Existential Psychology Concepts

The Mind, the Body, and the Spirit

• Human nature consists of the mind (intellect), the body (biological makeup), and the spirit (emotional makeup).
• Third-force psychology focuses on subjective reality.

Antecedents of Third-Force Psychology

• By the mid-20th century, Schools of thought like structuralism, functionalism, and Gestalt psychology had lost their distinctiveness.
• Behaviorism and psychoanalysis remained influential during this time
• The views of behaviorism and psychoanalysis regarding humans were seen as incomplete or distorted in the 1960s.
• A new perspective that focused on the human spirit over body or mind was being sought.
• A group of psychologists led by Abraham Maslow initiated the movement known as third-force psychology in the early 1960s.
• This movement reacted to behaviorism and psychoanalysis perceived shortcomings in treating the human condition fully.
• Humanistic psychology combines romanticism and existentialism.
• Phenomenology focuses on cognitive experience in its intact form, without reducing it to component parts.
• Brentano focused on psychological acts like judging, recollecting, expecting, doubting, fearing, hoping, or loving, including intentionality.
• Husserl thought phenomenology could bridge the outer, and physical world and the inner, subjective world objectively.
• Husserl developed pure phenomenology to discover the essence of conscious experience, the person inward.
• This pure phenomenology grew into modern existentialism, concerning the nature of human existence.
• Ontology studies existence or what it means to be in philosophy.

Existential Psychology

• Existentialism addresses ontological questions, such as the nature of human nature and what it means to be a particular individual.
• Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus won the Nobel Prize in Literature for their existentialist writings.
• Martin Heidegger posited that humans are always changing to exist.
• Dasein refers to the place in space and time where existence occurs; it is complex, dynamic, and uniquely human.
• The authentic life involves acknowledging mortality and using freedom to create a meaningful existence for constant personal growth.
• Guilt is experienced when personal freedom is not exercised.
• Acceptance of eventual nothingness causes anxiety and requires courage.
• The concept of throwness refers to being thrown into personal circumstances beyond control, determining the conditions for exercising freedom.
• Ludwig Binswanger described three modes of existence:
  • Umwelt (around world): the world of things and events
  • Mitwelt (with world): interactions with other humans
  • Eigenwelt (own world): person's private, inner, subjective experience; the world-design reflects how the individual views and embraces the world
• Ground of existence defines that the circumstances into which one is thrwon are the conditions under which ones personal freedom can be exercised
• People always try to transcend their personal circumstances
• People seek being-beyond-the-world to transform their circumstances by exercising free will.
• It is necessary to find personal meaning in life, regardless of personal circumstances.
• Rollo May discussed the human dilemma:
• Humans, as objects, experience physical events.
• Humans, as subjects, interpret, value, and make choices.
• Meaning is given to experiences
• The dual aspect of human nature is the human dilemma.
• Freedom is the most important fact about humans, according to May and other existentialists
• Freedom entails responsibility, therefore anxiety.
• Approaching full potential and growing beyond previous limitations requires exercising freedom.
• This is conducive to personal growth, the anxiety is normal and healthy.
• Neurotic anxiety hinders personal growth and stems from fear of freedom.
• People with neurotic anxiety limit or eliminate personal freedom.
• Self-alienation occurs when societal values prevail over personal values.
• Normal anxiety may arise from exercising free will; guilt arises otherwise.
• According to May, myths provide essential meaning, narrative patterns that give significance to existence.
• Myths have four functions and are narrative patterns that give significance to our existence according to May:
• Providing a sense of identity
• Fostering a sense of community
• Supporting moral values
• Offering ways to deal with the mysteries of creation
• Most important, however, is the fostering a sense of community.
• May supported scientific studies of humans but opposed physical science methods.
• The emerging field of positive psychology aligns with May's suggestion.
• George Kelly emphasized the importance of how individuals view things in determining psychological problems.
• Reducing uncertainty is the shared goal of all humans like scientists.
• Scientists create theories to predict future events.
• Nonscientists develop construct systems to predict future events.
• Kelly's concept of constructive alternativism aligns with existentialism on how people are free to choose their constructs to interact with the world
• Viewing and interpreting events is an individual matter.
• Therapy begins with self-characterization to understand views of self, world, and others.
• Kelly also used fixed-role therapy with clients.

Humanistic Psychology

• Abraham Maslow is recognized for formalizing humanistic psychology.
• Basic tenets of humanistic psychology:
• Studying nonhuman animals yields little value in understanding humans.
• Subjective reality guides human behavior. Studying individuals is more informative than studying common traits.
• Efforts should expand and enrich human experience. Research should aim to address human problems.
• Psychology's goal should be to fully describe what it means to be human.
• Human needs are arranged in a hierarchy:
• Its lower needs are basic and similar to animals
• Higher needs are distinctly human.
• The hierarchy order is: Physiological → safety → belonging and love → esteem → self-actualization.
• Reaching one's full, human potential is self-actualization.
• Characteristics of the self-actualized include:
• Perceiving reality accurately and fully
• Accepting themselves and others
• Needing privacy Having few friends
• Being creative, etc.
• Transpersonal psychology focuses on the mystical, ecstatic, or spiritual aspects of human nature.
• Carl Rogers' theory of personality:
• Postulates an innate human drive toward self-actualization. Living according to the organismic valuing process means using self-actualizing tendency as a frame of reference.
• Problems in an individual arise when receiving positive regard but the positive regard only occurs when acting or thinking in ceratin ways
• Conditions of worth are established, stunting the organismic valuing process.
• Unconditional positive regard avoids imposing conditions of worth.
• Only people who receive unconditional positive regard can become fully functioning.
• An incongruent person is not true to their feelings.
• Roger's person-centered psychology is applied in religion, medicine, law enforcement, ethnic and cultural relations, politics, and organizational development.
• Common beliefs of existential and humanistic psychology:
• Humans possess free will and responsibility for their actions.
• Phenomenology provides the best method for studying humans.
• Humans must be studied as whole for best understanding.
• Authenticity is better than inauthenticity.
• Differences between existential and humanistic:
• Humanists view human nature as good, while existentialists see it as neutral.
• Humanists emphasize the actualizing tendency, existentialists emphasize the "will to meaning".
• Criticisms include:
• Equating behaviorism solely with Watson and Skinner overlooks other behaviorists focusing on purpose in behavior. Insisting scientific psychology does not care about lofty human attributes overlooks science's cumulative nature.
• Describing humans in idealized terms resembles wishful thinking from poetry and literature rather than factual accuracy.
• Criticizing behaviorism, psychoanalysis, and scientific psychology in general.
• Many have made significant contributions to the betterment of the human condition, however.
• Rejecting traditional scientific methodology without adequate alternatives.
• Animal research is rejected, turning away from a valuable knowledge source about humans.
• Ill-defined and unverifiable terms and concepts.
• Contributions include:
• Expansion of psychology's domain
• Development of positive psychology
• Exploring positive human attributes
• Positive and early humanistic psychologists feel that mental health is more than just the lack of of mental illness
• Flourishing describes people filled with vitality functioning optimally and are not free from mental illness

Test your knowledge of existential psychology, covering topics like freedom, throwness, Binswanger's existentialism, and Rollo May's ideas. Explore the human dilemma, the relationship between freedom and responsibility, and the impact of avoiding the acceptance of death.