Rollo May -Existential

8/17/2019 Rollo May -Existential

1/55

Existential Psycholo

gy Rolloreese May


2/55

• Rooted in European ExistentialPhilosophy

•

Based in Clinical Experience• People live in the Present and are

Responsible for Experiences

• People lack Courage to Face Destinyand Flee from Freedom

• Healthy People Challenge Destinyand ive !uthentically

OVERVIEW OF EXISTENTIALPSY!OLO"Y


3/55

• Born in Ada, Ohio in 1909

• B.A. from Oberlin College in 1930

• Lived as an itinerant artist in Europe for three earsafter !ollege, "here he heard Adler spea#

• $eturns to the %.&. in 1933

• 'raduates from %nion (heologi!al &eminar "ith)aster of *ivinit in 193+

B"#$R!PH% #F &!%


4/55

• &erves as a pastor for t"o ears, then uits andbegins to stud ps!hoanalsis

• $e!eived his -h* in !lini!al ps!holog fromColumbia %niversit in 199

• -ublished The Meaning of Anxiety in 19/0

•

&erved as visiting professor at institutions in!ludingarvard and -rin!eton

• *ied in (iburon, California in 199


5/55

E'"()E*)"!"(&

• Con!erned "ith the struggle to "or# through lifes

e2perien!es and to gro" to"ard be!oming more

full human


6/55

Common elements found in

E2istential (hin#ers

1. E2isten!e ta#es pre!eden!e over essen!e

4. E2istentialism opposes the split bet"een sub5e!tand ob5e!t

3. -eople sear!h for some meaning into their lives

. E2istentialists hold that ultimatel ea!h of us isresponsible for "ho "e are and "hat "e be!ome

/. E2istentialists are basi!all antitheoreti!al


7/55

B!("C C#*CEP)(

• Being in the "orld

•

6onbeing


8/55

BE"*$+"*+)HE+,#RD

• E2pressed in the 'erman "ord 7*asein8

• 7*asein8 to e2ist in the "orld

•

phens in the term impl a oneness of sub5e!t andob5e!t

• )an people suffer from an2iet and despair brought on

b their alienation from themselves or from their "orld

• :eelings of isolation and alienation of self from the "orld

is suffered not onl b pathologi!all disturbed individuals

but also b most individuals in modern so!ieties.


9/55

&anifestations of !lienation-

1. &eparation from nature

4. La!# of meaningful interpersonal relations

3. Alienation from ones authenti! self


10/55

&imultaneous modes of being in

peoples "orld

Umwelt environment around us

Mitwelt relations "ith other people

Eigenwelt relationship "ith our self

• ealth people live in %m"elt, )it"elt, and

Eigen"elt simultaneousl


11/55

ealth people live in %m"elt, )it"elt,

and Eigen"elt simultaneousl

Eigen.elt

&it.elt/m.elt


12/55

*#*+BE"*$

• Also nothingness

• *read of not being

• *eath is not the onl avenue of nonbeing

• -rovo#es us to live defensivel and re!eive less

from life than if "e "ould !onfront the issue of ournone2isten!e


13/55

*read of nonbeing !an ta#e the form of

• ;solation

• Alienation


14/55

MIS


15/55

!*'"E)%

• the sub5e!tive state of the individuals be!oming

a"are that his or her e2isten!e !an be destroed,

that he !an be!ome


16/55

F#R&( #F !*'"E)%

NORMAL ANXIETY

• 7"hi!h is proportionate to the threat, does not

involve repression, and !an be !onfronted

!onstru!tivel on the !ons!ious level


17/55

F#R&( #F !*'"E)%

NEUROTIC ANXIETY

• 7a rea!tion "hi!h is disproportionate to the threat,

involves repression and other forms of intraps!hi!

!onfli!t, and is managed b various #inds of

blo!#ingoff of a!tivit and a"areness


18/55

$/")

• =hen people den their potentialities, fail to

a!!uratel per!eive the needs of fello" humans or

remain oblivious to their dependen!e on the nature

1. %)=EL(

4. );(=EL(3. E;'E6=EL(


19/55

"*)E*)"#*!")%

• the stru!ture of meaning "hi!h ma#es it possible

for us to see and understand the outside "orld

• sometimes un!ons!ious


20/55

ARE$ LOVE

an% WILL


21/55

C!RE0 #1E 2 ,"

• Care

to re!ogni>e a person as a fello" human being, to

identif "ith that persons 5o, guilt or pit

is an a!tive pro!ess? it is a state "here

something does matter

is the sour!e of love and "ill


22/55

• Love

to have an a!tive regard for a persons

development

a delight in the presen!e of the other person

affirming of a persons value and development

as mu!h as ones o"n


23/55

• Will

!apa!it to organi>e ones self so that movement

in a to"ard a !ertain goal ma ta#e pla!e


24/55

• UNION of LOVE and WILL

- )odern so!iet suffers from an unhealth division

of love and "ill. Love is seen as sensual se2,

"hereas "ill is seen as dogged determination or "ill

po"er.


25/55

iologi!al rea"on" w#$ love and will are "e%arated

=hen !hildren !ome into the "orld, are at one

"ith the universe, their mother, and themselves.

As "ill begins to develop, it manifests itself asopposition. (he 7no 8, unfortunatel, is seen b the

parents negativel.

Child learns to disso!iate "ill from the blissfullove.


26/55

Our tas# is to unite love and "ill.

:or the mature person, both love and "ill mean a

rea!hing out to"ard another person. Both involve

!are, both ne!essitate a !hoi!e both impl a!tion

and both reuire responsibilit.


27/55

F#R&( #F #1E

• &e'

a biologi!al fun!tion that !an be satisfied through

se2ual inter!ourse or some other release of se2ual

tension

the sour!e at on!e of the human beings most

intense pleasure and his most pervasive an2iet


28/55

• Ero"

a ps!hologi!al desire that see#s pro!reation or

!reation through an enduring union "ith a loved

one? ma#ing love? "ish to establish a lasting union

built on !are and tenderness

salvation of se2


29/55

• (#ilia

intimate nonse2ual friendship bet"een t"o people

!annot be rushed? it ta#es time to groo" and

develop

ne!essar reuisite for health eroti! relationships

during earl and late adoles!en!e


30/55

• Aga%e

!on!ern for the others "elfare beond an gain

that one !an get out of it

altruisti! love

FREE#OM


31/55

FREE#OMAN#

#ESTINY


32/55

FREED#&

• Comes from an understanding of our destin

• -ossibilit of !hanging, although "e ma not #no"

"hat those !hanges might be• ;n!reases an2iet


33/55

F#R&( #F FREED#&

• E'i"tential )reedom

– freedom of doing

– freedom to pursue tangible goals

• E""ential )reedom

– freedom of being

– freedom to thin#, to plan, to hope


34/55

DE()"*%

• Biologi!al, ps!hologi!al, and !ultural fa!tors

• (erminus, goal

– *eath

As "e !hallenge our destin, "e gain freedom, and

as "e a!hieve freedom, "e push at the boundaries of

destin


35/55

&%)H(

• Cons!ious and un!ons!ious belief sstems that

provide e2planations for personal and so!ial

problems• Oedipus stor

• Birth

• E2ile and separation

• ;dentit

• ;n!est and patri!ide

• $epression of guilt

• Cons!ious meditation and death


36/55

"ROWT! an%

#EVELOPMENT


37/55

)a divided personalit

development into stages.

Centers on the phsi!al and ps!hologi!al ties

bet"een us and our parents and parental

substitutes

7the !onfli!t is bet"een ever human beingsneed to struggle to"ard enlarged self

a"areness, maturit, freedom and responsibilit.

And his tenden! to remain a !hild and !ling to

the prote!tion of parents or parental substitutes8 *ependen! struggle


38/55

()!$E #F "**#CE*CE

• &tage before !ons!iousness of self is born

• Chara!teristi! of the infant


39/55

()!$E #F REBE"#*

(a#es pla!e at age 4 or 3 and again during

adoles!en!e

;ndividual see#s to establish some innerstrength

ma involve defian!e and hostilit


40/55

()!$E #F REBE"#*

$ebellion is defian!e, an a!tive re5e!tion of

parental and so!ietal rules. Behavior is

automati! rigid and refle2ive.

(rue freedom involves openness, a

readiness to gro" it means being fle2ible,

read to !hange for the sa#e of greater

human values.


41/55

#RD"*!R% C#*(C"#/(*E((#F (EF

ealth personalit

able to learn from ones mista#es and live

responsibl

!apable of understanding some of his errors

and of re!ogni>ing some of his pre5udi!es


42/55

CRE!)"1E C#*(C"#/(*E((#F (EF

&ignifies maturit

Abilit to see something outside ones usual

limited vie"point and gain a glimpse ofultimate truth as it e2ists in realit

Cuts through the di!hotom bet"eensub5e!tivit and ob5e!tivit

A!hieved onl rarel


43/55

7Cons!iousness of self gives us the po"er to

stand outside the rigid !hain of stimulus and

response, to pause, and b this pause tothro" some "eight on either side, to !ast

some de!ision about "hat the response "ill

be8


44/55

PSY!OPAT

!OLO"Y


45/55

• -eople have be!ome alienated from

- the natural "orld @Umwelt )

- other people @Mitwelt )

- themselves @Eigenwelt

• :eeling of insignifi!an!e apath and emptiness


46/55

!P!)H% !*D E&P)"*E((

-

malaise of modern times- !hief e2istential disorders


47/55

Deny theirdestiny3

!bandontheir myths4)hus0 one loses

his freedom5

#IRETIONLESS

Become sickand engage in

self+defeatingand self+

destructivebehaviors


48/55

• a "a to renoun!e freedom

• narro"s the persons phenomenologi!al "orld to a si>e that ma#es !oping easier

• represent a proper and ne!essar

ad5ustment b "hi!h ones *asein !an be

preserved

*E/R#)"C (%&P)#&(


49/55

PSY!OT!ERAPY


50/55

E'"()E*)"! P(%CH#)HER!P%

• should ma#e people more human• set people free

• must be !on!erned "ith helping

people e2perien!e their e2isten!e


51/55

E'"()E*)"! P(%CH#)HER!P%

- an en!ounter bet"een the patient andtherapist !oming together and sharing

their e2perien!e

-

I-t#o* en!ounter- EM(AT+Y for t#e !lient D #e

ingredient

- partl religion, partl s!ien!e andpartl friendship

- (+ILO&O(+ICAL

RITI&'


52/55

RITI&'E


53/55

• Lo" in generating a s!ientifi! resear!h

• Lo" in falsifiabilit

• )oderate in organi>ing data

• Lo" in guiding a!tion

•

Lo" in internal !onsisten!• )oderate in parsimon


54/55

ONEPT OF

!'MANITY


55/55

• Free hoice overDeterminism

• O(ti)is) over Pessimism

• Teleology over Causality

• onscio*s an%'nconscio*s

• Social an% +iologicalIn,*ences

• 'ni-*eness over

Rollo May -Existential

Documents