4: Existential Psychology
- Page ID
- 360286
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Chapter Learning Objectives
· Objective 1: Trace the philosophical development of existentialism from early philosophers (Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Jaspers, Sartre) to its application in existential psychology.
· Objective 2: Differentiate between normal and neurotic anxiety as defined by Rollo May, explaining how anxiety relates to personal freedom, hostility, and cultural factors.
· Objective 3: Analyze Rollo May’s four types of love (sex, eros, philia, agape) and explain the roles of will and intentionality in resolving the human dilemma.
· Objective 4: Define the concept of the daimonic and evaluate its role in generating both human violence and creative expression.
· Objective 5: Explain the theoretical foundations of Viktor Frankl’s logotherapy, contrasting the will-to-meaning with Freud’s will-to-pleasure and Adler’s will-to-power.
· Objective 6: Examine the clinical applications of logotherapy (paradoxical intention, dereflection) and their parallels to Eastern psychotherapies and Buddhist philosophy.
Student Learning Outcomes
1. Apply Existential Frameworks: Students will be able to compare and contrast the core principles of existential psychology with psychoanalysis and behaviorism regarding human agency, freedom, and determinism.
2. Analyze Sources of Meaning: Students will be able to identify and evaluate Frankl's three avenues for finding meaning (creative works, experiential encounters/love, and attitude toward suffering) within real-world case scenarios.
3. Assess Anxiety and Coping: Students will be able to distinguish between normal and neurotic anxiety and apply existential concepts to analyze modern cultural stressors and interpersonal hostility.
4. Evaluate Therapeutic Interventions: Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of clinical existential techniques—such as establishing the "I-Am" experience, paradoxical intention, and dereflection—to address psychological distress.
5. Synthesize Cross-Cultural Perspectives: Students will be able to articulate the conceptual intersections between Western existential psychology and Eastern philosophical approaches (e.g., Buddhism, Morita therapy, Naikan therapy).
- 4.3: Rollo May and Existential Psychology
- Rollo May (1909-1994) introduced existentialism to American psychologists, and has remained the best known proponent of this approach in America. Trained in a fairly traditional format as a psychoanalyst, May considered the detachment with which psychoanalysts approached their patients as a violation of social ethics.