Meaningfulness, Death, and Suffering
Philosophy of Meaning in Life in the Light of Finitude
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21251985 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Isto Peltomäki (0000-0001-7511-7981, University of Helsinki, corresponding author), Isto Johannes Peltomäki |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 197-211 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Human Arenas (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2522-5790 • E-ISSN: 2522-5804 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s42087-023-00376-0 |
| OpenAlex | W4388794040 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 40 |
Subjective sense of meaningfulness of life, or meaning in life , is a growing theme of interest in psychological research. Psychology of meaningfulness originates from existential psychology that aligned closely to mid-twentieth century philosophical existentialism. Now positive psychology is a strong field of study of meaning in life. This article investigates the role of the negative element of human life, that is, death and suffering, plays in psychologies about meaning in life. This article proposes the concept of finitude for the negative element of human life, aims to clarify the central concepts of meaning in life and meaning-making, and offers a short intellectual historical background on questioning existential psychology and meaning in life. The article concentrates on selected classic existential psychological thinkers (Viktor Frankl, Rollo May, and Irvin Yalom), on Tatjana Schnell’s contemporary existential psychology, and on Martin Seligman’s contemporary positive psychology
Epistemology · Existentialism · Human life · Meaning of life · Philosophy of life · Psychoanalysis · Purpose in life · Theology · Identity, Memory, and Therapy · Philosophy · Psychological and Temporal Perspectives Research · Psychology · Social Psychology · Social Representations and Identity
Emergent theories of aging
The Oxford Handbook of Culture and Psychology
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| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,5 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2024 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |