Life is a rollercoaster
A cognitive discourse analysis of school-agers’ understanding of meaning in life
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 5966604 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Yael Mishani-Uval (0000-0003-4524-2874, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel, corresponding author), Thora Tenbrink (0000-0002-7986-1254, Bangor University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 276-298 |
| Publication date | 2025-09-11 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Discourse Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1461-4456 • E-ISSN: 1461-7080 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/14614456251362125 |
| OpenAlex | W4414121224 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 56 |
While the human quest for meaning in life is widely studied across various disciplines, research examining how children discursively construct and communicate this concept remains underexplored. Extensive cognitive linguistic research on meaning in life has primarily focused on the use of metaphors in adults. This study moves beyond figurative language to explore the broader range of linguistic features used by 10-year-old Hebrew native speakers ( N = 10) when discussing life’s meaning during semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Using Cognitive Discourse Analysis (CODA) of rich interview data, we find that children navigated their understanding of meaning in life through polar oppositions, as well as metaphors involving opposing directional spatial relationships (e.g. a rollercoaster and a Ferris wheel). Crucially, in recounting significant life events, participants frequently adopted thematic positions characterized by affectedness rather than agentivity. This pattern suggests that, for children, meaning is derived from social recognition and appreciation. The detailed analysis of children’s discourse concerning existential concepts in this study exemplifies CODA’s potential for gaining insights into meaning-making processes
Cognition · Discourse analysis · Literal and figurative language · Social life · Thematic analysis · Early Childhood Education and Development · Identity, Memory, and Therapy · Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
Basics of qualitative research
More than Cool Reason
Metaphor in Culture
Protocol Analysis
Where Metaphors Come From
The origins of intelligence in children.
Meaning in Life
Meaning in life across the life span
Meaning and Purpose in Life and Well-being
Natural Language Metaphors Covertly Influence Reasoning
Metaphoric structuring
Metaphors We Think With
Meaning in life and physical health
The Oxford Handbook of Meaning in Life
An Introduction to Functional Grammar
Lectures on Government and Binding
Eudaimonic and Uncertainty Metaphors About Life are Associated with Meaningfulness, Experiential Avoidance, Mental Health and Happiness
Examining Cross-Cultural Relationships Between Meaning in Life and Psychological Well-Being in Turkey and the United States
Identity
Human nature and the social order
Purpose in Life Is Associated With Mortality Among Community-Dwelling Older Persons
A map of living
Metaphors can give life meaning
Young Adolescents' Meaning in Life
Young Children's Meaning in Life
Life is a battlefield
Moving Figures and Grounds in music description
Where metaphors really come from
When life is no longer a journey
Towards a dialogic syntax
The college journey and academic engagement
The meaning in life questionnaire
On the relation between meaning in life and psychological well-being
The 'practices' of transcription in conversation analysis
Course in General Linguistics
Investigating Validity Evidence of the Satisfaction with Life Scale Adapted for Children
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |