Implicational Meaning (Re)Creation in Bereavement as a Lifeworld Dialogue: An Existential–Constructivist Perspective

Abstract

This article draws on Robert A. Neimeyer's work on meaning reconstruction in bereavement, focusing on an aspect of meaning that has elsewhere been termed implicational meaning and developing an account of relevant meaning-making processes against the background of existential understandings of the 4-dimensional lifeworld structure. The article emphasizes that meaning reconstruction in bereavement can be seen as a deeply emotional, transactional, and creative process, which implies verbal and nonverbal dialogue and transformation across multiple layers and dimensions that can be seen to constitute the person and their lifeworld.

Notes

1. Note, however, that Neimeyer views constructivism as being engaged with the preverbal, implicit level of meaning and not only the symbolic, verbal level of meaning (see Neimeyer, 2001).