An investigation of those who suffer indicates that while many remain in a disabled and anguished state of being, others find personal meaning in their plight that allows them to transcend their anguish. It is shown here that the capacity to transcend anguish and find personal meaning is a socioemotional process that allows the sufferer to define himself in ways that respect his personal agency. Two literary sources are employed here to explore the issue of personal agency—Leo Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich and The Book of Job.