Building Bridges, Forging New Frontiers: Meaning-Making in Action

The need to experience life as meaningful is fundamental to human nature. Recent years have witnessed a growing sophistication in assessing meaning in life (MIL) and new conceptualizations regarding its place within general models of well-being and coping. As part of this surge in research, increased attention has been given to the understanding, assessment, and practice of MIL in numerous arenas and contexts. However, despite these advancements, further knowledge is needed to explore the application of meaning interventions across more diverse contexts and non-clinical populations in the general community. The purpose of the present paper is to expand the existing knowledge on meaning-oriented interventions by introducing a community-based initiative that is directly responsive to this need. This includes describing its approach to meaning-making on multiple fronts: (1) Socratic Questions in the Public Sphere; (2) the Tribe Intergenerational Life Stories Project; (3) Literature, Arts, and Museums as Meaning-Making Sites; and (4) Education for Meaning. Each of these initiatives is described to propose more context-sensitive interventions that are applicable to everyday life in general society.