Existentialism

Nietzche: “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.” “That which doesn't kill me makes me stronger.”

You already have quite a bit of information about Frankle from the text and Frankle's book, so just a couple more pieces of information:

Frankle lived across the street from Adler. Adler was Frankle's mentor until Frankle developed his own ideas in graduate school and then Adler kicked him out of the Adlerian (Individual Psychology) Society.

Frankle validated his theory of logotherapy in the concentration camp, not developed it.

Freud looked at what makes man sick. Frankle: what keeps man well. Freud looked at the pleasure principle; Adler – power; Frankle – meaning. Frankle's work is considered a height psychology; Freud's a depth psychology.

•  Introduction to existentialism

•  Existentialism is not a specific technical approach that presents new rules for therapy. It is more of a philosophical approach that asks the questions about the nature of human being and the nature of anxiety, despair, grief, loneliness, isolation and anomie. It asks the question “what does it mean to be human?”

•  Logotherapy looks to the spiritual dimension of human beings. Logotherapy comes from the existential philosophy. It makes use of the power of the human spirit, the ability to stand for something. We are more than just our body (somatic) and mind (psychic) we have a noetic dimension – a spiritual dimension that tells us how we will respond to what our conscience tell us. Example from Barnes – attracted to someone other than spouse – somatic level is aroused, emotions (psychic) feels passion, noetic side is what guides our decision – if we act against our values, we will feel guilt.

•  Defining some terms:

• i. Ontological – science of being

• ii. Anxiety – the threat to our existence or the values we identify with our existence (May) Who am I? Who have I been? Where am I going?

• iii. Phenomenology – subjective frame of reference

• iv. Existential guilt – also called “forgetting being” guilt. The result of, or the consciousness of, evading the commitment to choosing for ourselves.

• v. Existential neurosis – feelings of despair and anxiety that result from inauthentic living, a failure to make choices, and an avoidance of responsibility.

• vi. Existential vacuum – a condition of emptiness and hollowness that results from meaninglessness in life.

• vii. Noos or noetic – Greek word referring to the spiritual dimension. This involves our human ability to understand the phenomenon of time – an awareness of our mortality.

• viii. Logos = meaning

•  Key concepts –There are some basic elements to this model that we will cover. Overall, we are talking about the following ideas:

•  We have the capacity for self-awareness. Rollo May and Irvin Yalom refer to this as the “I-Am” experience. (See below)

•  Because we are basically free beings, we must accept the responsibility that accompanies our freedom.

•  We have a concern to preserve our uniqueness and identities. We come to know ourselves in relation to knowing and interacting with others.

•  The significance of our existence and the meaning of our life are never permanently fixed. We re-create ourselves through our projects.

•  Anxiety is part of the human condition. (see below)

•  Death is part of the human condition and awareness of it gives significance to life.

•  There are (according to Yalom) 4 ulimate internal conflicts: death (an awareness of the inevitable but a desire to live); freedom (which creates responsibility); isolation (between others and ourselves); and meaninglessness (the universe has no meaning)

The principles from Corey:

•  The “I-Am” experience – the capacity for self awareness

•  Realization of one's being. I am now living and I could take my life. Time is limited.

•  Until we realize that we are living our lives, that it is our experience, we can be victimized by circumstances and other people. We have the potential, the choice, to act or not act.

•  People are known not as a “being” but as an occupation. This affects one's sense of self.

•  The “I am” experience is not a solution to an individual's problem, but a precondition to the solution. We must seek meaning.

•  The experience of non-being or nothingness is the opposite spectrum of being. The threat of nonbeing is always present, but the intensity varies. We are subject to loneliness, meaninglessness, emptiness, guilt and isolation.

As we grow in self-awareness, we begin to see how we may be keeping ourselves prisoners of old identities, of someone else's definition of us, of our own fears and preoccupations. Through growth, we let go of the past and live in the present with greater fulfillment.

•  Freedom and Responsibility

•  Free to choose alternatives in life, and are responsible for our choices.

•  An inauthentic existence occurs when we take a passive role, and forego our responsibility for our lives.

•  With freedom comes responsibility. We can choose to be a slave – addiction is an example. From Barnes – famous sculpture of man entirely encircled in chains from feet to neck but when you look, you can see that the man is holding the beginning of the chain. “I am in danger of addiction”

•  5 questions of Personal Freedom: What is my problem? Where is my area of freedom? (I am not free from fate, but I am free to choose my response) What possible choices do I have? Which possible choice is most meaningful? (Only one's conscience can help determine what is best for all concerned) Which choice will I bring into reality?

Therapy helps people to see how they are avoiding freedom, how we are not taking responsibility for our decisions.

•  Striving for Identity and Relationships to Others

•  The courage to be – greatest fear is that there is nothing in us – we have no center or core, we are “nonbeing”. We need to affirm ourselves, our centeredness- this affirmation is what Tillich calls courage. Without courage we lose our “being”.

•  Experience of aloneness – realization that ultimately we are alone, and we must look to ourselves for affirmation before we can be in relationship with another.

•  Experience of relatedness – a life affirming relationship is one in which two people meet without neurotic attachment on the other. It enhances the lives of both.

•  Struggling with our identity – we sometimes avoid our aloneness by getting busy “doing” to avoid “being.”

•  The Search for Meaning

•  The desire for significance – a sense of purpose in life, one's own internal values.

•  Meaningful tasks are not the same as goals. Meaningful tasks cannot be invented, but must be discovered – they must be for the good of all concerned not just the self. Whom do we serve? They are found in giving or in refraining from doing something .

•  Rabbi Hillel – 300 AD philosopher – “If I don't do it, who will? If I don't do it now, when should I do it? If I only do it for me, who am I?”

•  Can't look for meaning, it is a by-product of being engaged. “Meaning comes before being.” Meaning brings together that which should come together in life.

We discover that the values we have never challenged can be replaced with more meaningful values. A meaningless life is one that is empty, hollow – an existential vacuum. When you realize that you are not leading a complete life, you become filled with existential guilt.

•  Anxiety

•  Anxiety arises from our personal need to survive, to preserve our being. It is a normal part of existence. Mental health is living without neurotic anxiety, and with the ability to cope with normal anxiety.

•  Types of anxiety:

• i. Normal – 3 characteristics; proportionate to the situation confronted; does not require repression; can be used creatively such as a stimulus to help identify and confront the dilemma out of which the anxiety arose.

• ii. Neurotic – is not appropriate to the situation; is repressed; destructive, tends to paralyze individual.

• iii. Existential anxiety stems from normal anxiety and it pushes us to grow. When we become aware that we are free, and we accept the consequences of our decisions, we are pushed to change because of existential anxiety.

•  Awareness of Death and nonbeing

•  Awareness of death is essential for living life fully and authentically.

•  Serves to be the gage by which we measure how well we are living and what changes we want to make.

•  Guilt and guilty feelings

•  3 types: normal guilt is that which sensitizes us to the ethical aspects of our behavior; neurotic guilt arises from fantasized transgressions; “forgetting being” guilt – guilt over not living up to our potential. Also called existential guilt.

•  Psychotherapy – people come to therapy for one of about 4 reasons: What has happened to them; what has happened through them (or because of them); what can happen to them; and what can happen because of them.

•  Approaches to problems

• i. Existential therapy is not a comprehensive system, but a frame of reference from which to understand a client's suffering.

• ii. Believe that the relationship heals. The therapist is authentic and must be present in the session. (overhead)

• iii. Believe that patients are tormented by choice and lack of meaning in their lives.

• iv. Therapist assumes the patient is experiencing anxiety from existential conflict, and handles the anxiety with ineffective or maladaptive defense mechanisms.

• v. Therapist assists patient on self-investigation to understand the conflict, identify the maladaptive defense mechanisms, and to develop other ways of coping with primary anxiety.

• vi. Does not spend time uncovering the past, but looks at current life and current unconscious fears.

• vii. Responsibility and freedom are important components of therapy; identify avoidance of responsibility; help people to “wish” which leads to deciding and then to action. Help person to remove obstacles, to “disencumber” so that they may decide.

• viii. Death plays important role as a boundary issue – when people face mortality they no longer postpone living. Death of someone close also confronts us with existential isolation.

• ix. Existential isolation – in therapy people realize that we are ultimately alone.

• x. Meaninglessness – “happiness cannot be pursued, it can only ensue” (Frankle). Engagement (similar to social concern of Adler) is way to solve problems of meaninglessness.

Phases of therapy

1. Initial phase – counselor assists client in identifying and clarifying assumption about the world. Clients are invited to examine values, identify and clarify perceptions of existence. Teach client to reflect on own existence, rather than external causes of problem.

•  Middle phase – clients are encouraged to more fully examine the source and authority of value systems. Examine and develop internal values.

•  Final phase – help clients put what they are learning about themselves into action. Techniques are used as tools to help clients become aware of their choices and accept responsibility of personal freedom.

Strengths and limitations of existential approach – good approach when dealing with grief, life passages (developmental crisis points) and major decisions. Not very useful for phobias, situational problems, or people with little insight or ability to think abstractly.

Videos of Stan and Frankle

Next week: is the exam. The following week is Person-centered. Do pages 86-87 from manual – Reflecting client's feelings for that class.

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