The Meaning of Life (Stories): A Narrative Approach to Understanding the Relationship Between Meaning-Making and Mental Health

Abstract

Narrative research has emerged as a promising methodology to better understand the human experience. Narratives have become an especially apt tool for researching meaning-making, as they offer a unique window into how individuals interpret and articulate their experiences. The present study compares participant data from a narrative-based meaning-making measure with the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), examining to what extent narrative meaning-making and meaning scores on the MLQ predict various measures of mental health. Neither the MLQ nor narrative meaning significantly predicted symptoms of depression or anxiety. The narrative methodology, though, allowed for a richer investigation into the impacts of meaning-making through the framework of Narrative Identity. Participants’ narrative meaning significantly correlated at an item level, but not at a composite level with the MLQ. The present study ultimately highlights the complexity of meaning-making as a construct and also illustrates why narratives are an effective methodological tool for handling such complexity.