Wednesday 22 July 15:40
- 17:10
Hall: 28 - Room 6 SPT
Chair and Presenter:
Hafsi Alma
Discussant:
Ruiu-Renard Laurence
Division: Division 16: Counseling Psychology
This symposium proposal brings together several papers from countries with contrasting cultural
and socio-economic contexts (Lebanon, Tunisia, Togo, Switzerland, and France) around a common
issue: the meaning of work and at work, as experienced, questioned, or reconstructed by different
audiences, young people and adults, facing fragile or transitional environments.
The contributions draw on a variety of methodologies, ranging from semi-structured interviews and
interpretative phenomenological analyses to mixed approaches integrating psychometric tools and
qualitative approaches, in order to account for the processes of meaning construction.
In a context of changing work and growing vulnerabilities, the question of meaning has become
central to understanding professional behavior, supporting vocational aspirations, and addressing
psychological health issues (Morin, 2008, 2023; Steger, 2012). From identity construction among
young people in precarious situations to the search for meaning among caregivers, through the
critical transitions of military personnel and retirees, meaning acts as a vector of commitment,
resilience, and coherence in life (Bernaud, 2028; Steger & Dick, 2009).
This symposium takes a psychosocial and existential approach to counseling, using quantitative and
qualitative intercultural approaches to shed light on the processes of constructing, deconstructing,
and reconstructing the meaning given to work in fragile or extreme contexts (May, 1989; Bernaud
et al., 2021).
This symposium thus opens up perspectives for reflection on support practices, public policies to be
implemented, and the role that applied psychology can play in the co-construction of more
sustainable and meaningful career paths.
