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Self – Mastery

Meaning & Purpose

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Pre-work

Resources for class:

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankel (I have

provided the key take-aways in the slides in this deck.)

Read: Chapter 9 of Curious Discovering Meaning and

Purpose in Life by Todd Kashdan, PhD.

View: Meaning and Purpose—Viktor Frankl http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EIxGrIc_6g&feature=relmfu

Viktor Frankl—I Broke My Neck but it Didn’t Break Me http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_lmMl4P7cQ&feature=related

We should not ask what we expect of life, but what life expects of

us. Each situation asks us a question—it can only be answered by

our behavior—if we can’t change it, we can change ourselves

• Sources of meaning in life

① Relationships

② Religious beliefs

③ Health

④ Pleasure

⑤ Personal growth

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“Having a purpose is the

firm foundation that allows

us to take risks, explore,

and find and create

meaning. Purpose

increases our energy supply

to do more of what we want

and extract more of it.”

Research Has Revealed

• The ability to derive meaning from experience and

environment is fundamental not only to our success,

but also to the success of humanity. Meaning matters.

• We are driven to understand the meaning of our own

lives.

• Having meaning in life enriches our existence and

helps us reach our best selves in our best lives.

• Meaning and life is associated with more positive

functioning. It makes life not only tolerable but also

fulfilling, vital and rich.

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Our Focus for Coaching

•1. Defining meaning

•2. Meaning and levels of consciousness

•3. Meaning in life research—theories and evidence

•4. Where does meaning come from?

•5. Sources of Meaning in life

•6. How can coaches influence the focus of meaning in wellness

coaching?

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Definition of Meaning

•1. Meaning in life refers to our beliefs that our lives are significant

and that they transcend the ephemeral present.

•2. Meaning in life is the extent to which you perceive yourself to

have a purpose, mission, or overarching aim in life.

•3. Purpose and significance appear central to psychological

definitions of meaning in life, and capture the idea that meaning is

about understanding where we’ve been, where we are, and where

we’re going.

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Small Group Discussion

What does meaning

have to do with

helping clients

achieve their

visions and their

goals?

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Meaning & Levels of Consciousness

1. Our values, preferences, needs and behaviors shift as a result of

evolving consciousness. Fitness to a teenager will have remarkably

different meanings than it has to a septuagenarian. (Or, even to

someone over 50 years of age!)

2. Embedded in each level of consciousness is an elaborate matrix of

underlying beliefs, values, orientations and behaviors. As people

evolve, so do their relationships to physical activity, health and

wellness promotion.

In your small groups:

Give an example of how a particular coaching goal can have have a

different meaning for a teenager and an older adult.

Give an example from your own life of how the meaning you gave to one

of your goals changed over the years.

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4 Levels of Consciousness

Level 2: The Conformist

World order; right and wrong, order and stability,

self-sacrifice for ultimate rewards. Culture, tribe,

religion. Codes of conduct. No waves.

Level 1: The Opportunist

“It’s all about me.” The worldview is dichotomies.

Motivated by self-desires. Rarely worry about

consequences.

Level 3: The Achiever

Life is a task to be mastered. “Play to win, seek

abundance, independence.” Enroll others.

Make happen, get results.

Level 4: The Pluralist

Beliefs are up for grabs. Truth is relative.

Personal identity is not fixed. Personal growth

pursued. Big picture. Being vs. doing.

What are the percentages?

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• Kegan and Lahey’s (2009) evidence

suggests that up to 27% of the adult

population in North America is at or below

the Conformist level, with another 66%

moving toward or at the Achiever level and

only 7% beyond that.

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Coaching Consciousness

►When you are working with a client, the first step in fostering the

evolution of a Wellbeing is appreciating, honoring and building on

the client’s current vantage point. (Hunt 2009)

►Once you have looked at the world through your client’s lens, you

will know how to design training or coaching, recommend readings,

address the client’s motivations and choose language that

resonates.

►Moving up the levels of consciousness pushes clients toward a full-

spectrum appreciation of wellness.

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Coaching Consciousness

►Becoming a Wellbeing is about a gradual awakening rather than a

static state. As clients evolve toward the third and fourth levels of

consciousness, their lives and worlds expand considerably, as does

their approach to fitness and health.

►A Wellbeing will seek experiences that speak to her mind as much

as her body, to her spirit as well as her physical health, to her need

for community as much as her interest in fun.

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Small Group Discussion

What are the advantages of appreciating, honoring

and building on the client’s current vantage point?

Give an example.

What does it mean to look at the world through your

client’s lens? Why is this so important in coaching?

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7 Helpful Key Points

① No judgment. Higher isn’t necessarily better.

② Evolution is always progressive, never regressive. Once the

light is on, it stays on.

③ Consciousness advances with (not because of) age. Life

events and dedication to “personal work” are often required to

move forward.

④ Progression is gradual and uneven and can take years or even

decades. Sometimes we grasp it conceptually before we

integrate the shift into our way ob being.

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7 Helpful Key Points

⑤ We never lose what once we had. Like a Russian

“matryoshka” (nesting) doll, our present level incorporates all

prior levels of consciousness.

⑥ We can see down but not up. As we advance, we can

appreciate lower levels, yet have little awareness of what lies

ahead.

⑦ Greater consciousness does not guarantee engagement as

Wellbeing.

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Meaning in life research

1) They are happier (Debats, van der Lubbe, & Wezeman, 1993)

2) Profess greater well-being (Bonebright, Clay & Ankenmann,

2000)

3) Profess greater life satisfaction (Chambelain & Zika, 1988)

4) Feel more control over their lives (Ryff, 1989)

5) Feel more engaged in their work (Bonebright et al., 200)

6) Report less negative affect (Chamberlain & Zika, 1988)

7) Less workaholism (Bonebright et al, 200)

8) Less suicidal ideation and substance abuse (Harlow, Newcomb,

& Bentler, 1986)

9) Less need for therapy (Battista & Almong, 1973)

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Small Group Discussion

What is it about

meaning that

produces such

positive results?

How can you use the

concept of meaning

with clients who are

struggling to move

forward?

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Who has meaning?

►Those who have dedicated their lives to an important cause or ideal

that transcends more mundane concerns.

►Viktor Frankl’s theory of meaning:

Each person has some unique purpose or overarching aim for his or her life,

comprehended in light of his or her values, and enacted in reflection of his or her

community.

Meaning is experienced as what people are trying to do to enact their value—their

pursuits of their most important strivings and aims in life.

Frankl (1963) argued that it is imperative for people to have a clear sense of what

they are trying to do wit their lives and what the purpose of their existence is.

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Who has meaning?

►Meaning is connection Baumeister and Vohls (2002)

The essence of meaning is connection, and such connections are a

primary way in which people attach a sense of stability to the fluctuating

and dynamic conditions of their lives.

► Meaning is significance—lives have meaning when they stand for

something.

There are many theories of meaning. When you are working with a client,

which theory of meaning would you use?

• Where does meaning come from?

1. Meaning comes from comprehending one’s

existence.

2. Identifying and achieving valued goals.

3. Feeling fulfilled by life.

4. Frankl (1963) suggested that meaning comes

from:

1. Engaging in creative endeavors

2. Elevating experiences

3. The ability to reflect upon and grow from

negative experiences and suffer

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Where does meaning come from?

• Baumeister & Vohs, 2002—

Four domains that give rise

to meaning:

1. Feeling a sense of purpose

2. Having a basis for self-worth

3. Clarifying the values system

by which one judges what is

right and wrong

4. Developing a sense of

efficacy in the world

• Emmons (2003) four-part

“taxonomy” of meaning:

1. Work/achievement

2. Intimacy/relationships

3. Spirituality

4. Self-

transcendence/generativity

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Where does meaning come from?

• A sense of meaning is derived from the theories

and narratives that explain our lives (McAdams,

1993; Niemeyer & Mahoney, 1995)

1. Writing about life events facilitates the integration

of events into a larger, overarching meaning system

(King & Pennebaker, 1996)

2. People who tell a story in terms of their ability to

overcome an adverse event and discover positive

results of their efforts are better adjusted

(McAdams, Diamond, de St. Aubin, & Mansfield,

1997)

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Where does meaning come from?

• Seligman (2002)—meaning

comes from the dedication

of one’s signature talents to

some entity beyond one’s

self

• Reker and Wong (1998)—

people experience meaning

in life more deeply as they

achieve greater degrees of

self-transcendence.

• Emmons (2003) four-part

“taxonomy” of meaning:

1. Work/achievement

2. Intimacy/relationships

3. Spirituality

4. Self-

transcendence/generativity

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Those who find meaning in traumatic events

report better outcomes than those who do

Not (Bower, Kemeny, Taylor, & Fayey, 1998)

Why isn’t it enough just to help clients

formulate a philosophy of meaning?

How can you help clients take the next step

to make meaning happen in their lives?

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Coaching Mastery Journal

Journal:

How can you help clients take the important steps to make meaning in

their lives, especially when they have felt stuck or dealt with difficulties to

this point in their health (life) journey? Kashden shares 11 insights that

increase the likelihood of attaining positive outcomes. (pages 250-253)

Write your thoughts and reactions to two of these eleven insights that

have meaning for you.

How will these insights impact your coaching?

Slide 4 shares 5 sources of meaning if life:

Choose one of these sources of meaning and give an example of how it

provides meaning in a person’s life.

How can you help your client develop one of these sources of meaning in

his or her own life?

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Thank you!!

“My hope is that by understanding the

science behind purpose, some of you will

find meaning, some of you will find

purpose, and everyone will construct a life

that is more open, more exciting, more

expansive, and longer lasting than before.

Todd Kashdan, PhD.