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1997•Journal of Personal and Interpersonal LossRequires access

The impact of the death of a child on meaning and purpose in life

Sarah Brabant, Craig J. Forsyth, Glenda McFarlain

Open publisher page 8 citations

Abstract

This article examines one aspect of parental readjustment to the death of a child, change in meaning and purpose in life, through use of thick descriptions (Geertz, 1973) from parents bereaved for 1 or more years. Findings are congruent with Frankl's (1963) argument that meaning in life can be discovered in three different ways; parents expressed having found new meaning in life through helping others, through changing their values and priorities, and through having endured suffering. Implications for counselors are discussed.

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What this paper is about

This article examines one aspect of parental readjustment to the death of a child, change in meaning and purpose in life, through use of thick descriptions (Geertz, 1973) from parents bereaved for 1 or more years. Findings are congruent with Frankl's (1963) argument that meaning in life can be discovered in three different ways; parents expressed having found new meaning in life through helping others, through changing their values and priorities, and through having endured suffering. Implications for counselors are discussed.

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OpenAlex reports 8 citations for this work. Citation counts describe recorded attention and do not establish research quality.

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Available abstract

This article examines one aspect of parental readjustment to the death of a child, change in meaning and purpose in life, through use of thick descriptions (Geertz, 1973) from parents bereaved for 1 or more years. Findings are congruent with Frankl's (1963) argument that meaning in life can be discovered in three different ways; parents expressed having found new meaning in life through helping others, through changing their values and priorities, and through having endured suffering. Implications for counselors are discussed.

Key concepts: Meaning (existential), Argument (complex analysis), Psychology, Purpose in life, Meaning of life, Developmental psychology, Psychoanalysis, Social psychology

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