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Background: It is unavoidable that we will face limitations and challenges in life. How individuals cope with adversity and
stress, depends on many factors. One of the potential beneficial factors that can help individuals is experiencing meaning in
life. The updated stress-coping model (Park & Folkman, 1997) indicates that individuals often cope with stressful situations by
accommodation and assimilation of the stressful life event in relation to a pre-existing sense of global meaning in life. Many
studies have empirically validated and extended the important role of meaning-oriented coping. However, many of these
studies are presented in academic terms, which can hinder an inside understanding of the lived experience of clients.
Method: Four case studies of individuals in adverse life situations will be systematically reviewed, with an explicit attention
to the role of meaning in life. This will show how theory on meaning-related coping can be applied to individual cases. These
case studies are chosen because these individuals have explicitly discussed how they coped with their adverse life situation, and
explicated the role of meaning-related coping.
Results: The first case study is the book Man�??s search for meaning from the psychiatrist Victor Frankl. In this book, he describes
his experiences as a prisoner in a concentration camp during the Second World War. He writes how prisoners who were able
to experience meaning in life were mentally and physically better able to cope with their situation. Frankl describes several
potential sources of meaning, such as history and legacy, experiencing, productivity and creativity. These experiences led
Frankl to conclude with Nietzsche: �??he who has a way to live for, can deal with any how�??. The second case study is the book
Miracle in the Andes by Nando Perrado. He describes how his airplane crashed in the Andes, where he had to survive for 72
days and trekked through high mountains to find rescue. He writes that it was the love for his father, and the prospect of his
daily life at home, that helped him through the adversity. He describes the different coping responses of the other victims, and
writes how the mental and physical state quickly deteriorated of those who did not want to be involved in any meaningful daily
life routine and did not try to focus on anything meaningful. The third case study describes the experiences of a journalist
who was diagnosed with breast cancer in her thirties. She has shared her experiences in a book submitted for publication. She
describes how she experienced it as helpful to focus on meaningful activities, such as the routine of caring for her children
and her terminally ill mother, and writing as a journalist about her own experiences. In her book, she describes that she met
several mothers of class mates of her children who were also diagnosed with cancer; some of these women seemed to deny their
situation, which seemed to hinder their psychological improvement. The fourth case study is the story of a political refugee
from Iran. He told the author how his work as an artist has been his safe haven during times of adversity. However, he told how
his artwork started to change, as he started to use other painting styles. Parallel to this artistic change, he started to experience
severe post-traumatic distress. Traditional psychological treatment didn�??t work for him, but when he started to acknowledge
the role of art in coping with his stress and he could understand and accept his artistic changes, all symptoms disappeared.
Discussion: Although these are four dissimilar case studies, all individuals point at the important role of experiencing meaning
in life to cope with adversity in life. Meaning in life is a changeable dynamic phenomenon, as all individuals experienced
changes in priorities in life, but �?? despite these changes- all acknowledged the importance of focusing on existential topics.
Experiencing meaning in life corresponds with other psychological phenomena, such as hope and optimism, but it cannot be
reduced to these phenomena. Implications for research and psychotherapeutic practice will be discussed.
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