So just who is this Dr Paul Wong?  In his own words:

"I'm a Psychology Prof, Clinical Psychologist, author, speaker and justice fighter. My greatest happiness is to bring happiness to the suffering people. Founder of Meaning-Centered Counselling Institute, International Network on Personal Meaning INPM, the International Society for Existential Psychology and Psychotherapy ISEPP, and PositivePeerReview.com. Married to Lilian with two sons Austin and Wesley."

The answers, as the eminent scholars and practitioners who contributed to this text find, are neither simple nor straightforward. While seeking to clarify subjective vs. objective meaning in 21 new and 7 revised chapters, the authors also address the differences in cultural contexts, and identify 8 different sources of meaning, as well as at least 6 different stages in the process of the search for meaning. They also address different perspectives, including positive psychology, self-determination, integrative, narrative, and relational perspectives, to ensure that readers obtain the most thorough information possible. Mental health practitioners will find the numerous meaning-centered interventions, such as the PURE and ABCDE methods, highly useful in their own work with facilitating healing and personal growth in their clients. The Human Quest for Meaning represents a bold new vision for the future of meaning-oriented research and applications. No one seeking to truly understand the human condition should be without it.

“The human heart is a meaning-making organ. Living meaningfully with intention is a fulcrum that can counter the gravity of any predicament. In The Human Quest for Meaning a host of old pros provide the theory, research, and methods of meaning-centered practice.”
–Jeffrey K. Zeig, PhD, The Milton H. Erickson Foundation, Arizona

“This new edition of The Human Quest for Meaning: Theories, Research, and Applications presents much of the best thinking and research on the human quest for meaning done in clinical, experimental, and social psychology today. Paul T. Wong has done a commendable job in selecting and bringing together leading researchers and their ideas. This book is destined to become a classic textbook in positive psychology, counseling, and the existential philosophy of psychology.”
–Alexander Batthyany, PhD, Lecturer of Philosophy of Psychology & Cognitive Science, University of Vienna; Director, Viktor Frankl Institute, Vienna; Author, Empirical Research on Logotherapy and Meaning-Oriented Psychotherapy and Mind and Materialism; Principal Editor, Collected Works of Viktor Frankl (14 volumes)

You may pre-order The Human Quest for Meaning at Amazon.com using the link on the left under "Buy Books" or by clicking here.

Check out Dr Wong's chapters here:

Introduction - http://www.DrPaulWong.com/documents/HQM2-intro.pdf
Chapter 1 - http://www.DrPaulWong.com/documents/HQM2-chapter1.pdf
Chapter 17 - http://www.DrPaulWong.com/documents/HQM2-chapter17.pdf
Chapter 27 - http://www.DrPaulWong.com/documents/HQM2-chapter27.pdf
Chapter 28 - http://www.DrPaulWong.com/documents/HQM2-chapter28.pdf

Dr Wong's Workshop on MCCT

Dr Paul Wong will be presenting a workshop at Positive 2012 on Meaning-Centered Counselling and Therapy (MCCT).

The meaning-centered approach is integrative, holistic, existential and evidence-based with a focus on the positive psychology of meaning and spirituality. It invites people on a personal journey of healing and transformation, and provides the strategies and skills to cope with personal predicament and live a purposeful and worthy life.

By participating in this intensive workshop, you will learn the basic theory and practice of MCCT in addressing various clinical issues, such as depression, grieving, PTSD, and addiction.

You will learn the necessary tools to restore hope and meaning for those in the depth of brokenness and despair.

Yes, I know the popular answers: Good economy, good paying jobs, happiness, success and all things that people typically strive for.

But have you considered the unlikely answer that meaningful living might be what people really need?

I’ve been struggling for almost 30 years trying to understand and explain the meaning of life. Neither science nor philosophy is able to penetrate the true nature of meaning or plumb the depth of the human cry for its fulfillment.

All my research, clinical observations and life experiences could not dispel my self-doubts and feelings of inadequacy, because of the enormous complexity of human existence.

But here I am before you my readers, compelled by a sense of urgency. The needs are great and the harvest is ready. Woe to me if I do not do my part.

The primary reason is my age. Having devoted a big part of my life to developing the meaningful living project (M4L), I know that I will regret deeply if I do not share my findings before I am too old and too sick to write.

Simply put, M4L represents my effort to provide road signs for all those who feel discouraged, confused or stressed out in their quest for a more meaningful and rewarding life. It is also intended for all individuals who have the noble vision of making life better for all people.

Life is what lies between birth and death. What makes this journey so difficult is that from the very outset, life moves relentlessly towards death like an unstoppable train racing towards a crushing end.

Nothing in life can really prepare us for the inevitable and singular event of personal death. The human mind is not capable of comprehending the full enormity and the horror of biting the dust after a lifelong struggle to make life enjoyable. How can the mind defend itself against its own capacity to foresee one’s own demise?

Confucius said: “If we don’t know life, how can we know death?” But I say: “If we don’t know death, how can we know life?”

Death is like an unfathomable black hole, capable of destroying all our dreams, achievements, and happiness. But at the same time, the idea of death can save many lives by challenging us to fill the huge void by living a life of significance. The challenge for psychologists and death educators is to discover pathways to death acceptance. This essay focuses on meaning-making as a promising way to free us from the terror of death to self-actualization.

Introduction

All the evidence on effective psychotherapy has confirmed that relationship heals regardless of what therapeutic approach is employed (Duncan, Miller, Wampold & Hubbel, 2009). However, from a humanistic-existential framework, relationship goes beyond building rapport and therapeutic alliance; the curative effect of relationship can only be fully understood in terms of Rogers’s (1951) preconditions for effective therapy: empathy, genuineness, and unconditional positive regard as personal qualities of the therapist. These preconditions create a positive and safe environment in which clients are free to share their deepest fears as well as explore risky new options.

Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist and founder of analytical psychology (Campbell, 1971). His influence continues to grow in many areas, such as psychological types, dream work, play therapy, and the role of spirituality and religion (Aziz, 1990; Johnson, 1989; Jung, 1933, 1964). This brief essay focuses on his contributions to positive psychology.

The importance of meaning

The positive psychology of Viktor Frankl (Wong, 2007) and Jung can be classified as depth positive psychology, because both of them emphasize the need to integrate the unconscious realm. Both can be considered fathers of contemporary positive psychology because of their focus on the innate human potential for growth through meaning and spirituality.

A review of
Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-Being
by Martin E. P. Seligman
New York, NY: Free Press, 2011. 349 pp. ISBN 978-1-4391-9075-3. $26.00

Overall Impression of the Book

Love him or hate him, Martin Seligman is arguably the most famous positive psychologist on earth. No other psychologist has ever achieved the kind of dominant presence as Seligman has in positive psychology. It is difficult to evaluate the work of such a legendary figure without being affected by the halo effect. I have only two modest objectives in this review: (1) Assess the scholarly merits of Flourish; and (2) Critique the role of big money that contributes to Seligman’s extraordinary accomplishments.

Presenters: Paul T. P. Wong, PhD; Richard Bargdill, MA & Louis Hoffman, PhD; Edward T. Bonner, MA & Harris Friedman, PhD; Kirk Schnieder, PhD & Shawn Rubin, PsyD; Kenneth Hart, PhD & Tyler Carey, MA. Discussant: Brent Robbins, PhD

Overview of the symposium

This proposed symposium envisions a positive psychology (PP) based on HEP perspectives. We have argued that the most promising way for HEP to rejuvenate itself and regain its rightful place in academia and society is to rekindle its vision of the human potential for growth and embrace empirical research (Robbins, 2008; Wong, 2010a, 2011a). We have also argued that PP can fulfill its full potential only by embracing the humanistic values and the rich heritage and of HEP (Schneider, 2011; Wong, 2009a, b, 2011b).