Spirituality and Religiosity in Meaning-Making After Stressful Life Events: A Qualitative Study Using the Meaning Making Model

A qualitative study of 27 German participants who had experienced stressful life events found that the most extensive meaning-making occurred among those with a highly integrated spiritual and religious orientation, not among those with more individualized forms of spirituality. Participants were categorized into low-, moderate-, and high-spirituality groups. The high-integration group showed coherent belief systems, regular spiritual practices, communal religious embeddedness, and trust in transcendent guidance. The results suggest that integration of spirituality with religiosity into a coherent meaning system may be associated with more sustained meaning-making and positive outcomes following stressful events.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This study investigates the role of spirituality/religiosity (S/R) in meaning-making processes following stressful life events (SLEs) within the framework of Crystal Park’s Meaning Making Model (MMM). A qualitative phenomenological design was applied, using semi-structured interviews with N = 27 German participants who had experienced psychological and/or physical SLEs. As the majority of the participants identified themselves primarily as spiritual rather than religious, the study initially focused on spirituality as a potential resource for meaning-making following SLEs. Data were analyzed using mainly ideal-type analysis. Participants were categorized into low-, moderate-, and high-spirituality groups based on dimensions derived from Anton Bucher’s conceptualization of spirituality. Contrary to what might have been expected from the predominantly spiritual orientation of the sample, the most extensive meaning-making processes and meanings made according to the MMM were observed not among participants with more individualized forms of spirituality but among those with a highly integrated spiritual and religious orientation. This group was characterized by coherent belief systems, regular spiritual practices, communal and institutional religious embeddedness, and strong trust in transcendent guidance. The results suggest that not spirituality alone but its integration with religiosity into a coherent spiritual–religious meaning system may be associated with more sustained meaning-making processes, meanings made, and participant-reported positive outcomes following SLEs. Beyond the study’s limitations, implications for future research and professional practice are also briefly outlined.