This course reviews the concept of “meaning-making” in the context of chronic illness from two different perspectives: the cognitive and the narrative approach. First, a discussion of meaning and chronic illness from the cognitive perspective is provided including an examination of how meaning-making has been conceptualized, a presentation of descriptive findings on the forms meaning-making takes when coping with a chronic illness, a review of the sociodemographic and medical correlates of meaning-making in the context of a chronic illness, and a summary of the empirical findings regarding the possible association between meaning-making and adaptation to disease. Second, the narrative therapeutic approach will be outlined. Specifically, issues relating to the temporal dimension in illness narratives, the biographical disruption and identity reconstruction associated with a chronic illness, the surrounding ethics and moral dimension of the illness experience, and finally the role of social context on illness narratives will be presented. Lastly, the potential for distinct, and/or collaborative, ethical use of these two techniques in the clinical setting is discussed.

• Identify prominent psychosocial theories that underlie the concept of “meaning-making” in the context of chronic illness from two therapeutic perspectives: cognitive and narrative approaches.
• Evaluate the research regarding the possible association between meaning-making and adaptation to disease.
• Differentiate the cognitive-affective and narrative approaches to meaning-making in the ethical care of patients coping with chronic illness and determine the clinical application of these techniques, alone and in tandem.
• Demonstrate greater sensitivity to socio-cultural differences in the conceptualization of meaning-making and identify the sociodemographic and medical correlates of meaning-making in this context.