Synopses & Reviews
In this extraordinary book, an eminent social scientist explores what empirical studies from diverse fields tell us about the human condition. Meanings of Life draws together evidence from psychology, history, anthropology, and sociology, integrating copious research findings into a clear and conclusive discussion of how people attempt to make sense of their lives. In a lively and accessible style, emphasising facts over theories, Baumeister explores why people desire meaning in their lives, how these meanings function, what forms they take, and what happens when life loses meaning.
The volume includes a review of interdisciplinary literature that covers what the social sciences say about such matters as happiness, suffering, and death. It explores people's need for a sense of purpose, values, control over their lives, and a sense of self worth. Divorce and religious conversion are also examined. The book attempts to analyze the myths of fulfilment and higher meaning, illusions of eternity, the suppression of female sexuality, the failure of the work ethic, why death is more threatening to us than it was to our ancestors, and how suffering stimulates the quest for meaning. It demonstrates how happiness depends more upon one's interpretation than actual circumstances, and shows that the keys to happiness are attitude, judicious comparison, a bit of luck and a healthy dose of self-deception.
Review
"Roy Baumeister writes conceptually exact, richly factual, and continuously delightful books on deep subjects, and this is his best." --Roger Brown, Ph.D.
"The topic is, of course, tremendous. We feel giddily nervous on even entertaining it, and so usually take it for granted or leave it to Monty Python. Fortunately, this volume has now arrived, bringing with it a far-reaching analysis of how life's meaning impinges on social life. It is rare to find such a broad array of intriguing and subtle hypotheses derived from a single theme, and even more rare to find such wide-ranging awareness of history and culture in contemporary social psychology." --Daniel M. Wegner, Ph.D.
"The book encourages the reader to struggle with hard questions that have no objective answers." --Jerry Bruce, Sam Houston State, Huntsville, Texas
Review
"Meanings of Life is an important first step in correcting the neglect of this area by addressing the broad issues of whether or not life is meaningful, why it is critical to have a sense of meaningfulness, how people achieve that, and what happens when they are not able to. What is unusual about the book is also what is very good about it. It is unusual for an experimental social psychologist to tackle a topic that would not seem to lend itself ot experimental investigation. However, it is Baumeister's respect for empirical evidence that helps ground the topic in observalble phenomena. Because of the careful documentation with empirical studies, even hard-core data hounds will not feel uncomfortable with most of the conclusions in the book....[It is] a scholarly and intriguing review of research and thought on finding meaningfulness in life. Laypeople and psychologists alike will find it a fascinating read." --
Contemporary Psychology Review
"A scholarly and intriguing review of research and thought on finding meaningfulness in life. Laypeople and psychologists alike will find it a fascinating read. "--Contemporary Psychology
Synopsis
Who among us has not at some point asked, what is the meaning of life?' In this extraordinary book, an eminent social scientist looks at the big picture and explores what empirical studies from diverse fields tell us about the human condition. MEANINGS OF LIFE draws together evidence from psychology, history, anthropology, and sociology, integrating copious research findings into a clear and conclusive discussion of how people attempt to make sense of their lives. In a lively and accessible style, emphasizing facts over theories, Baumeister explores why people desire meaning in their lives, how these meanings function, what forms they take, and what happens when life loses meaning. It is the most comprehensive examination of the topic to date.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 397-417) and index.
About the Author
Baumeister received his PhD in experimental social psychology from Princeton University in 1978. Since then, his research career has taken him to the University of California at Berkeley, to the University of Texas at Austin, to the Max-Planck-Institute in Munich, Germany, and to Case Western Reserve University, where in 1992 he was awarded the Elsie B. Smith Professorship in Liberal Arts. The recipient of an American Psychological Association award for his first book, he has authored over 100 publications and numerous articles in professional journals and scholarly volumes.