22. March 2026
Finding Meaning in a Nihilistic World: Hearing the Call of the Soul in an Age of Disconnection
Purpose, Responsibility, and the Mythopoetic Path to a Meaningful Life
Many people today carry a quiet and persistent feeling that life has lost its deeper meaning.
The structures that once provided orientation — religion, community, shared cultural stories, clear life paths — no longer hold the same authority. In their place, a more individual and often uncertain narrative has emerged. People are encouraged to pursue success, happiness, and freedom, yet many discover that these alone do not provide a sense of purpose or direction.
This can lead to a subtle form of nihilism: not necessarily despair, but a quiet sense that life lacks an overarching meaning. I believe this is an insidious and deeply rooted belief.
The question that follows is often deeply personal:
How do I find meaning in a world that no longer provides it for me?
From the perspective of depth psychotherapy, this question is not a problem to solve quickly. It is an invitation into a deeper relationship with one’s inner life — a movement toward purpose, responsibility, and what might be called the mythopoetic dimension of existence.
The Quiet Rise of Nihilism in Modern Life
Nihilism rarely appears as a dramatic philosophical stance in everyday life. More often, it shows up as a subtle emotional atmosphere.
It can look like:
- a sense that work lacks deeper purpose
- a disconnection from creativity and beauty
- difficulty finding meaning in success or achievement
- a quiet question about what any of it is ultimately for
Research in existential psychology suggests that modern societies, with their emphasis on individual freedom and external achievement, can unintentionally create conditions in which meaning becomes harder to sustain. Without shared narratives or symbolic frameworks, individuals are left to construct meaning largely on their own.
This freedom can be both liberating and disorienting.
Viktor Frankl and the Responsibility of Meaning
The psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl argued that the central human motivation is not pleasure or power, but meaning.
In his work on logotherapy, Frankl suggested that meaning is discovered through responsibility — through responding to life’s demands with integrity and purpose.
He famously wrote:
“Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning.”
Frankl also proposed a striking symbol for modern society. He suggested that alongside the Statue of Liberty on the east coast of the United States, there should be a Statue of Responsibility on the west coast, reminding us that freedom without responsibility leads to emptiness.
The image is powerful.
Freedom alone is not enough. Meaning emerges when freedom is balanced with responsibility — responsibility toward one’s life, one’s relationships, and one’s inner calling. This speaks to the tension of opposites so vital to inhabit in order to live a life of wholeness, meaning and authenticity.
The Mythopoetic Dimension of Meaning
Depth psychology expands this understanding by exploring the symbolic and mythological dimensions of human life.
The Jungian analyst Marie-Louise von Franz observed that modern people often suffer not from a lack of intelligence or opportunity, but from a loss of connection to symbolic meaning and inner myth.
She wrote:
“The greatest and most important problems of life are fundamentally insoluble… they can never be solved, but only outgrown.”
This suggests that meaning is not something we invent purely through rational thought. It emerges through a deeper engagement with the psyche — through symbols, dreams, values, and lived experience.
In this sense, meaning is less a logical conclusion and more a lived relationship with one’s inner world.
Hearing the Call of the Soul
The depth psychologist Bill Plotkin speaks of the importance of hearing what he calls the call of the soul — the unique pattern of meaning and purpose that seeks expression in each individual life.
Plotkin suggests that modern culture often encourages us to follow socially approved paths rather than listening to the deeper voice within.
He writes:
“The soul is our place of deepest belonging to the world.”
This idea reframes the search for meaning.
Rather than asking What should I do with my life?, the question becomes:
- What is life asking of me?
- What wants to emerge through me?
- What feels deeply meaningful, even if it is difficult or uncertain?
Meaning, in this view, is not imposed from outside. It is discovered through listening carefully to one’s inner life and responding with responsibility and courage.
The Role of Myth and Symbol in Finding Meaning
Across cultures, myths and stories have helped people understand their place in the world.
The hero’s journey, the descent into darkness, the search for renewal — these symbolic narratives reflect psychological processes that individuals continue to experience today.
In a mythopoetic sense, the search for meaning often involves:
- leaving familiar structures behind
- encountering uncertainty or inner conflict
- discovering new values or direction
- returning with a deeper sense of purpose
This journey is rarely linear. It unfolds gradually, often through periods of confusion, reflection, and transformation. The dark depths of such a journey may be felt as depression, mid-life crisis or as an identity crisis. All ask something of us.
Symbols, dreams, and inner images can act as guides along this path, offering glimpses of meaning that may not yet be fully understood.
Finding Meaning Through Responsibility and Relationship
Meaning rarely emerges in isolation.
Frankl emphasised responsibility. Jungian and depth psychological traditions emphasise relationship — to oneself, to others, and to the deeper layers of the psyche.
Meaning tends to grow through:
- work or contribution
- authentic relationships
- engagement with inner life and creativity
- living in alignment with personal values
It is often less about discovering a grand purpose and more about responding authentically to the demands and possibilities of one’s life.
Over time, this creates a sense of coherence — a feeling that life, even in its difficulty, has direction and significance.
How Psychotherapy Can Support the Search for Meaning
When the sense of meaning feels unclear or distant, psychotherapy can offer a space to explore these questions with care and depth.
In depth psychotherapy, the search for meaning is not reduced to quick solutions or motivational advice. Instead, it becomes a thoughtful exploration of the individual’s inner world — including dreams, values, life patterns, and symbolic experiences.
This process can help clarify:
- what feels meaningful in your life
- what may be blocking a sense of purpose
- what deeper direction may be emerging
- how responsibility and authenticity take shape in everyday life
Over time, the search for meaning often becomes less abstract and more lived — grounded in real choices, relationships, and inner understanding.
A Meaningful Life in a Nihilistic Age
In a world that sometimes feels nihilistic or disconnected, the search for meaning becomes a deeply personal journey.
Freedom without direction can feel empty. But freedom combined with responsibility, symbolic understanding, and attention to the inner life can lead to something richer.
Meaning is not always obvious. It unfolds gradually, through reflection, experience, and engagement with the deeper layers of the psyche.
If you find yourself questioning the meaning of your life, or sensing that something deeper is calling for attention, psychotherapy can provide a supportive and reflective space to explore these questions.