The Meaning Frame Theory: Meaning Arises with Reference Points
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The Meaning Frame Theory: Meaning Arises with Reference Points Kenji Noguchi1
© Springer Nature B.V. 2019
Abstract Meaning in life is an abstract construct but researchers have found a way to conduct empirical studies. Recent theoretical developments suggest that significance (or mattering), comprehension, and purpose are main components of meaning in life. This paper introduces the meaning frame theory indicating that meaning of a target person or object arises when there are reference points for the target. Meaning does not occur without frames that can situate a target in the frames. Three different frames are presented and the meta-theory argues that meaning in one’s life can be understood through one or a combination of the frames. The agent-to-self frame suggests a meaning of one’s life arises to the self and this frame helps make sense of one’s life through self and identity. The purpose-to-agent frame indicates that purpose is meaningful for the agent and works as a motivator in providing meaning. The agent-to-others frame suggests that one’s life is meaningful to others who recognize their value. The meaning frame theory also provides three premises that define the strength and the quality of meaning; (a) meaning is clearer when a relationship with a reference point can be more concretely defined; (b) less subjective justification indicates more definite meaning of a target to its reference; and (c) multi-framed meaning is more resistant to adverse changes. The implications and other research questions relevant to the theory are discussed and future directions are proposed. Keywords Meaning in life · Well-being · Social relationships Psychological science has turned a corner to tackle more abstract questions such as meaning in life, happiness, and other existential questions. There are already many handbooks and edited books addressing these issues (Argyle 2001; Batthyany and Russon-Netzer 2014; Greenberg et al. 2004; Wong 2012). Meaning in life, in particular, is an abstract construct, although the significance of the concept in a practical life is acknowledged. There are many frameworks that aim to facilitate the understanding of what meaning in life implies (George and Park 2016; Heine et al. 2006; Leontiev 2007, 2013; Martela and Steger 2016). The goal of the current paper is to provide a framework to explain why and * Kenji Noguchi [email protected] 1
School of Psychology, University of Southern Mississippi, 730 East Beach Blvd, Long Beach, MS 39560, USA
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how meaning occurs in one’s life. Especially, the current meta-theory proposes that meaning needs a frame for someone or something to be considered meaningful. The model also provides that there are three types of frames in meaning making, and some types offer more advantages to provide a more secure sense of meaning than others. Before the model is fully described, past papers addressing meaning in life are reviewed and discussed.
1 What Does Meaning Signify? Recently, ideas on meaning in life start
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