related, academic and clinical issues, financial, familyand hostel problems). The researchers found that psychological distress among participants is associatedwith depression, anxiety, and stress.

Existential aspects in modern education

The authors analyse the current objectives of modern education, based on recent studies of human existence revealing its multidirectional and multifaceted nature and determining the life position and behaviour of a person. The levels of the modern education system often do not focus on the existential aspect because of the educational goals and objectives, which is to prepare the workforce for the labour market. The transformation of the negative form of a student’s existence into the existence of a person struggling with the absurdity and meaninglessness of life is not included in the educational process. The authors propose an original way of solving this urgent problem of modern education. The research methodology is based on the concepts introduced by M. Gordon, S. Bakewell, T. Staehler, and V.V. Varava about the possibility of using the “dark aspects” of existence as a source for personal development. Besides, the concept developed by T.M. Makhamatov about the multidirectional phenomena of existence has been used to analyse the problem. The authors conclude that today, the education system focuses not only on high professionalism among students but also on such existential aspects as Sisyphean dedication and determination, as well as the ability to deal with meaninglessness, absurdity, anxiety, and fear and the ability to turn them into a source for self-affirmation. It is possible to implement this task by developing such an ability to overcome the absurdity of human interaction with external being, as Sisyphean labour, as a search for meaning in something meaningless.

From the Great Wall of China to Xi Jinpings Idea of Common Destiny of Mankind

The article intends to consider the issue of national idea of a state. In order to strengthen the integrity, political and social stability, the state always strives to offer society the idea of its national purpose developing it at the scientific level and in everyday life, which determines the meaning of its existence. The latter can take the form of a national idea. The importance of understanding the national idea is emphasized in the text. Without it people will stay uninspired by the meaning of their existence, that lacks their own history, while living meaningless life and being unaware of their long-term goals for the future. National and territorial expansion supported by familiarization with the idea of common destiny can be found in the world history of many states. Russia and China are no exception. The main bearer of moral standards, in particular, goodness, good for all people, attended by the implementation of Community of common destiny model of mankind, will always be the human person with his unique character. The article concludes that while forming the Community of the common destiny of mankind China cannot be higher than the international law, the laws of international political economy, the main requirement of which is to respect the principle of justice in the international community.

"LOCURA Y ESCÁNDALO": UN MESÍAS CRUCIFICADO Y UNA HISTORIA MARCADA POR LA CRUZ

La intención del artículo es hacer una revisión del mesianismo de Jesús en el contexto eclesial y político actual. Si cristianismo significa literalmente mesianismo, todo seguidor de Jesús habrá de tener una visión “mesiánica” de la historia. Lo que quiere decir que el cristiano está llamado a trabajar en la construcción de la historia. Y de hecho, cuando la historia no tiene un horizonte mesiánico degenera en una mera sociedad de consumo que acaba quitando sentido a las vidas humanas y generando reacciones extremistas violentas que, en el fondo, buscan alguna forma de mesianismo. Pero el mesianismo cristiano no es el del Primer Testamento sino el de Jesús. Y el de Jesús es un mesianismo escandaloso que pasa por la cruz. La visión cristiana de la historia estará tentada de caer en las expectativas erróneas de Pedro en Cesarea (formas diversas de milenarismo) y en la decepción final de los discípulos (tentaciones apocalípticas): con lenguaje de hoy, tentaciones de la Modernidad y de la postmodernidad. Por eso, la teología de la historia será también hoy “locura y escándalo”. Pero no dejará de ser mesiánica si recupera una auténtica pneumatología y una cristología del Espíritu.

Existential escape of the bored: A review of meaning-regulation processes under boredom

ABSTRACT Boredom is a common, unpleasant emotion that conveys meaninglessness in life and compels people to escape from this adverse existential experience. Within the paradigm of social psychology frameworks, previous research found that bored people endorse cultural sources of meaning as compensation against this state (e.g., nostalgia, political ideologies). In recent years, another form of defence against meaning threats has been identified. An existential escape hypothesis relating to boredom claims that people seek to avoid meaninglessness when people encounter meaning threats such as boredom. By engaging in behaviours with low self-awareness, people counteract awareness of their bored and meaningless self. In this article, we review the current literature on boredom in light of such acts of existential escape. We also provide suggestions for future research to highlight under which circumstances people are more likely to engage in existential escape and identify phenomena that need to be tested within the escape process.

Absurdity and Meaninglessness of Life in the Poems of Eshetu Chole

ABSTRACT Being an interdisciplinary field of study in the humanities, literature serves as a vehicle to varieties of philosophical thought. The purpose of this paper is to examine the theme of absurdity and the meaninglessness of life that manifests in the poems of Eshetu Chole. The article particularly deals with selected poems that correspond to the twentieth century absurd philosophical thoughts typically advocated by Albert Camus in his essay The Myth of Sisyphus. Although the notion of the absurd seems to be fading as a result of contemporary technological advancement, human beings cannot completely and permanently be deceived from the feeling of the absurd. The thematic analysis thus, significantly explored the fundamental absurd nature of human existence and sparks how individuals, once they are conscious of the absurd, should respond to it in day to day life. To achieve this, through an examination of the central point of the poems, the paper illuminates typical absurd characteristics of human nature squarely facing a life of infirmity, ignorance, helplessness, hopelessness, nostalgia, and the futility of searching for meaning in an ignorant world.

Bridges over Troubled Waters: Mapping the Interplay Between Anxiety, Depression and Stress Through Network Analysis of the DASS-21

Symptoms of depression and anxiety often co-occur in the same individuals. In order to increase our understanding of concurrent depression and anxiety, it may be necessary to define and model psychopathology as a network of symptoms, that actively reinforce (or inhibit) one another. The current study set out to investigate how depression, anxiety and stress symptoms cluster together, and which symptoms act as bridges between these clusters. Network analysis was used to investigate the symptom structure of the DASS-21 in a large international sample (N = 11,647). After checking whether the original symptom structure was replicated, the network was further investigated at multiple levels: individual symptoms that are central in the network (1) or function as bridges between clusters (2); symptom pairs that show especially strong associations (3), and the overall structure that may or may not differ between gender groups (4). Items referring to panic, worry, worthlessness, hopelessness and meaninglessness of life emerged as potentially crucial symptoms in the interplay between depression and anxiety. When comparing female and male networks, the results suggest that the network structures are similar, but not identical. Specific symptoms can function as bridges between depression, anxiety and stress, which is clinically relevant on top of being theoretically important.

Bored stiff: The relationship between meaninglessness, sexual sensation seeking, and promiscuous attitudes via boredom susceptibility

We investigated the relationships between boredom susceptibility, perceived meaninglessness, and attitudes to sex among heterosexual and bisexual men. We propose that meaninglessness is associated with men's increased endorsement of sensational and uncommitted sex via boredom susceptibility. In Study 1, we found a significant indirect relationship consistent with our hypothesis. In Study 2, we replicated this finding in a larger sample. Further, we showed that using sex as a coping mechanism to deal with unpleasant affective states explained the relationship between boredom susceptibility and our sex composite. Specifically, meaninglessness in life was associated with increased boredom susceptibility. In turn, boredom susceptibility was associated with the use of sex as a coping mechanism, which ultimately was associated with increased endorsement of sexual sensation seeking and promiscuous attitudes. We discuss these findings in light of research on sexuality, boredom, and meaninglessness.

Social, Emotional, and Existential Loneliness: A Test of the Multidimensional Concept.

Background and ObjectivesSince the 1980s, most researchers have agreed on the concept of social and emotional loneliness as an unacceptable and negatively experienced discrepancy between realized and desired interpersonal relationships. For other researchers, existential loneliness stems from the realization that a human being is fundamentally alone, with the accompanying emptiness, sadness, and longing. This article examines whether instruments to measure these conceptualizations indicate a multidimensional concept.Research Design and MethodsThe 2019 observation of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (N = 1,316; aged 61–101 years; 52% women) included five direct questions about loneliness, the 11-item de Jong Gierveld social and emotional loneliness scale, and 14 items from the translated Existential Loneliness Questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted in Mplus.ResultsFive factors were observed: direct questions, social and emotional loneliness, and loneliness in relationships and meaninglessness in life. The intercorrelations among all five factors were positive. Emotional loneliness correlated most strongly with direct questions.Discussion and ImplicationsLoneliness is multifaceted and means that one is not embedded in a personal network, misses closeness and intimacy, and lacks meaning in life. The emotional loneliness items most closely represent what people mean when they report loneliness.

PORTRAITURE OF HUMAN EMOTIONS IN THE MIDST OF COVID-19 WITH REFERENCE TO SAMUEL BECKETT’S WAITING FOR GODOT

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has created an existential crisis among people. It has applied what Nietzsche once said, “to live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.” Many people are being down and out all over the world. The lockdown period has increased the struggle to find genuine meaning for existence. Why are we here? How can we make a difference? How should we really live? Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot is a search for a way of relief. The characters here reflect the meaninglessness of life. The acts of Vladimir and Estragon resemble the boredom and monotony of lockdown. In act I, Estragon says, “nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, it’s awful.” Godot is the unknown. Godot never turns up, but keeps on procrastinating his visit to the end. The paper is an effort to shed light on human emotions in the wake of Covid – 19 and how it has thrown humans to confront with the basic situation of their existence and undergo through dilemma of choices and expectations.

Transitional objects of grief

BackgroundTransitional objects provide security and symbolic connection with valued others when separated from them. Bereaved parents often keep, cherish and visit saved objects of their deceased child. This research examined the hypothesis that these objects behave as transitional objects of grief in bereaved mothers during three years following their infants' deaths from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. MethodsQuestionnaires were administered asking about the presence of kept objects and momentos from their deceased infant, and the frequency, location and emotions experienced during visits to them. Diagnostic criteria for Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) were assessed using the Parental Bereavement Questionnaire. Results98.6% of the mothers reported having transitional objects of grief, and most visited them more frequently than once per week regardless of PGD status. Mothers with PGD reported significantly more distress when visiting the objects, especially those visiting them privately. Mothers with PGD who felt comforted by the objects had lower risk for finding life meaningless or finding discussion about the infant intolerable. ConclusionsTransitional objects of grief are common and associated with key aspects of grief. There is a need to understand the potential therapeutic uses of transitional objects in promoting bereavement adjustment.