TOP Prelim Lectures on Existential Psychology - PDF

T.O.P. Prelim Lectures Chapter 8: May | Existential Psychology Samantha Kim A. de Vera, RPm, RGC 1 Contents I. Overview of Existential Psychology II. Biography of Rollo May III. Background of Existentialism IV. The Case of Philip V. Anxiety V...

T.O.P. Prelim Lectures Chapter 8: May | Existential Psychology Samantha Kim A. de Vera, RPm, RGC 1 Contents I. Overview of Existential Psychology II. Biography of Rollo May III. Background of Existentialism IV. The Case of Philip V. Anxiety VI. Guilt VII. Intentionality VIII. Care, Love, and Will IX. Freedom and Destiny X. The Power of Myth XI. Psychopathology XII. Psychotherapy XIII. Concept of Humanity 2 I. Overview of Existential Psychology Existential psychology is rooted in the philosophy of Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre, and other European philosophers. The first existential psychologists and psychiatrists were also Europeans, and these included Ludwig Binswanger, Medard Boss, Victor Frankl, and others. Rollo May saw people as living in the world of present experiences and ultimately being responsible for who they become. Many people, May believed, lack the courage to face their destiny, and in the process of fleeing from it, they give up much of their freedom. 3 II. Biography of Rollo May Rollo Reese May was born April 21, 1909, in Ada, Ohio, the first son of the six children born to Earl Tittle May and Matie Boughton May. As a young boy, May was not particularly close to either of his parents, who frequently argued with each other and eventually separated. For the next 3 years, May followed a course very similar to the one traveled by Erik Erikson some 10 years earlier. Through his books, articles, and lectures, May was the best-known American representative of the existential movement. 4 III. Background of Existentialism Modern existential psychology has roots in the writings of Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855), Danish philosopher and theologian. Was concerned with the increasing trend in postindustrial societies toward the dehumanization of people. Kierkegaard was concerned with both the experiencing person and the person’s experience. Kierkegaard, like later existentialists, emphasized a balance between freedom and responsibility. 5 III. Background of Existentialism What is Existentialism? Although philosophers and psychologists interpret existentialism in a variety of ways, some common elements are found among most existential thinkers. First, existence takes precedence over essence. Second, existentialism opposes the split between subject and object. Third, people search for some meaning to their lives. Fourth, existentialists hold that ultimately each of us is responsible for who we are and what we become. Fifth, existentialists are basically antitheoretical. 6 III. Background of Existentialism Basic Concepts Being-in-the-World The basic unity of person and environment is expressed in the German word Dasein, meaning to exist there. Hence, Dasein literally means to exist in the world and is generally written as being-in-the-world. Alienation is the illness of our time, and it manifests itself in three areas: (1) separation from nature, (2) lack of meaningful interpersonal relations, and (3) alienation from one’s authentic self. 7 III. Background of Existentialism Basic Concepts People experience three simultaneous modes in their being-in-the-world: Umwelt, or the environment around us; Mitwelt, or our relations with other people; and Eigenwelt, or our relationship with our self. 8 III. Background of Existentialism Basic Concepts Non-Being. (or Nothingness) The dread of not being. Death is not the only avenue of nonbeing, but it is the most obvious one. The fear of death or nonbeing often provokes us to live defensively and to receive less from life than if we would confront the issue of our nonexistence. 9 IV. The Case of Philip 10 V. Anxiety People experience anxiety when they become aware that their existence or some value identified with it might be destroyed. May (1958a) defined anxiety as “the subjective state of the individual’s becoming aware that his [or her] existence can be destroyed, that he can become ‘nothing’” The acquisition of freedom inevitably leads to anxiety. 11 V. Anxiety Normal Anxiety May (1967) defined normal anxiety as that “which is proportionate to the threat, does not involve repression, and can be confronted constructively on the conscious level” Normal anxiety is also experienced during those creative moments when an artist, a scientist, or a philosopher suddenly achieves an insight that leads to a recognition that one’s life, and perhaps the lives of countless others, will be permanently changed. 12 V. Anxiety Neurotic Anxiety May (1967) defined neurotic anxiety as “a reaction which is disproportionate to the threat, involves repression and other forms of intrapsychic conflict, and is managed by various kinds of blocking-off of activity and awareness” Whereas normal anxiety is felt whenever values are threatened, neurotic anxiety is experienced whenever values become transformed into dogma. 13 VI. Guilt Arises when people deny their potentialities, fail to accurately perceive the needs of fellow humans, or remain oblivious to their dependence on the natural world. Both anxiety and guilt are ontological; that is, they refer to the nature of being and not to feelings arising from specific situations or transgressions. 14 VI. Guilt May (1958a) recognized three forms of ontological guilt, each corresponding to one of the three modes of being-in-the-world, that is, Umwelt, Mitwelt, and Eigenwelt. Separation Guilt. A result of our separation from nature (Umwelt) The second form of guilt stems from our inability to perceive accurately the world of others (Mitwelt). The third form of ontological guilt is associated with our denial of our own potentialities or with our 15 VII. Intentionality The structure that gives meaning to experience and allows people to make decisions about the future. Without intentionality, people could neither choose nor act on their choice. Intentionality is “the structure of meaning which makes it possible for us, subjects that we are, to see and understand the outside world, objective that it is. 16 VIII. Care, Love, and Will Care. An active process, the opposite of apathy. “Care is a state in which something does matter” Love. “A delight in the presence of the other person and an affirming of [that person’s] value and development as much as one’s own (May, 1953).” Will. “The capacity to organize one’s self so that movement in a certain direction or toward a certain goal may take place” 17 VIII. Care, Love, and Will Union of Love and Will Love has become associated with sensual love or sex, whereas will has come to mean a dogged determination or will power. There are biological reasons why love and will are separated. For the mature person, both love and will mean a reaching out toward another person. Both involve care, both necessitate choice, both imply action, and both require responsibility. 18 VIII. Care, Love, and Will Forms of Love May (1969b) identified four kinds of love in Western tradition: Sex. A biological function that can be satisfied through sexual intercourse or some other release of sexual tension. Eros. A psychological desire that seeks procreation or creation through an enduring union with a loved one; built on the foundation of Philia. Philia. An intimate nonsexual friendship between two people. Agape. “Esteem for the other, the concern for the other’s welfare beyond any gain that one can get out of it; disinterested love, typically, the love of God for man”; an 19 IX. Freedom and Destiny May (1967) said that “freedom is the individual’s capacity to know that he is the determined one” Comes from an understanding of our destiny. Two forms of Freedom: Existential Freedom. The freedom of action— the freedom of doing. Essential Freedom. Freedom of being. 20 IX. Freedom and Destiny What is Destiny? May (1981) defined destiny as “the design of the universe speaking through the design of each one of us” Destiny does not mean preordained or foredoomed. It is our destination, our terminus, our goal. May suggested that freedom and destiny, like love- hate or life-death, are not antithetical but rather a normal paradox of life. 21 X. The Power of Myth May contended that the people of Western civilization have an urgent need for myths. Myths are not falsehoods; rather, they are conscious and unconscious belief systems that provide explanations for personal and social problems. May believed that people communicate with one another on two levels. Rationalistic Language (truth takes precedence over the people who are communicating) Myths (the total human experience is more important than the empirical accuracy of the communication) 22 XI. Psychopathology According to May, apathy and emptiness—not anxiety and guilt—are the malaise of modern times. May saw psychopathology as lack of communication—the inability to know others and to share oneself with them. Symptoms may be temporary, as when stress produces a headache, or they may be relatively permanent, as when early childhood experiences produce apathy and 23 XII. Psychotherapy May did not establish a school of psychotherapy with avid followers and identifiable techniques. He suggested that psychotherapy should make people more human: that is, help them expand their consciousness so that they will be in a better position to make choices. May believed that the purpose of psychotherapy is to set people free. May (1991) also described therapy as partly religion, partly science, and partly friendship. 24 XIII. Concept of Humanity: May’s Existential Psychology May rated high on the dimension of free choice. Although he sometimes painted a rather gloomy picture of humanity, May was not pessimistic. Although May recognized the potential impact of childhood experiences on adult personality, he clearly favored teleology over causality. 25 XIII. Concept of Humanity: May’s Existential Psychology May assumed a moderate stance on the issue of conscious versus unconscious forces in personality development. May also took an intermediate position on social versus biological influences. On the dimension of uniqueness versus similarities, May’s view of humanity definitely leans toward uniqueness. 26 THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! :) ANY QUESTIONS? 27