Describe the theory of personality for existential therapy.
- People are meaning-making beings who experience and self-reflect
- Emotions and behaviors that inform our personality can be unconscious and may conflict
- Central conflict is between the individual and the ultimate concerns
History
- Not a formal school of psychotherapy
- Meant to be integrated with other perspectives
- A way of thinking of the human experience
“Existence precedes essence” means what?
We are blank slates and must make choices to decide who we are
“In fashioning myself I fashion the world” means what?
The way we make choices tells the world what we value and how we see the world
Explain the difference between the psychoanalytic theory of defenses and existential theory.
- Psychoanalytic: distress comes from drives
- Existential: distress comes from confronting the ultimate concerns
According to Rollo May, why is classifying people as “existential” inaccurate?
He states that the label takes away from the human experience and that labels help us to create less choices
The 4 goals of existential therapy (UIDD)
- Understand unconscious conflicts
- Identify defense mechanisms
- Discover the destructive influence of defense mechanisms
- Develop other ways of coping
Fellow traveler
- The therapist is not immune to any of the ultimate concerns
- The therapist does the same work alongside the patient
Freedom
- Individuals must confront their own destiny
- We have the freedom to make choices
- Requires responsibility and will
Will
- Intentionality/present awareness
- The process by which we move from wishing to deciding
Failure of willing: impulsivity
Inability to be aware of wishes and desires; making decisions unconsciously
Failure of willing: compulsivity
Inability to reconcile conscious desires and unconscious wishes/fantasies
Failure of willing: decisional panic
Choosing not to decide while still being aware of wishes and desires
Meaning
- There is no inherent meaning in the world
- We must construct values and narratives about our lives/find meaning
- Defense: running on autopilot
Isolation
- Requires balance between wish for contact and knowledge of aloneness
Isolation defense mechanism: crave witness
Using others as a way to be heard/feel important
Isolation defense mechanism: fusion
Giving up our own desires and merging with someone else’s
What is the ultimate existential concern and what are the most common defenses used to combat anxiety created by this concern?
- Death
- Defenses: belief in an ultimate rescuer, belief in specialness
What does it mean to be living in bad faith?
Living without taking responsibility
Form of isolation: interpersonal
We are always alone; no one can ever experience your consciousness
Form of isolation: intrapersonal
I will never fully know my unconscious
Form of isolation: existential
We are born and will die alone; we are always alone in some aspect
How does the therapist help the patient address freedom?
- Point out failures of willing in the moment
- Change “can’t” to “won’t”
- Inquire about the patient’s role in their own life
- Encourage ownership of the patient’s own life
- Correct the inability to wish
- Reduce impulsivity
- Help patients decide
How does the therapist help the patient address meaning?
- Help patients focus on values beyond themselves
- Develop curiosity and concern for others
- Remove obstacles to engagement in life
