Experience of Meaning in Suffering

Occasionally one observes a phenomenon in the clinical setting that appears to be unique and important enough to warrant exploration. The first stages of that exploration are the transformation of the phenomenon into a concept through the assignment of meaning to it and the listing of what is known or believed about the concept in the form of assumptions. Later stages of exploration might include developing descriptive research questions and perhaps at some point propositions and hypotheses. However, the first stages of the process—from observation of the phenomenon to the list of assumptions—are sufficient to create scholarly discussion and debate that will serve to guide the later stages of inquiry.