There are several counseling theories which includes; client centered theory, cognitive behavioral theory, solution focused theory, existential theory, strength based theory and holistic health theory. In this article I am going to deeply look into existential therapy covering its history, major concepts and how it is perceived by religion.
According to Existential psychotherapy, inner conflict within an individual are caused by personal confrontation with person is due to that individual 's confrontation with his/her own principles. Such principles are the inability to evade death, one’s freedoms and the responsibilities bestowed upon them and phenomenology as coined by Irvin D. Yalom. These principles form the basis for conceptualization
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1980). The way we choose to live is expressed by our well-being but at times when we are unable to accept that we are alone and find a way to be at ease with ourselves, then we at trouble. Such feelings ought to be accepted rather than changed them and that’s how existential an existential psychotherapist helps. We all have the freedom to choose the way we want to live, but however easy this seems to be, it comes with responsibilities. Any challenges we face in life we must take courage and overcome them. The client’s past is not a major concern when taking into consideration the strictly Sartrean perspective of this theory. The choices the client will make in the present and the future are the major concern in searching for a responsible approach in living a free life. However, some aspects of the client’s problem solving methods in the past may be of importance. In order to overcome their anxieties in life, the client must accept some aspects of their lives such as they are not special and living with others is just a coincidence and no destiny (Turner, A, …show more content…
It also covers one’s culture, race and even class. Measure of attitude is analyzed from love to hate and from collaboration to competition. Some people chase for fame while others try to isolate themselves from the public. Dominance in this field is also temporary as they will realize that they are just alone. Psychological dimension involve one’s relation to himself i.e. personal views about their behavior and responsibilities. Personal strengths and weaknesses brings the differences among individuals. In search for one’s identity can lead to confusion caused by the events one will have to face. Finally, spiritual dimension (Überwelt) is associated with one’s view about an ideal world. This involves trying to find how one they came into being and for most people religion is where they find the answers to their
The humanistic theory had much influence after the time of World War II toward the late 1950’s (Hansell & Damour, 2008). According to Dombeck, (2006), the humanistic approach was defined to be consciously reflective, allowing one to have the ability to experience self-determination. The humanistic approach combines philosophy, existentialism, and the hierarchy of needs that motivates every individual person on a unique level of growth potential; it worked to find the importance of life’s true meaning’s in an individual’s life for human characteristic (Dombeck, 2006). For obsessional-compulsion disorder, the goal of humanistic therapy is to create a suitable environment for the patient that will allow him or her to develop, mature, and evolve
We may nevertheless say that existentialism is a form of phenomenological philosophy that relies on certain reflective methods of studying human consciousness instantiated in the individual, society, and culture, which emerged as a popular general movement characteristic of 20 century European thought represented thought represented across many disciplines including literature, the humanities, and the social sciences. Existential psychology rejects the mechanistic views of the Freudians and instead sees people as engaged in a search for meaning (Trull & Prinstein, 2013, p. 382), therefore an existential psychotherapist may attribute the cause of the person’s anxiety to lost meaning of life. As Trull and Prinstein (2013) stated, the ultimate goal of existential psychotherapy is "to help the individual reach a point at which awareness and decision making can be exercised responsibly" (p. 383). The role of an existential psychotherapist is to enable the client to come closer to experience. By experiencing self, the client can learn to attach meaning and value to life. Sometimes the therapist will confront the client with questions “that force the client to examine the reasons for failure to search for meaning in life” (Trull & Prinstein, 2013, p.
Existentialism has spread out to numerous people across the world; it has been embraced by artist and writers as much as it has to philosophers. Jean-Paul Sartre is a well know philosopher who wrote novels, drama, and philosophical works. Sartre is a well-known existentialist philosopher. Jean Paul Sartre was born in Paris in the year 1905 and died in the year 1980; from 1924 to 1929 Jean Paul Sartre studied at Ècole Normale Supèrieure and then became a Professor of Philosophy at Le Havre in 1931. In 1932, Sartre went to study at Berlin the philosophies of Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger. Editor Christian Onof stated “Sartre early works are characterized by a movement of classic phenomenology, but his image derives from Edmund Husserl on methodology, the conception of the self and a level of interest in ethics. The points on divergence are the key points of Sartre’s existential phenomenology whose purpose was to understand human existence rather than the world as a whole” (Onof). Jean-Paul Sartre philosophical career concentrates on the construction of a philosophy of existence k...
Throughout this semester, we have discovered some of the greatest psychoanalysts who have influenced and affected the mental health field forever. With their theories they have shaped the understanding of the human condition and how it develops. The purpose behind these methods of treatments is to help people discover, change, and progress in life. Through self-awareness people are able to achieve this progress. Psychoanalytical treatment gives patients the opportunity to examine these assumptions, understand their origins in their lives, modify them if necessary, and make better choices for themselves (AmericanPsychoanalyticAssoication). The doctor who stood out and who I understood the most was Erik Erikson, the founder of the “Identity Theory.” As for the literary figure I chose that connects to Erik Erikson’s theory is a well-known American writer and poet, Sandra Cisneros.
Jean-Paul Sartre and Victor Frankl are men of different backgrounds but of similar philosophes. While the former offers a philosophical opinion and the latter a psychiatric view, both thinkers advocate for an existentialist approach to living. The following will first delve deeply into the nuances and positions of each thinker, but after a thorough explanation of the main tenets of each philosophy, the following will then demonstrate the problematic nature of an existentialist lifestyle as it relates to concrete moral decision making. What will be shown is that, contrary to their main objective to make human beings more responsible, their ethics doctrine, in practice, allows for 1) less accountability and 2) the justification of evil actions.
Existentialism is a philosophical theory or approach that emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining his or her own development through acts of the will. To Sartre, saying that som...
Being a therapist is not only sitting in a chair listening to your clients’ problems all day. It is also not “reading-minds” as many people think and it is not giving advice or solving each clients’ issue. Therapists have many qualities that define the effectiveness of their treatment and their competence in the field. The important qualities that a therapist should have are empathic and great listening skills. In addition to, the therapist must be knowledge in their skills and in the different mental disorders in order to prevent a misdiagnosis. Furthermore, the therapist should have other qualities such as interpersonal skills and the ability to build rapport with the clients so they can feel secure and continue to come to therapy.
Existential therapy through the eyes of Dr. Yalom is very fascinating. There is never a fixed life that each person is supposed to live. In his therapy the clients are allowed to find out for themselves what it is they need by receiving adequate questioning from Dr. Yalom. His questioning guides them down the existential path to freedom and responsibility.
The Merriam – Webster Dictionary defines existentialism as a chiefly 20th century philosophical movement embracing diverse doctrines but centering on analysis of individual existence in an unfathomable universe and the plight of the individual who must assume ultimate responsibility for acts of free will without any certain knowledge of what is right or wrong or good or bad (Merriam, 2011). In other words, an existentialist believes that our natures are the natures we make for ourselves, the meaning of our existence is that we just exist and there may or may not be a meaning for the existence, and we have to individually decide what is right or wrong and good or bad for ourselves. No one can answer any of those things for us. A good example of existentialism is Woody Allen’s movie, Deconstructing Harry. A man is haunted by his past and his past has followed him into the present. He is a wreck not because of the things that happened to him, but because of the choices he made. He is consumed by regret and insecurity and he tries to find blame in his situation with someone other than himself, however he cannot (Barnes, 2011). Throughout the rest of this paper I will be discussing two of the most prominent existentialists, Kierkegaard and Nietzsche.
The psychodynamics theory which was introduced by Freud to understand the human mind and psyche, reached a new level in the continuous analysis from therapists. Psychodynamics originally has been explained as a study of various psychological forces that affect human behavior which is related to early experiences. It specifically discusses the connection between the conscious and subconscious motivations. The theory was further analyzed and developed by Melanie Klein, Carl Jung and Alfred Adler. Based on the theory, the psychodynamic therapy evolved to help patients through psychoanalysis. With time other therapies like individual, group and family therapy evolved to offer treatment by understanding the present day complexities in more detail. The main aim of the therapy is self –awareness through identifying the various influences of many past events in life. The therapies are continuously evolving since it was introduced by Freud to help in solving a variety of psychological disorders within people.
Existential therapy is concerned with one’s being; the world in which they live, the implication of time, and the mindfulness of being whole. The basic dimensions of the human condition, according to the existential approach, include (1) the capacity for self-awareness; (2) freedom and responsibility; (3) creating one’s identity and establishing meaningful relationships with other; (4) the search for meaning, purpose, values, and goals; (5) anxiety as a condition of living; and (6) awareness of death and nonbeing. All give significance to living and explore the degree to which a client is doing the things they value.
John Paul Sartre is known as one of the most influential philosophers of the twentieth century. He wrote many philosophical works novels and plays. Much of his work is tied into politics. The essay Existentialism is a Humanism is just one of his many works. Existentialism is a Humanism is a political essay that was written in 1945. Its purpose was to address a small public during World War II in Nazi occupied France. This essay stressed the public not to conform. Sartre introduced a great number of philosophical concepts in Existentialism. Two of these concepts are anguish and forlornness. They are simply defined, as anguish is feeling responsible for yourself as well as others and knowing that your actions affect others and forlornness is realizing that you are alone in your decisions. These two concepts are interwoven throughout the essay and throughout many of Sartre's other works. Sartre's view of anguish and forlornness in Existentialism is a Humanism addresses his view of life and man.
Kreis, Steven. Lecture 12: The Existentialist Frame of Mind. 25 July 2002. The History Guide. 27 Nov. 2002.
The lecture “Existentialism is a humanism” (French: “L’Existentialism est un humanisme”, 1946), first presented in the winter of 1945, represents Sartre’s attempt to defend the existentialist philosophical thought by the attacks of the Communists and Christians, as well as the common understanding of "existentialism". Sartre argues that the notion of “existentialism” has gone beyond the philosophical though and has acquired a pervasive and negative connotation.
Existential therapy is a technique that brings awareness to the power of our choices. “This existential approach has opened the way for a more agentic view of human nature and has taken into consideration some of the most fundamental concerns of humanity, which were previously underappreciated in the field of psychology” (Bartz, 2009, p.70). It has been shown to be successful in a variety of groups. Some of these groups are; children, people who have been adopted, incarcerated youth, and victims or culprits of abuse. One doesn’t have to only use one theory or approach during their practice. When it comes to existential therapy, the person using the approach can adapt their interventions to fit their style and personality. At the end of the day, it’s about what will work for the