EXISTENTIAL THEORY

EXISTENTIAL THEORY

Viktor Frank (1905 - 1997):

Frank "believed that the essence of being human lies in searching for meaning and purpose.  Love is the highest goal to which humans can aspire and that our salvation is through love" (Gerald & Corey, 2013).

Rollo May (1909 - 1994):

May "studied with Alfred Adler after graduating from Oberlin College in 1930.  He studied the works of Soren Kierkegaard, which was the catalyst for his recognizing the existential dimensions of anxiety.  Existential theologian Paul Tillich was May's greatest personal influence.  Rollo May was one of the main proponents of humanistic approaches to psychotherapy, and he was the principal American spokesperson of European existential theory as it is applied to psychotherapy" (Gerald & Corey, 2013).

Irvin Yalom (1931 - ):

Yalom is a "major figure in the field of group psychotherapy.  His pioneering work, Existential Psychotherapy, written in 1980, is a classic and authoritative textbook on existential therapy.  He developed an existential approach to psychotherapy that addresses four 'givens of existence' or ultimate human concerns: freedom and responsibility, existential isolation, meaninglessness, and death" (Gerald & Corey, 2013).





KEY CONCEPTS:
"The basic dimensions of the human condition according to the existential approach, include the following:

1. the capacity for self-awareness;
2. freedom and responsibility;
3. creating one's identity and establishing meaningful relationships with others;
4. the search for meaning, purpose, values, and goals;
5. anxiety as a condition of living;
6. awareness of death and non-being

• Freedom, choice, and responsibility constitute the foundation of self awareness.
• A characteristic existential them is that people are free to choose among alternatives and therefore play a large role in shaping their own destiny.
• People are concerned about preserving their uniqueness and centeredness, yet at the same time they have an interest in going outside themselves to relate to other beings and to nature.
• A distinctly human characteristic is the struggle for a sense of significance and purpose in life.
• Anxiety arises from one's personal strivings to survive and to maintain and assert one's being, and the feelings anxiety generates are an inevitable aspect of the human condition.
• The existentialist does not view death negatively but holds that awareness of death as a basic human condition gives significance to living" (Gerald & Corey, 2013).

GOALS OF THEORY:
"Invitation to clients to recognize the ways in which they are not living fully authentic lives and to make choices that will lead to their becoming of what they are capable of being.  An aim of therapy is to assist clients in moving toward authenticity and learning to recognize when they are deceiving themselves.  Increased awareness is the central goal of existential theory, which allows clients to discover that alternative possibilities exist where none were recognized before.  Clients come to realize that they are able to make changes in their way of being in the world" (Gerald & Corey, 2013).


TECHNIQUES USED:
"The existential approach   is unlike most other therapies in that it is not technique-oriented.  Therapists may incorporate many techniques from other models, these interventions are made within the context of striving to understand the subjective world of the client.  Diagnosis, testing, and external measurements are not deemed important.  Issues addressed are freedom and responsibility, isolation and relationships, meaning and meaninglessness, living and dying (Gerald & Corey, 2013).




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