EPISODE · Mar 30, 2026 · 32 MIN
How to Find Purpose: Do We Find or Create Meaning? (Exploring with Sartre and Frankl)
from Immersion · host Pamela Carey
Do you ever wish you knew what your purpose was? Does your life ever feel void of meaning? In this episode we explore the idea of meaning through the lens of positive psychology, logotherapy, and existentialist philosophy. We learn from Dr. Viktor Frankl and Jean-Paul Sartre as well as from the Oxford Handbook on Positive Psychology. Also in this episode: -- How to recenter when we get off track so that we come back to what matters to us. -- The difference between purpose and significance (or meaning and mattering) -- The 5 Whys or what I like to call The Russian Doll of Goals -- We hear a voicemail from a friend on the idea of humans being natural meaning makers and how to make the process more conscious -- A more Zen approach when we want to simply live with meaning rather than analyze it Does living with purpose make us feel more fulfilled? And if so, how do we find it in a world that makes us feel like it is so far from our reach? Let's dive in!Timestamps 00:00 Situational meaning vs meaning for our entire lives01:32 Two approaches to meaning: Sartre and Frankl05:23 Dereflection from logotherapy07:07 What are the main areas people derive meaning from?07:42 Do purpose and meaning make us happier?10:09 What is meaning? How do we define it?12:53 Do we find or create meaning?17:37 The Five Why's20:02 How to recenter on what matters to us21:41 Hedonic vs. Eudaimonic happiness26:19 A Zen approach27:47 Connection to positive psychology30:50 Voicemail from a friend: Making this more consciousResources & Further Reading: - Man's Search for Meaning - Book by Viktor Frankl- Interview with Frankl: Viktor Frankl: Self-Actualization is not the goal- Sartre and Frankl comparison article/ https://philosophynow.org/issues/162/Frankl_and_Sartre_in_Search_of_Meaning- Blog by Dr. Michael Levin https://thoughtforms.life/what-advice-do-i-give-to-my-students/ hat tip to Tim Ferriss for putting this in his 5 bullet Friday - UPenn on Meaning - https://ppc.sas.upenn.edu/learn-more/perma-theory-well-being-and-perma-workshops- Logotherapy: https://viktorfranklamerica.com/what-is-logotherapy/Photography credit: - Frankl photo: Source Deutsch: Prof. Dr. Franz Vesely Viktor-Frankl-Archiv - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Viktor_Frankl2.jpg- Sartre photo: Dutch National Archives, The Hague, Fotocollectie Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau (ANEFO), 1945-1989 bekijk toegang 2.24.01.04 Bestanddeelnummer 917-9600https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jean_Paul_Sartre_1965.jpgLeave a voice message hereNewsletter sign upYouTube - channel Instagram - we will be posting here soon
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Do you ever wish you knew what your purpose was? Does your life ever feel void of meaning? In this episode we explore the idea of meaning through the lens of positive psychology, logotherapy, and existentialist philosophy. We learn from Dr. Viktor Frankl and Jean-Paul Sartre as well as from the Oxford Handbook on Positive Psychology. Also in this episode: -- How to recenter when we get off track so that we come back to what matters to us. -- The difference between purpose a...
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How to Find Purpose: Do We Find or Create Meaning? (Exploring with Sartre and Frankl)
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