Southeast Mental Health Center (Board of Health), Chicago, Illinois.
J Relig Health. 1982 Sep;21(3):219-27. doi: 10.1007/BF02274181.
The author demonstrates heuristic ways to differentiate healthy from pathological meanings in life. He argues that no one can tackle such a task without first detecting the purpose of life. To find it, one must recognize that, ultimately, life does not belong to anyone, and this on two accounts: First, it is received through parental union, and second, it is only temporal and must thus be "given back." Life is a loan that must be returned through death. These two polar realities, it is here believed, inform the whole of existence and guide us toward healthy growth (positive existential mental health).
作者展示了在生活中辨别健康和病态意义的启发式方法。他认为，任何人如果不首先发现生命的目的，就无法完成这样的任务。要找到这个目的，就必须认识到，生命最终不属于任何人，这有两个原因：首先，它是通过父母的结合而获得的，其次，它只是暂时的，因此必须“归还”。生命是一种必须通过死亡来偿还的贷款。作者认为，这两个极端的现实构成了存在的全部，并引导我们走向健康成长（积极的存在主义心理健康）。
