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You, me, and meaning

An integrative review of connections between relationships and meaning in life

Bibliographic Data

ID15345981
AuthorsMaeve B O’Donnell (Colorado State University, Fort Collins, United States of America), Christof Bentele (Colorado State University), Christof N Bentele (Colorado State University, Fort Collins, United States of America), Hannah B Grossman (Colorado State University, Fort Collins, United States of America), Yunying Le (0000-0002-4172-5943, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, United States of America), Hoon Jang (0000-0001-8875-6854, Seoul University, Seoul, Korea), Michael F Steger (0000-0003-4888-1153, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, United States of America, corresponding author)
Year2014
Volume24
Issue1
Pages44-50
Publication date2014-01-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Psychology in Africa (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1433-0237 • E-ISSN: 1815-5626
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/14330237.2014.904097
OpenAlexW2153733591
LanguageEN
Citations received16
References cited75

Social relationships are seen to be vital to human functioning, both in terms of psychological functioning and physical health. Relationships are a cornerstone of well-being. For instance, having positive relationships has been linked to greater happiness, life satisfaction and physical health outcomes. Meaning in life, or the perception that one's life is significant and has a purpose, is another prominent cornerstone of well-being. As such, social relationships and meaning in life should have reciprocal associations. In this paper, cross-cultural theory and empirical research will be reviewed to explore the role of family, romantic and friendship relationships in supporting meaning in life. Further, we will discuss the implications of the current research and propose new directions for future research

Cornerstone · Developmental psychology · Empirical research · Epistemology · Friendship · Happiness · Life satisfaction · Meaning (existential · Perception · Psychoanalysis · Psychotherapist · Reciprocal · Romance · Sociology · Successful aging · Cultural Differences and Values · Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion · Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction · Psychology · Social Psychology

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Unique citing works16
Citations per year2,67
Citation span2020 - 2026 (7)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 16
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