Brody, C. M. (1999). Existential issues of hope and meaning in late life therapy. In Duffy, M. (Ed); et al. Handbook of counseling and psychotherapy with older adults. (pp. 91-106). New York, NY, USA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

-- Concepts from several existential therapists (including Frankl) are described, which are relevant to psychotherapy with older adults. Case examples are used to illustrate therapeutic strategies. Approaches to working with elderly women, people with cognitive impairment, and end-of-life issues are also suggested.

Cisler, R. A. [Center for Addiction and Behavioral Health Research, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, P.O. Box 786, Milwaukee, WI 53201-0786 USA], & Zweben, A. (1999). Development of a composite measure for assessing alcohol treatment outcome: Operationalization and validation. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 23(2), 263-271.

-- This article empirically validates a composite measure for assessing alcohol treatment outcome. Poorer composite outcome was related to poorer outcomes in alcohol consumption, alcohol-related problems, biomedical measures, psychiatric dysfunction, psychosocial functioning, and the PIL.

Crumbaugh, J. C. [140 Balmoral Avenue, Biloxi, MS 39531-4701 USA]. (1999). A contribution of Tipler's Omega Point Theory to near-death studies. Journal of Near Death Studies, 18(1), 5-11.

-- The author describes the general meaning behind Tipler's (1994) Omega Point Theory, which uses reductionism and physics to demonstrate the existence of noetic or spiritual phenomena. It is argued that similarities between the hypothesized outcome of Omega Point and the most commonly reported near-death-experience be used by near-death researchers to gain a greater degree of scientific acceptance.

Debats, D. L. [Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 30.001, 9700 RB Groningen, the Netherlands]. (1999). Sources of meaning: An investigation of significant commitments in life. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 39(4), 30-57.

-- The most important personal meanings in life reported by a group of young adults were relationships, lifework, service, beliefs, and materiality. The Life Regard Index (measure of life meaning) was positively related to the degree of commitment to personal meanings for both patients and non-patients. Patients reported less commitment than non-patients.

Dow, K. H. [School of Nursing, College of Health and Public Affairs at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA], Ferrell, B. R., Haberman, M. R., & Eaton, L. (1999). The meaning of quality of life in cancer survivorship. Oncology Nursing Forum, 26(3), 519-528.

-- Life purpose is one of the eleven over-arching themes identified in this qualitative study of quality of life in long-term cancer survivors. Asking clients to chronicle their search for meaning and exploring the meanings imputed to life after cancer are recommended.

Enyert, G. [Radiation Oncology Department, Wyoming Cancer Center, Casper, Wyoming, USA], & Burman, M. E. (1999). A qualitative study of self-transcendence in caregivers of terminally ill patients. American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care, 16(2), 455-462.

-- Caregivers of terminally ill family members identified meaningfulness in their actions and experienced self-transcendence in "being with" or "doing for" their loved one. All caregivers reported positive consequences and a majority described a distinct view of life that evolved from their experience.

Fava, G. A. [Department of Psychiatry, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA]. (1999). Well-being therapy: Conceptual and technical issues. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 68, 171-179.

-- The short-term therapy strategy called well-being therapy is described, potential clinical applications are offered, and preliminary validation study results are presented. Well-being therapy is based on Carol D. Ryff's cognitive model of psychological well-being, which includes purpose in life.

French, S., & Joseph, S. [Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK]. (1999). Religiosity and its association with happiness, purpose in life, and self-actualisation. Mental Health, Religion and Culture, 2(2), 117-120.

-- The relationship between scores on the Francis Scale of Attitude Toward Christianity, the Depression-Happiness Scale, Oxford Happiness Inventory, and the PIL were examined. Results suggested that religious people have a greater sense of purpose in life, but are not necessarily happier.

Fryback, P. B., & Reinert, B. R. [College of Nursing, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, USA]. (1999). Spirituality and people with potentially fatal diagnoses. Nursing Forum, 34(1), 13-22.

-- This qualitative study examined the concept of spirituality from the viewpoint of 10 females with cancer and 5 males with HIV/AIDS. Most were described as seeking some meaning or purpose to their illness following diagnosis. Those who reported finding that meaning thought they had a better quality of life than before the diagnosis.

Jobst, K. A., Shostak, D., & Whitehouse, P. J. (1999). Diseases of meaning, manifestations of health, and metaphor. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 5(6), 495-502.

-- The authors argue for a model of health where disease is thought of as a healthy response to "striving to maintain physical, psychologic, and spiritual equilibrium." The view of health problems as "diseases of meaning" is expected to refocus attention onto the causes of disease and change our relationship with our environment and ourselves.

Kalayjian, A. S. (1999). Coping through meaning: The community response to the earthquake in Armenia. In Zinner, E. S. (Ed.); Williams, MB (Ed.); et al. When a community weeps: Case studies in group survivorship. Series in trauma and loss. (pp. 86-101). Philadelphia, PA, USA: Brunner/Mazel, Inc.

-- Bereavement patterns and system responses to the 1988 earthquake in the Republic of Armenia are described. Logotherapy is introduced with an emphasis on the importance of finding meaning in tragedy. Four to 6 weeks after the earthquake, 20% of 60 survivors reported positive meaning in their experience achieved through volunteer work.

Lantz, J. [The Ohio State University, College of Social Work, 1947 College Road, Columbus, OH 43210 USA]. (1999). Heidegger's brightness as a responsibility of the therapist in existential family therapy. Contemporary Family Therapy: An International Journal, 21(1), 29-43.

-- A historic overview of Martin Heidegger's work is followed by an explanation of his concepts of "thrown-ness," death imagery, "arrogance," and "brightness." The usefulness of these concepts and responsibilities of the therapist in facilitating the process of brightness is described and illustrated with case material.

Lantz, J. [The Ohio State University, College of Social Work, 1947 College Road, Columbus, OH 43210 USA]. (1999). Meaning-centered family therapy: Treatment elements and dynamics. Families in Society, 80(3), 221-228.

-- Meaning-centered family therapy is described and illustrated with case material. Treatment dynamics (healing processes) and elements (actions and activities of the therapist) are reviewed. Maintaining an atmosphere of creative interaction is recommended in order to avoid a "cookbook" approach to treatment.

Lantz, J. [The Ohio State University, College of Social Work, 1947 College Road, Columbus, OH 43210 USA]. (1999). Marcel's testimony in existential psychotherapy with couples and families. Contemporary Family Therapy: An International Journal, 21(4), 469-483.

-- The author describes Marcel's concept of "testimony" and recommends the use of testimony to facilitate a relationship-based approach to existential marital and family psychotherapy. Case material is used to illustrate the testimonial approach.

Larsen, D. J. [University of Alberta, Department of Educational Psychology, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2H4]. (1999). Eclecticism: Psychological theories as interwoven stories. International Journal for the Advancement of Counseling, 21(1), 69-83.

-- In this postmodern argument for eclecticism, logotherapy and radical behaviorism are used as examples of "theory-stories" to support the belief that "past theory-stories have the potential to inform, deconstruct, and add depth to current postmodern practice."

Mahoney, M. J. [Department of Psychology, Box 311280, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203, USA]. (1999). The meaning and correlates of spirituality: Suggestions from an exploratory survey of experts. Death Studies, 23, 521-528.

-- Experts in death studies and spiritual studies described spirituality as including charity, community, compassion, forgiveness, hope, learning opportunities, meaning/purpose, and morality. Experts disagreed on levels of guilt, romance, health, and suffering at death of spiritual individuals.

McMillen, J. C. [George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University - St. Louis, Campus Box 1196, St. Louis, MO 63130 USA]. (1999). Better for it: How people benefit from adversity. Social Work, 44(5), 455-68.

-- A review of the literature regarding positive changes following adverse experiences mentions Frankl's and Yalom's approaches as offering specific suggestions for finding meaning in suffering. Implications for the practice of social work are discussed.

Meraviglia, M. G. [School of Nursing, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX USA]. (1999). Critical analysis of spirituality and its empirical indicators: Prayer and meaning in life. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 17(1), 18-33.

-- In order to reach a definition of spirituality for holistic nursing, a brief review of the literature is followed by an analysis of the antecedents, defining attributes, outcomes, and related concepts (including meaning in life).

Moomal, Z. [P.O. Box 14491, Laudium 0037, South Africa]. (1999). The relationship between meaning in life and mental well-being. South African Journal of Psychology, 29(1), 36-41.

-- Significant negative correlations between the PIL and most of the MMPI scales were found in this study of South African university students, supporting the hypothesis that meaning in life is positively related to mental health regardless of the type of pathology.

Nagata, H. [Faculty of Economics, Okayama University, Japan], Ohta, T., & Aoyama, H. (1999). Medical students' perception of inpatients' anxiety, self-esteem, purpose-in-life, and health locus of control as compared with nursing practitioners'. Acta Medica Okayama, 53(3), 141-145.

-- Medical students, nurses, and nursing students all overestimated patient anxiety and underestimated purpose-in-life and internal locus of control, which suggests a focus on patient weaknesses.

Rhoades, D. R. [Department of Family and Preventative Medicine, University of South Carolina, 6 Medical Park, Columbia, SC 29203 USA], & McFarland, K. F. (1999). Caregiver meaning: A study of caregivers of individuals with mental illness. Health and Social Work, 24(4), 291-298.

-- Caregivers who open their homes to individuals with mental illness completed a structured questionnaire and interview. Theme analysis yielded three categories of caregiver meaning: other-directed/altruistic, self-directed/self-actualization, and existential/purpose in life. Caregiving difficulties and social work implications were discussed.

Shantall, T. [Department of Psychology, University of South Africa, P.O. Box 392, Pretoria 0003, South Africa]. (1999). The experience of meaning in suffering among Holocaust survivors. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 39(3), 96-124.

-- The author began by explaining her personal motivation for the study. A brief literature survey and justification for the focus on holocaust survivors was followed by explanation of the use of a heuristic inquiry research method. The interview narratives of five survivors were analyzed and compared with the writings of Frankl. The results support the idea that meaning can be experienced in the face of tragic suffering.

Shek, D. T. [Department of Social Work, Chinese University of Hong Kong]. (1999). Parenting characteristics and adolescent psychological well-being: A longitudinal study in a Chinese context. Genetic, Social, & General Psychology Monographs, 125(1), 27-44.

-- The PIL, Hopelessness Scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, and the General Health Questionnaire scores of Hong Kong Chinese adolescents were found to be related to global parenting style and specific parenting behaviors at two time periods. Stronger associations were found for female adolescents and paternal parenting.

Shek, D. T. [Department of Social Work, Chinese University of Hong Kong]. (1999). Paternal and maternal influences on the psychological well-being of Chinese adolescents. Gentic, Social, & General Psychology Monogrphs, 125(3), 269-296.

-- Chinese adolescents completed questionnaires and an interview at two time periods (1-year interval). Paternal (not maternal) factors at Time 1 were found to predict changes in purpose in life, life satisfaction, hopelessness, self-esteem, and psychiatric morbidity.

Sherman, A. C. [Behavioral Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205 USA], Plante, T. G., Simonton, S., Adams, D. C., Burris, S. K., & Harbison, C. (1999). Assessing religious faith in medical patients: Cross-validation of the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire. Pastoral Psychology, 48(2), 129-141.

-- The PIL and the Meaningfulness subscale of the Sense of Coherence Scale provided evidence of divergent validity through their modest correlation with the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire.