The 5th Biennial International Conference on Personal Meaning
Toronto, July 24-27, 2007

Living Well and Dying Well: New Frontiers of Positive Psychology, Therapy and Spiritual Care

Meaning Conference Student Competition Results

In spite of the short notice, a total of 16 papers were submitted for the contest; most the submissions were from doctoral students. These submissions were evaluated by a panel of five professors from different universities on four criteria: Quality of writing, Originality of idea, Contribution to the literature, and Overall quality of the paper. Average rating scores for the top five are very close.

The  three winners are:

First Prize: Michael Mackay -- "Meaning-making in memories: A comparison of autobiographical memories of death and low-point experiences."

Second Prize: Terence Singh & Kenneth Hart -- " From existential suffering to meaningful living in the context of alcoholism."

Third Prize: David King -- "Personal meaning production as a component of spiritual intelligence."

Honorable mention:

David H. Rosmarin, Elizabeth J. Krumrei & Kenneth I. Pargament -- "Are gratitude and  spirituality protective factors against psychopathology?"

The interdisciplinary Conference theme embraces academic and practical issues relevant to improving adjustment and quality of life in the face of extreme situations such as trauma, illness, suffering and death. Keynote speakers include William Evans, Thomas, Attig, Roy Baumeister, Salvatore Maddi, Robert Neimeyer, Kirk Schneider, Jeffrey Zeig, Pamela Wallin, Ernesto Spinelli, and Paul T. P. Wong. In addition to existential and spiritual issues in living well and dying well, student presentations may address character strengths, virtues, faith, hope, life and death attitudes essential for overcoming and flourishing in trying situations.

The Meaning Conference is hosted every two years by the International Network on Personal Meaning (INPM) and the International Society for Existential Psychology and Psychotherapy (ISEPP). This year it will be held in Toronto (July 24-27, 2008) and co-hosted by Tyndale University Psychology Department. Pre-conference professional development workshops will be held on July 24th – ranging from Logotherapy, meaning-centered counselling and narrative therapy to expressive therapy.

This contest is intended to encourage active student participation in the Conference. Student submissions can be based on literature review, clinical case study, or empirical research. Contestants may include their professor or thesis supervisor as co-author.

Three prizes (donated by Tyndale University) for the best student presentations as judged by a panel of professors: William Evans, Kenneth Hart, Gary T. Reker, Scott Veenvliet, and Paul T. P. Wong

First Prize: $200 Second Prize: $150 Third Prize: $100

Once accepted, student presentations will be included in either a paper session or poster session. Three winners will be selected from all the accepted student submissions. The three award winners will receive a certificate of achievement and a waiver to Conference Registration fees. Their paper presentations will also be published in the Proceedings of the Conference as well as the International Journal of Existential Psychology and Psychotherapy.