Making Meaning of Homicide Through Intentionality and Action: The Findings of a Grounded Theory Study

Homicide survivors struggle, often long-term, with a crisis of meaning that can complicate grief and undermine healing. This manuscript provides a magnification of Stage 3 of the Theory of Post-Homicide Spiritual Change (Theory of PHSC), a three-stage grounded theory of healing after homicide among 30 homicide survivors, developed by Johnson and Zitzmann (A grounded theory of the process of spiritual change among homicide survivors. OMEGA-Journal of Death and Dying, 81(1), 37–65. https://doi.org/10.1177/0030222818755285 ). Stage 1 of the Theory of PHSC occurs in the early aftermath of a murder and is characterized by a state of shock and disintegration of survivors’ belief systems. In Stage 2, survivors undergo an indefinite and stagnating process of grappling with a crisis of meaning. Some survivors eventually shift into the third stage of healing that is a focus of this manuscript. Abandoning their unanswered questions, they shift into a mode of making meaning focused on creating significance through intentional action. By providing a magnification of Stage 3 of the Theory of PHSC, this manuscript yield in-depth insights that can be used to help social work practitioners and other helping professionals harness the healing potential of meaning-making grounded in action and support survivors in regaining a sense of renewal and forward momentum in their lives.