This work explores how people’s beliefs about suffering shape the way they respond to difficult experiences. Two mindsets appear: a debilitative mindset, which sees suffering as harmful and limiting, and a facilitative mindset, which views suffering as something that can bring meaning, growth, and connection. These mindsets influence well-being, reactions to hardship, and even how strongly suffering is perceived. We identified five key dimensions—meaning in life, personal growth, solidarity, transformation, and the net effect of suffering—and developed a scale to measure them. Our findings highlight the importance of understanding how individuals interpret suffering and how these interpretations can support resilience and positive change.

1. Turn Suffering Into Strenght and live
your life!
Eszter Anna Bárkányi
Eötvös Loránd University
Psychology BA Student
Supervisors:
Zábó Virág (ELTE) és Prof. Dr. Purebl György (SE)
2024.12.06

2. Strength
Connection
Meaning of life
Resources
Existential Positive Psychology
Transcendence
Suffering
Suffering through the lens of Existential Positive
Psychology
What factors influence
whether adaptive
changes occur?
Introduction – Aim – Concept – Propositions – Method – Discussion

3. Aim
Definition of the
“suffering mindset”
Development of a
measurement tool
Theoretical, practical,
and research
Modifying the
impact of suffering
on well-being
Szenvedésélmény
alakítása
Responses to
suffering
Introduction – Aim – Concept – Propositions – Method – Discussion

4. Reflects the fundamental belief that suffering has harmful and
destructive consequences
Debilitative suffering mindset
Fundamental belief that suffering has constructive and
enriching consequences for our lives
Facilitative suffering mindset
The Suffering Mindset Concept
• A mindset is a cognitive frame — the way a person mentally
relates to a given phenomenon (Dweck, 2008).
• Our beliefs about the consequences of suffering.
Introduction – Aim – Concept – Propositions – Method – Discussion

5. The Suffering Mindset Concept
Debilitative suffering mindset Facilitative suffering mindset
• On the whole, the suffering you
experience makes your life less
meaningful.
• In general, suffering prevents you from
becoming your best self.
• The suffering you experience in life makes
it harder for you to connect with other
people’s struggles.
• Nothing good can come from the suffering
you experience in life.
• In the long run, you are weakened by the
suffering you experience in life.
• On the whole, experiencing suffering gives
your life a deeper sense of meaning.
• In general, suffering helps you to become
the best version of yourself.
• Your own suffering makes it easier for you
to understand the struggles of others
• The suffering you experience in life can be
transformed into a positive force for good.
• In the long run, you are strengthened by
the suffering you experience in life
1. Our subjective experience of
meaning in life
2. The effect of suffering on
personal growth
3. How suffering influences the
sense of solidarity
4. Whether suffering can be
transformed for the better
5. The “net” effect of suffering on
the individual
Introduction – Aim – Concept – Propositions – Method – Discussion

6. Propositions
The three propositions of the suffering mindset
Shapes an individual’s
responses to suffering
Moderates the impact
of suffering on well-
being
Influences the
threshold at which
suffering is
experienced as such
Introduction – Aim – Concept – Propositions – Method – Discussion

7. 3.
2.
1.
“Suffering Mindset Scale”
Development
Method (VanderWeele et al., 2021)
Interdisciplinary
research group
discussions
Development
of
propositions
Refinement of items with
experts (n = 5) from
multiple fields + feedback
from laypersons
Introduction – Aim – Concept – Propositions – Method – Discussion

8. 6.
5.
4.
“Suffering Mindset Scale” Development
Each core element of
the suffering mindset
can be placed on a
facilitative–debilitative
continuum
Each element
paired with one
facilitative and one
debilitative item
→
total 10 items
Two rounds of structured
cognitive interviews:
United States (n₁ = 10, n₂ = 6)
Hungary (n = 10)
Introduction – Aim – Concept – Propositions – Method – Discussion

9. Discussion
Debilitative Suffering Mindset Facilitative Suffering Mindset
Our findings may contribute to:
Advancing theoretical
models of suffering
Supporting the
transformation of
suffering into a
constructive force
Reducing clinical
symptoms by
reframing suffering
Exploring how a
suffering mindset can
be cultivated
Understanding
cultural variability in
suffering mindsets
We formulated the core concept of the suffering mindset.
Introduction – Aim – Concept – Propositions – Method – Discussion

10. Limitations and Future Directions
• Psychometric validation of
the Suffering Mindset Scale
• Cross-cultural comparisons
• Longitudinal examination of
mindset change
• Subjectivity of suffering
• Cultural variability
• Dynamic nature of mindsets
Introduction – Aim – Concept – Propositions – Method – Discussion

11. Thank you for your attention!
Special thanks to:
Zábó Virág and Dr. Purebl György supervisors
Richard G. Cowdennek (Human Flourishing Program, Harvard University)
Charlotte Duffeenak
nterdisciplinary expert group
Research participants

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