Tatjana Schnell

Professor

Existential Psychology
Tatjana.Schnell@mf.no
Office: 463

Professional competence areas:

Alienation and existential indifference
Meaning in life
Meaning in work
Psychology of Religion, Spirituality and Secularity
Suffering and mortality awareness

Responsible for the following subjects:

Master's Thesis
Subject code: AVH8010
Psychology of Religion for Healthcare Practice
Subject code: RPSY5020
Facing Life and Death - In Philippians and Today
Subject code: TEOL6745

I joined MF as Professor of Existential Psychology in October 2020. Since 2024, I am also Fellow at the Humanistic University Berlin, Germany. After studying psychology, theology, religious studies and philosophy in Göttingen (GER), London (UK), Heidelberg (GER) and Cambridge (UK), I obtained my doctorate in Psychology at the University of Trier (GER) and my habilitation in Psychology at the University of Innsbruck (AT), where I founded the Existential Psychology Lab. My research focuses on existential issues such as meaning in life, attitudes toward death and suffering, alienation, religious/spiritual/secular worldviews and their practical significance for individuals, organisations, society and the environment. Numerous international publications, collaborations, functions, talks. Latest books: "The Psychology of Meaning in Life" (Routledge, 2021); "Sinn finden" (w. K. Trotier, Ullstein, 2024). Website: https://tatjanaschnell.com

Latest academic publications

View all publications on the Cristin website

Schnell, T. & Henriksen, J. (2025). Search for Meaning in the Anthropocene: A Dialogue Between Psychology and Theology, Dialog, Dialog, ISSN: 0012-2033
Schnell, T. (2025). The Psychology of Meaning in Life : Insights and Applications. 2nd edition, Taylor & Francis Group, ISBN: 9781003490241
Danbolt, L. J. & Schnell, T. & Stålsett, G. & La Cour, P. (2025). Understanding Existential Health for Dementia Care, Routledge, ISBN: 9781032853468
Charzynska, E. & Polewczyk, I. & Gozdz, J. & Kitlinska-Krol, M. & Schneider, Z. & Schnell, T. (2025). Disentangling Dimensions of Workplace Spirituality Among Teachers in Poland: A Latent Profile Analysis, Journal of Religion and Health, Journal of Religion and Health, ISSN: 0022-4197
Schnell, T. (2025). Dementia as an existential challenge: Acknowledging the paradox of suffering and meaning, Understanding Existential Health for Dementia Care,, Routledge, ISBN: 9781032853468
Urata, Y. & Shimai, S. & Schnell, T. (2024). The Development and Validation of the Japanese Version of a Modular Meaning in Work Inventory (ME-Work), The Japanese Journal of Personality, The Japanese Journal of Personality, ISSN: 1348-8406
Schnell, T. & Trotier, K. (2024). Sinn finden: Warum es gut ist, das Leben zu hinterfragen, ISBN: 978-3-550-20290-2
Votter, B. & Schnell, T. (2024). Life Meaning Versus Intelligence: An Analysis of Three Qualities of Meaning Among Gifted Adults, Logotherapy and Existential Analysis ,, s. 241 - 258. Springer Publishing Company, ISBN: 9783031489211
Schnell, T. & Viviani, R. & Lenz, C. & Krampe, H. (2024). When alienated from society, conspiracy theory belief gives meaning to life, Heliyon, Heliyon, ISSN: 2405-8440
Kosic, A. & Passafaro, P. & Schnell, T. & Molinari, M. (2024). Meaning in Life and Care for the Environment: Bridging the Actions for Addressing Ecological Issues and Enhancing Residential Quality, Ecopsychology, s. 230 - 244. Ecopsychology, ISSN: 1942-9347
Sørensen, V. H. & Andersen, A. H. & Andersen, T. & Rasmussen, A. & Aagesen, M. & Schnell, T. (2024). Meaning in life after cancer: Validation of the sources of meaning card method among participants in cancer rehabilitation, Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, s. 1055 - 1065. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, ISSN: 0036-5564
Ishaq, B. & Bjertness, E. & Østby, L. & Johannessen, A. & Schnell, T. (2024). Is the degree of religiosity related to community belonging and trust in society? A cross-sectional study among Muslims in Norway, Social Sciences & Humanities Open, Social Sciences & Humanities Open
Haver, A. & Krampe, H. & Danbolt, L. J. & Stålsett, G. & Schnell, T. (2023). Emotion regulation moderates the association between COVID-19 stress and mental distress: findings on buffering, exacerbation, and gender differences in a cross-sectional study from Norway, Frontiers in Psychology, s. 1 - 15. Frontiers in Psychology, ISSN: 1664-1078
Austad, A. & Cheyeka, A. M. & Danbolt, L. J. & Kamanga, G. & Mwale, N. & Stifoss-Hanssen, H. (2023). Experiences of meaning in life in urban and rural Zambia, Archive for the Psychology of Religion/ Archiv für Religionspsychologie, s. 247 - 268. Archive for the Psychology of Religion/ Archiv für Religionspsychologie, ISSN: 0084-6724
Spitzenstätter, D. & Schnell, T. (2023). The Uncertain Certainty: A Mixed Methods Exploration of Personal Meanings of Death and Preliminary Insights Into Their Relationship With Worldview, Omega - Journal of Death and Dying, Omega - Journal of Death and Dying, ISSN: 0030-2228
Schnell, T. & Danbolt, L. J. (2023). The Meaning and Purpose Scales (MAPS): development and multi-study validation of short measures of meaningfulness, crisis of meaning, and sources of purpose , BMC Psychology, s. 1 - 17. BMC Psychology, ISSN: 2050-7283
La Cour, P. & Schnell, T. (2023). LeBe Kartenmethode , ISBN: 9783991050421
La Cour, P. & Schnell, T. (2023). Kilder til mening - kortmetoden 2. udgave - dansk version , ISBN: 9783991050414
La Cour, P. & Schnell, T. (2023). Kilder til mening – kortmetoden , ISBN: 978-3-99105-043-8
Urata, Y. & Shimai, S. & Yamamoto, J. & Schnell, T. (2022). ME-Work Japanese version: Development of a modular meaning in work inventory (2)モジュール式仕事の意味尺度ME-Work日本版の開発（2: Study of factors related to meaning in work仕事の意味に関連する要因の検討., The Proceedings of the Annual Convention of the Japanese Psychological Association, The Proceedings of the Annual Convention of the Japanese Psychological Association, ISSN: 2433-7609
Schnell, T. & Krampe, H. (2022). Meaningfulness protects from and crisis of meaning exacerbates general mental distress longitudinally, BMC Psychiatry, BMC Psychiatry, ISSN: 1471-244X
Schnell, T. (2022). Suffering as meaningful choice. An existential approach., Ta vare. En bok om diakoni, sjelesorg og eksistensiell helse. Festskrift til Hans Stifoss-Hanssen,, s. 3 - 14. ISBN: 978-82-8456-007-6
Shimai, S. & Urata, Y. & Yamamoto, J. & Schnell, T. (2022). ME-Work Japanese version: Development of a modular meaning in work inventory (1)モジュール式仕事の意味尺度ME-Work日本版の開発（１）: Score distributions, factor validity, internal consistency, and relationship of modular scores得点分布、因子的妥性、内的一貫性、モジュール得点間の関連, The Proceedings of the Annual Convention of the Japanese Psychological Association, The Proceedings of the Annual Convention of the Japanese Psychological Association, ISSN: 2433-7609
Kreiss, C. & Schnell, T. (2022). Have a good day! An experience-sampling study of daily meaningful and pleasant activities, Frontiers in Psychology, Frontiers in Psychology, ISSN: 1664-1078
Schnell, T. (2021). The Psychology of Meaning in Life, Routledge, ISBN: 9780367415853
Schnell, T. & de Boer, E. & Alma, H. (2021). Worlds Apart? Atheist, Agnostic, and Humanist Worldviews in Three European Countries, Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, s. 83 - 93. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, ISSN: 1941-1022
Tommasi, F. V. & Sartori, R. & Ceschi, A. & Schnell, T. (2021). The Meaning in Work Inventory : Validation of the Italian version and its association with sociodemographic variables, Bollettino di psicologia applicata, s. 17 - 36. Bollettino di psicologia applicata, ISSN: 0006-6761
Schnell, T. & Spitzenstätter, D. & Krampe, H. (2021). Compliance With Covid-19 Public Health Guidelines: An Attitude-Behaviour Gap Bridged by Personal Concern and Distance to Conspiracy Ideation. , Psychology and Health, Psychology and Health, ISSN: 0887-0446
Böhmer, M. & la Cour, P. & Schnell, T. (2021). A randomized controlled trial of the Sources of Meaning Card Method: a new meaning-oriented approach predicts depression, anxiety, pain acceptance, and crisis of meaning in chronic pain patients., Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.), s. 314 - 325. Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.), ISSN: 1526-2375
Krampe, H. & Danbolt, L. J. & Haver, A. & Stålsett, G. & Schnell, T. (2021). Locus of control moderates the association of COVID-19 stress and general mental distress: results of a Norwegian and a German-speaking cross-sectional survey, BMC Psychiatry, s. 1 - 13. BMC Psychiatry, ISSN: 1471-244X
Schnell, T. (2020). Psychologie des Lebenssinns, Springer, ISBN: 978-3-662-61119-7
Schnell, T. (2020). Glücksversprechen? Die Selbstdarstellung diakonischer Sozialunternehmen aus Perspektive der Sinn- und Glücksforschung., Gibt es Glück in der Diakonie ,, s. 17 - 34. Mohr Siebeck, ISBN: 978-3-16-159095-5
Spitzenstaetter, D. & Schnell, T. (2020). Effects of mortality awareness on attitudes toward dying and death and meaning in life-a randomized controlled trial., Death Studies, s. 1219 - 1233. Death Studies, ISSN: 0748-1187
Schnell, T. & Krampe, H. (2020). Meaning in Life and Self-Control Buffer Stress in Times of COVID-19: Moderating and Mediating Effects With Regard to Mental Distress. , Frontiers in Psychiatry, Frontiers in Psychiatry, ISSN: 1664-0640
Spitzenstätter, D. & Schnell, T. (2020). The existential dimension of the pandemic: Death attitudes, personal worldview, and coronavirus anxiety, Death Studies, s. 1031 - 1041. Death Studies, ISSN: 0748-1187
la Cour, P. & Schnell, T. (2020). Presentation of the Sources of Meaning Card Method: The SoMeCaM., Journal of humanistic psychology, s. 20 - 42. Journal of humanistic psychology, ISSN: 0022-1678
Schnell, T. (2020). Sinnerleben und Wohlergehen in Zeiten von Covid-19, Wissenschaftliches Jahrbuch der Tiroler Landesmuseen. 13(2020),, s. 31 - 35. Studienverlag, ISBN: 978-3706560825
Schnell, T. & Fuchs, D. & Hefti, R. (2020). Worldview under stress: Preliminary findings on cardiovascular and cortisol stress responses predicted by secularity, religiosity, spirituality, and existential search, Journal of Religion and Health, s. 2969 - 2989. Journal of Religion and Health, ISSN: 0022-4197
Krampe, H. & Goerling, U. & Spies, C. D. & Gerhards, S. K. & Enge, S. & Salz, A. (2020). Sense of coherence, mental well-being and perceived preoperative hospital and surgery related stress in surgical patients with malignant, benign, and no neoplasms, BMC Psychiatry, BMC Psychiatry, ISSN: 1471-244X
Schnell, T. & Hoffmann, C. (2020). ME-Work: Development and validation of a modular meaning in work inventory., Frontiers in Psychology, Frontiers in Psychology, ISSN: 1664-1078
Votter, B. & Schnell, T. (2019). Cross-Lagged Analyses Between Life Meaning, Self-Compassion, and Subjective Well-being Among Gifted Adults, Mindfulness, s. 1294 - 1303. Mindfulness, ISSN: 1868-8527
Votter, B. & Schnell, T. (2019). Bringing Giftedness to Bear: Generativity, Meaningfulness, and Self-Control as Resources for a Happy Life Among Gifted Adults, Frontiers in Psychology, Frontiers in Psychology, ISSN: 1664-1078
Schnell, T. & Höge, T. & Weber, W. G. (2019). Belonging' and its relationship to the experience of meaningful work, The Oxford Handbook of Meaningful Work,, s. 165 - 185. Oxford University Press, ISBN: 9780198788232
Pedersen, H. F. & Birkeland, M. H. & Jensen, J. S. & Schnell, T. & Hvidt, N. C. & Sørensen, T. (2018). What brings meaning to life in a highly secular society? A study on sources of meaning among Danes, Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, s. 678 - 690. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, ISSN: 0036-5564
Sørensen, T. & la Cour, P. & Danbolt, L. J. & Stifoss-Hanssen, H. & Lien, L. & deMarinis, V. (2018). The Sources of Meaning and Meaning in Life Questionnaire in the Norwegian Context: Relations to Mental Health, Quality of Life, and Self-Efficacy, The international journal for the psychology of religion, s. 32 - 45. The international journal for the psychology of religion, ISSN: 1050-8619
Krampe, H. & Barth-Zoubairi, A. & Schnell, T. & Salz, A. & Kerper, L. F. & Spies, C. D. (2018). Social Relationship Factors, Preoperative Depression, and Hospital Length of Stay in Surgical Patients, International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, s. 1 - 11. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, ISSN: 1070-5503

Research projects