The third vital need is
commonly called the need for meaning.
In order to satisfy material needs we produce maps of the environment. These
maps give rise to the identity conflict. Entropy has inflated the physical
universe towards infinity, while syntropy concentrates consciousness in
extremely limited spaces. As a result, when we compare ourselves to the
infinity of the universe, we discover that we are equal to zero. On the one
hand we feel we exist; on the other hand, we are aware of being equal to zero.
These two opposing considerations “to be or not to be” cannot coexist.
The identity conflict is characterized by lack of meaning, lack of energy,
existential crisis and depression, generally perceived in the form of tensions
in the head accompanied by anxiety. Being equal to zero is equivalent to death,
which is incompatible with our feeling of existing. From this arises a vital
need for meaning.
The Vital Needs Theory - page 13