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Existential-EPSY6325
UH EPSY 6325 Arbona Summer 2013
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Basic Dimensions of the Human condition (concept of man) | 1)Capacity for self-awareness 2)freedom and responsibility 3)creating one's identity and meaningful relationships with others 4)search for meaning, purpose, values, and goals 5)anxiety as a condition for living 6)awareness of death and non-being |
| Theory of Personality | Dynamic model: Forces in conflict are the need to survive and assert one's being vs. conscious and unconscious fears related to the givens of existence or ultimate concerns |
| Givens of Existence or Ultimate Concerns | 1. Death- conflict is life 2. Freedom- conflict is responsibilty 3. Isolation- conflict is being a part of something larger 4. Meaninglessness- conflict is having to construct our own meaning *Some level of awareness we all have to deal with |
| Conflict | Awareness of the ultimate concerns --> Anxiety --> Defense mechanisms 1. ways to deal with the anxiety 2. provide safety and restrict growth |
| Mental health/Healthy individual | A) Ability to cope with normal anxiety; B) living with as little neurotic anxiety as possible; C) accepting and struggling with the unavoidable existential anxiety that is a part of living |
| Normal/existential anxiety | a)Proportionate to the situation; b)does not require repression (in awareness); c)can be used creatively (motivation to change) |
| Neurotic Anxiety | a)Disproportionate to situation; b)tends to be repressed (in unconscious); c)paralyzes the individual |
| Normal Guilt | Ethical Aspects of behavior |
| Existential Guilt | Failure to live up to one;s capacities; avoid responsibility for self; not making own choices |
| Neurotic Guilt | Fantasized transgressions toward others |
| Objectives of Existential Therapy | a)explore anxiety related to the ultimate concerns, conscious/unconscious b)identify mechanisms of defense (symptoms) clients use to deal with existential anxiety |
| Objectives of Existential Therapy | a)move clients to confront the fear and the pain associated with the ultimate concerns b)help clients develop adaptive ways of dealing with existential anxiety |
| Freedom vs Responsibility | a)We are ultimately responsible for who we are, what we believe, and how we behave b)we must make authentic choices rather than follow what has been given to us c)anxiety is generated by our fear of not knowing or making mistakes |
| Responsibility Defenses | 1.Displace it (others/circumstances; I wasn't able to do this because.... happened) 2.Deny responsibility (e.g. victim role) Always maladaptive 3.Avoid responsibility (e.g. symptoms) Deny |
| Process of making decisions | Wishing --> Willing (planning) --> Action *can get stuck at any level --Symptoms: a)impulsive behavior: non-discrimination among wishes b)compulsive behavior: driven by ego-alien demands(don't know why or where it comes from but you are driven by it) |
| Wishing | a)Must be connected to affective/internal self b)active process |
| Impulsive Behavior | I signed up for that course, even though it has nothing to do with my major and I don't even care for it. |
| Freedom Therapy | a)Help client recognize and accept responsibility for making choices b)confront responsibility avoidance (won't vs can't) c)encourage clients to connect with their feelings d)explore how a client contributes to a problem situation |
| Isolation | Awareness of our intrinsic isolation vs. desire to be part of something larger Types: interpersonal, intra-personal, and existential |
| Interpersonal Isolation | Social skills, intimacy |
| Intra-personal Isolation | Connected with self |
| Existential Isolation | a)Unavoidable b)Ultimately I'm alone c)If I can't accept it, it will interfere with relationships with others |
| Isolation Defense | Fusion- soften our ego boundaries and become part of another individual, group, or cause; merge into something else to avoid/deny |
| Fusion | "Even though my relationship is unhealthy, I will not leave it because I don't want to be alone." |
| Isolation Therapy | 1.Help client confront their fear of loneliness: a)personal growth entails a degree of isolation, and b)to create authentic relationships with others we must have confronted and accepted our existential isolation |
| Isolation Therapy | Within the real relationship between the client and therapist, the client may learn limits and rewards of intimacy |
| Meaninglessness | We naturally search for meaning, but we live in a world with no intrinsic meanings. a)need to construct a personal sense of meaning b)wishing is a source of meaning that requires access to affective experience |
| Meaninglessness | a)meaning is usually found when we look beyond ourselves and meeting our material needs (like Adler's social interest)and b)A sense of meaning is related to our values that tell us WHY we live and HOW we live |
| Meaninglessness therapy | 1.May not be an issue for all clients. Clients may have this issue if going through: a)personal growth b)boundary situation c)depression |
| Meaninglessness therapy | 2.help clients connect with their affective selves, to discover inner sources of motivation and meaning 3.help clients get engaged in life activities (like Adler's Reorientation stage) |
| Boundary Situation | Experience or event that propels the person to face an existential situation related to any of the ultimate concerns. Can include:a)terminal illness, b)death of a loved one, c)life crisis, and/or d)life change |
| Death- Fear of self-destruction | Primary source of anxiety |
| Death | Awareness of death gives meaning to our life by:a) enhancing the importance of the present moment and b) leads us to live more fully |
| Death Defenses | Defends against death awareness: a)Denial b)Reaction formation |
| Death Reaction Formation | "Every year I put a lot of emphasis on celebrating my birthday." |
| Defense Mechanisms | Awareness of the ultimate concerns --> Anxiety --> Defense mechanisms. Drive --> Anxiety --> Defense Mechanism |
| Defense Mechanisms | Provide some temporary relief, but restrict growth in the long run *Existentialist ascribe to the defense mechanisms proposed by Freud |
| Psychotherapy Goals | 1.Main goal is to help clients: a)increase awareness about themselves and how they are living b)confront their anxieties and fears c)re-define themselves and their world in ways that lead to a more authentic life |
| Main Vehicle of Therapy | Authentic, real relationship between the client and the therapist |
| Psychotherapy Relationship | 1.Therapy is a journey taken by therapist and client a)person-to-person relationship is key (I/Thou) b)Therapist stays in contact with their own phenomenological world c)Therapist must distinguish between transference and the actual, real relationship |
| Psychotherapy Relationship | 2.The core of the therapeutic relationship: a)respect and faith in the client's potential to cope b)Sharing reactions with genuine concern and empathy c)Focus on the here-and-now experience in the therapeutic relationship (immediacy/parallel process) |
| Psychotherapy Techniques | 1. Paradoxical intention 2. Situational Reconstruction 3. Compensatory self improvement |
| Paradoxical Intention | Prescribing the symptom. Help clients gain more control of their behavior and get unstuck |
| Situational Reconstruction | Think of 3 ways in which a situation could be better and 3 ways in which it could be worse. a)To help people move from the place they are stuck b)To help clients respond differently to unchangeable circumstances |
| Compensatory self improvement | Work on areas that you have control when you are in a situation you don't have control over. a)more action oriented b)To help clients respond differently to unchangeable circumstances |
| Contributions | a)Provides new dimensions to the understanding of death, anxiety, guilt, loneliness, and alienation. b)Emphasizes a person's freedom and responsibility in designing their own lives. c)Importance placed on human quality of the therapeutic relationship. |
| Contributions | d)Philosophical orientation applicable regardless of counselor's theoretical orientation. e)Particularly useful to understand issues presented by clients who may be confronting an existential crisis |
| Limitations | a)Lacks a systematic statement about principles and practices in psychotherapy. b) Does not lend itself to empirical research. c) Concepts are abstract and difficult to apply in practice |
Created by:
bseal023
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