Meaning-making is the psychological process by which a person finds coherent meaning for an adverse or deeply changing experience. Frankl (1946) described it from the concentration camp experience: even extreme suffering can have meaning if integrated into a vital narrative.
Concept origin
Frankl VE. (1946). Man's search for meaning. Beacon Press. · Park CL. (2010). Making sense of the meaning literature: An integrative review of meaning making and its effects on adjustment to stressful life events. Psychological Bulletin, 136(2), 257-301. doi:10.1037/a0018301
Therapeutic approach
Frankl's logotherapy works on the search for meaning through three paths: creative (what we give to the world), experiential (what we receive from the world), and attitudinal (the stance toward the inevitable). Narrative therapy helps integrate the experience into the personal story with coherence.
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