Abstract
This study examined how subjective evaluation for stressful events influences the motivation to make meaning about the events by using hypothetical scenarios, which are various stressful events with contexts. It was hypothesized that possibility to prevent the event, possibility of occurrence of the event, and discomfort evoked by the event would influence on evaluation of threat of the event, the more of which would result in the higher motivation to make meaning and the bigger change in the self. Thirty undergraduate and graduate students rated 10 hypothetical scenarios on the questionnaire. The results suggested that while the relationship between evaluation of threat and motivation to make meaning was weak, higher possibility to prevent the event, higher possibility of occurrence of the event, and greater discomfort evoked by the event led to higher motivation to make meaning. Furthermore, it was found that higher evaluation of threat of the event led to higher expectancy of change in the self. In the discussion, we argued about basic findings related to subjective evaluation for stressful events that motivate us to make meaning about the events, as well as the limitation and future prospects of this study.
