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Tiredness of Life - Conceptualizing a Complex Phenomenon
Judith E Appel1,2, Els van Wijngaarden3, Jessie Dezutter1
1Meaning Research Late Life Lab, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Science, University of Leuven, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Psychological Reports
|July 26, 2024
Summary
This study conceptualizes
Area of Science:
- Gerontology, Psychiatry, Philosophy of Medicine
Background:
- 'Tiredness of life'/'weariness of life' is discussed in euthanasia debates and suicidality research.
- A clear conceptualization of this phenomenon is currently lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a consensus conceptualization of 'tiredness of life'.
- To integrate existing knowledge on terminology, descriptions, and qualitative findings.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of terminology and descriptions.
- Integration of qualitative findings.
- Analysis of empirical studies on related components.
Main Results:
- Identified boredom with life, aversion towards life, meaninglessness, and fatigue as central components.
- Described each component's identification, definition, and literature foundation.
- Examined relationships between components and euthanasia requests/suicidality.
Conclusions:
- Proposed hypotheses on the phenomenon's structure, including component interactions.
- Provided a foundational conceptualization for 'tiredness of life' in clinical and research contexts.
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