Meaning in Psychology: What Do We Mean, When We Talk About Meaning?

Rachele Benjamin, Psychology
Coach House, Green College, UBC
Monday, November 7, 8-9 pm

What is meaning, and what role does it play in our lives? Throughout history, psychologists have approached this question in many different ways. Often, we have fallen short of fully appreciating the importance of meaning to guide our decisions and inform our perceptual experience. In this talk, Rachele Benjamin will discuss the historical treatment of meaning in psychology and some exciting new ideas emerging in the field. She will end with a brief discussion of how she is approaching meaning through her research in the Meaning Maintenance Model.