In this paper, we describe the basic tenets of existentialism. Then we describe the issue of meaning, a construct involving three components: 1) meaning arising from perception of the way the world manifests itself to us; 2) meaning as a sense of "purpose" and 3) meaning deriving from a personal construct, related to one's life story. In addition, meaning involves two perspectives: a global perspective about the world and the self i.e. global meaning, and a perspective related to circumstances, such as trauma or grief (meaning making). In this latter case, it consists in a way of coping often involving spiritual beliefs, and aims to adapt to the situation. Global meaning has been shown to be altered in disorders such as schizophrenia. Concerning meaning-making, many patients with schizophrenia incorporate a spiritual vision of their illness, which entailed positive or negative consequences in terms of coping. Finally we give some examples illustrating how meaning and meaning-making arise in the lives of patients with schizophrenia, followed by some recommendations for the clinicians.

Human ; Schizophrenia ; Psychotherapy ; Psychotic Disorders ; Existentialism ; Mental Disorders