A meaning crisis is a 21st century phenomenon whereby individuals increasingly struggle to attain meaning and purpose in their lives in a world characterized by increased complexity, change, and alienation. Increasingly, people are turning away from traditional institutions and social systems (such as religion and family) in search of meaning; while at the same time the technologies that enable these changes also fuel feelings of loneliness, disconnection, and detachment. It is this combination of dynamics that is driving an unprecedented level of psychological and existential suffering, leading to a so-called ‘meaning crisis’.

See also: peak experience, flow state, radical hope, psychedelic experience, brain stem