Emily Esfahani Smith, author of “The Power of Meaning” reported in a PBS Newshour IMHO (In my humble opinion) segment on Mar 10, 2017 that psychologists have counterintuitively concluded that the chasing after happiness can leave people unhappy and lonely. It is instead the search for meaning and trying to figure out how to make our lives count which bring happiness. She cites the epic of Gilgamesh, one of the oldest known literary works (Mesopotamian, ~ 2500 BC), and sees in it the hero’s search for how to live knowing that he will die. Smith says his quest remains urgent.
Social scientists say meaning is found when we connect and contribute to something beyond ourselves, such as to family, work, nature, or god. Smith cites three conditions found in people who say they have meaningful lives: 1) They believe their lives matter; 2) They have a sense of purpose; and 3) They think their lives are coherent and make sense. Storytelling itself gives meaning, she says, and offers clarity.
I am reminded of the work we psychoanalysts do, a connection which brings personal meaning to our lives, but also affords to our clients both a search for meaning and an attempt at a coherent story. We know that a coherent narrative in Mary Main’s Adult Attachment Interview predicts secure attachment. We know, too, that an important job in parenting is to convey to a child that she or he matters, has a right to exist, and is connected to something bigger (the family). Tomorrow, were he alive today, would be my father’s 96th birthday. I wanted to give a grateful shout out to my father for having always conveyed meaning to our lives by his love and dedication to his family (he was a great listener and storyteller himself) and to his work (he was a writer who showed joy and meaning could exist in one’s professional life), and by seeing his joy burgeon as he aged (through his interaction with his grandchildren).
Meaning through connection and narrative? Our profession was made for it.
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