Unveiling the Depths of Existential Inquiry: A Qualitative Examination of Psychological Literature (2000-2023)
Introduction: This is a continuation of the previous article, “Exploring Existential Questions: A Comprehensive Review of Psychological Literature (2000-2023) – Part 1”, the aim of which, following on from an analysis that was more quantitative in nature, is to present the results of a more in-depth analysis of the articles by means of a qualitative and/or mixed approach, published between 2000 and 2023, with the aim of understanding how Psychology has appropriated the themes of existential vacuum and meaning of life over this period. Method: Of the group of articles studied in Part I, only articles with qualitative or mixed approaches were analyzed in this second phase, in accordance with the following aspects: year of publication, theoretical references used in the articles, concepts employed in the studies, context and studied populations, emerging themes and relationship between the topic and psychotherapy, religiosity and spirituality. Results: Of the 264 articles selected in Part 1, 191 quantitative articles were excluded, leaving 73 articles with a qualitative or mixed approach, initially classified as follows: 46 theoretical/ qualitative, 17 empirical/qualitative, 7 mixed and 3 interventions.
