Understanding Existentialism: Key Concepts and Influential
School
University of Nevada, Reno**We aren't endorsed by this school
Course
PSY 435
Subject
Medicine
Date
Dec 10, 2024
Pages
18
Uploaded by ColonelDiscovery15836
EXAM 4 NOTESRollo May1. Existential MovementA.Names associated with Existentialismi.Soren Kierkegaard (Danish philosopher)1.Considered father of existentialism2.Didn’t get a lot of attention while he was aliveii.Nietzche & Heidegger (German philosopher)1.Existentialism took hold through their writingiii.Sartre and Albus Camus (Literature)1.Promoted existentialism in literatureiv.Cezanne, Matisse, and Picasso (Art)B.Spread to U.S. after WWII2. Overview of ExistentialismA. Existentialism:i.Is a philosophy and the ontology (the study of being human) of human beings. What humans are made up of and what makes them do what they do.ii.Rollo May preferred the word Becoming1.Idea of self-actualize, becoming we have this potential within usB.People’s essence is their power to redefine themselvesi.Focus on what is inside a person (subjective)ii.Static and finished: we have everything we need to be self-actualized already within usiii.Also dynamic creatures: experiences can change us
C.People are both subjective and objectivei.Objective: think about behaviorism1.Everything is based on a stimulus and how we respondii.Subjective: think about Carl Rogers1.Everything is about the meaning we give somethingiii.The reality is we are a combination of the twoiv.Being in relationships with the things you interact with1.Can be objects or peoplea.Ex. Enjoying the herbal tea you are drinkingi.Objective part is the physical mugii.Subjective is the feelings you have about the teaD.People search for meaning in their livesE.People are responsible for who they are and what they becomei.Think about how people are responding to the virus and what yours is1.Ex. Are people going into survival mode? Are they buying all the toilet paper from Costco? Are they saying that if it’s their time, then it’s their time? Are you being altruistic and offering to help others?F.People’s authentic experiences supersedes explanation (antitheoretical)3. Pioneers of Existential PsychotherapyA.Victor Frankl (1905 – 1997)i.Born and educated in Vienna; became psychiatristii.Wrote Man’s Search for Meaningin 19461.Chronicling his experience as prisoner in Nazi concentration campB.Irvin Yalom (born 1931)i.Grew up in Washington, DC2
ii.Currently professor Emeritus at Stanford School of Medicineiii.Wrote Existential Psychotherapyin 19801.A classic and authoritative textC.Rollo May (1909 – 1994)i.Born in Ohio, spent childhood in Michigan; unhappy childii.Bachelor’s degree in 1930 and then itinerant artist in Europe for 3 yearsiii.Studied theology, then psychologyiv.While pursuing PhD in clinical psychology at Columbia almost died of TB1.Noticed that people who accepted their fate died, while those who foughtto live surviveda.This is where his concept of existential responsibility comes fromv.Published Meaning of Anxietyin 1950 and several other booksvi.His writings have significant impact on practice of existential psychotherapy4. Basic ConceptsA. Being-in-the-world (Dasein)i.We are being in this world – AliveB. Nonbeingi.Death (has many levels)ii.Blind conformity to societal expectationsiii.Generalized hostility towards others5. Healthy people live simultaneously in all 3 worldsA.But alienation is the illness of our times3
B.Nature/Environment (Umwelt)i.Contains biological drives, hunger, need for sleepii.If you have a healthy relationship then you’re going to be able to adjust to things that come along1.E.x. pandemics and coronavirusiii.Continuing to adjust how you see things in the world so that you still feel healthy and well that you’re not disabled and alienatedC.Other (Mitwelt)i.Interpersonal relationships1.Starts with mother, then othersii.Meeting people and are relating to people you are treating them as people not as things for your gratificationiii.Treating a person as a person and respecting them and it would involve love and commitmentD. Self (Eigenwelt)i.Perceptions of self, ideal self, self-concept, perceived selfii.Are we happy with this or not?iii.Idea that we can be alienated from others makes us only show parts of our selves1.Can make us feel anxious or depressediv.Being healthy within yourself that you’re willing to explore all your feelings and thoughts authentically and honestly without feeling the need to repress or deny any of themE.If ANY of those things aren’t happening, that’s when the alienation results and we feel disconnected6. AnxietyA.Normal Anxiety(existential) – Unavoidable4
i.Proportionate to threat, not repressed, can be confronted consciously & constructivelyii.It is part of who we are and it’s normal, fight or flight response, ideal anxietyiii.Caused by growth1.Whenever something comes into our awareness as a threat it may challenge our beliefsB.Neurotic Anxietyi.Disproportionate, involves repression and other intrapsychic conflict, and managed by blocking-off activity and awarenessii.Defense mechanisms, we feel ill-equipped to deal with the threat7. Psychological DistressA.Normal anxiety results when existential truths are confrontedB.Everybody in their lifetime has to deal with these kinds of things, it’s normali.I.e., death, isolation, meaninglessness, any kind of lossC.Healthy Response:i.Leads to awareness of our freedom of choice and stimulates growth and living authentically… ORD.Unhealthy Response:i.Leads to avoidance of anxiety:1.Become trapped in “doing” mode rather than in the experience of “being”ii.Anxiety reduced, but result is loss of motivation for growth/creativity1.I.e., creating identity and meaning2.Not living up to their fullest potential or their heart’s desire, they realize something is wrong within themE.Avoiding normal anxiety then leads to:i.Guilt1.Occurs in all 3 worlds (Eigenwelt, Umwelt, Mitwelt)5
2.For not taking responsibility for making authentic choices. This guilt can motivate action. If action not taken, result is…ii.Restricted Existence:1.Living life in a numbed-outwaya.We can get away from it temporarily but not for long2.Limited awareness of own values, which keeps person from living authentically3.One limited pattern of living, which leads to feeling helpless and stuck, a loss of control over life direction4.Stop being in touch with our valuesiii.Examples1.Mitwelt: Being in a relationship but not giving enough love and feeling guilty2.Eigenwelt: knowing that you’re in the wrong career path and you don’t love it, but you do it for the money8. IntentionalityA.Gives meaning to experience; allows person to make decisions about futureB.They’re interrelated, one can’t really happen without the otherC.If you intend to do something once you really have that intentioni.Like a decision and you end up taking action, you’re going to do itD.Partially bridges gap between subject and objecti.Example of man at desk observing piece of paper1.Write letter, draw, picture, make paper airplanea.Idea that it’s the intention is thereb.Whatever intention, he has to with that outside thing that’s going to make a difference of how he relates to subject and object9. Freedom and DestinyA.Forms of Freedom6
i.Existential Freedom vs. Essential Freedom1.Existential Freedom: freedom to do thingsa.E.x. when you lived in a Nazi concentration camp or prison2.Essential Freedom: freedom of being3.Has to do how you approach your destinyB. Destinyi.“The design of the universe speaking through the design of each one of us”1.The universe is designed as everything reaches its full potential and doeswhat it’s supposed to be doing, and it’s interconnected. The design of each one of us is that same way that we each have a potential within us.2.The paradox is that freedom owes its vitality to destiny, and destiny owesits significance to freedomC.Both of them are intertwined just like intentionality and the action10.Existential PsychotherapyA.Ultimate concerns:i.Death (most obvious)1.Impossibility of further possibility2.The ultimate boundary that limits and structures our existencea.Symbolic Immortality (Robert, Jay Lifton)i.3 main ways this is done1.Biological mode: living through one’s progeny2.Theological mode: belief in an afterlife/reincarnation3.Creative mode: living through one’s worksii.Freedom (least obvious)1.To Be Free = Responsible for One’s Life, the author of one’s own destiny7
a.Because of the overwhelming seriousness and importance of this task peoplefrequently flee from freedom and hence the responsibility of determining one’s own path in life2.“One who fails to live as fully as one an, experiences a deep, powerful feeling referred to as ‘existential guilt’which is a positive constructive force, a guide calling oneself back to oneself.” (Irvin Yalom)iii.Isolation1.Existential Isolation: “an unbridgeable gulf between oneself and any other being.” (Irvin Yalom)2.The path to becoming an individual requires that one not flee isolation but embrace it, suffer it, and develop the ability to actively face the feeling of being alone and abandoned by the worldiv.Meaninglessness1.The feeling of being alone and abandoned by the world can force one to question the meaning of life2.The ultimate meaning of human existence is unattainable3.Constructing one’s own meaning is an individual task requiring an individual solution4. Self-Actualizationa.“Become who you are” (Pindar)b.While the individuals proper end is to actualize the latent capacities within.B.Each of us has the ability to integrate the ultimate concerns of human existence into our being, meditate upon them, and eventually rise above them.C.Explores deep questions about the nature of being humani.Common sources of existential angst:1.Why am I here?2.What do I want from life?3.What gives my life purpose?4.What gives my life meaning?ii.Who could benefit from existential psychotherapy?1.Anyone coping with major life changes or crises…a.Grief and loss, confronting death, making major life decisions, empty nest, and mid-life crisis8
D.A philosophical approach that influences counselor’s practicei.Grounded in the assumption that people are free and therefore responsible for their choices and actionsii.Each person is a unique individual due to the choices they make, and they are constantly remaking themselves through these choicesiii.People make their own meaning in lifeiv.Anxiety and guilt is a natural feature of human lifev.To live authentically, people must come to terms with this anxiety11.Concept of HumanityA.Determinism or Free Choice? Free ChoiceB.Pessimism or Optimism? PessimismC.Causality or Teleology? TeleologyD.Conscious or Unconscious Motivation? Both, more on the side of consciousE.Biological or Social Influences? BothF.Unique or Similar? Unique12.Usefulness of TheoryA.Average rating on:i.Organizing Knowledgeii.ParsimonyB.Low or Very Low on:i.Internal Consistencyii.Generating Researchiii.Falsifiability iv.Guiding ActionALBERT BANDURA13.Albert BanduraA.Most influencial psychologist of all time9
B.Still alive and at StandfordC.Most cited psychologistD. 4thmost cited psychologist in history14.Basic AssumptionsA. Plasticityi.Flexibility to learn variety of behaviors1.Observational (Vicarious) Learning – Modelinga.If we had to experience something to learn it we would constantly be trying to experience things to learn instead of learning from othersB.Life Regulation through Triadic Reciprocal Causation Modeli.Personal, behavioral and environmental factorsC.Agentic Perspectivei.Control over nature, quality of life1. Self-efficacyD. Self-Regulationi.Through internal and external factorsE.Moral Agencyi.Self-regulation in morally ambiguous situations – moral disengagement (leaving a situation that goes against your morals)15.MOVIEA.Triadic Reciprocal Causationi.Personal, behavioral, and environmental factors interact with each other1.E.X. using performance feedback to improve skillsB. Fortuity10
i.Events that influence the course of person’s life1.E.X. Missing an exit while driving and narrowly avoiding getting hit by a speeding carC. Efficacyi.Person’s believe that they can change their lives through actionii.Ways to develop efficacy1.Mastery experiencesa.Successes build your belief in yourselfb.Overcoming obstaclesi.Having only easy successes will discourage peoplec.Learn from mistakes instead of being discouraged2.Social Modelinga.Seeing others succeed through sustained effortb.Confident models build efficacy by showing skills3.Social Persuasiona.Persuaded that they have what they need to succeed = more effort to succeedb.Avoid putting people in situations where they will fail4.Physical and Emotional State Readinga.Judging yourself to know your limitsb.Stress, fatigue, depression can lower efficacyiii.Not the same as self-worthiv.How it works1. Cognitivea.Works whether people are optimistic or pessimistic2. Motivationala.Challenges you set for yourself and sticking to them3. Emotionala.Overcoming emotional stressb.Belief in your ability to cope with stressors4. Decisional a.Decisions your make that affect the course of your lifeD.Modeling and Observational Learningi.Learning from things that are not direct experienceii.Mistakes can do a lot of damage, so instead learn from what others have done11
iii.4 processes for observational learning1.Paying attention to modeled events and find important parts2. Modeling3.Transform into action4.Incentive – motivate the personiv.Aggression with a Bobo doll1.Kids watched a woman beat a bobo doll and then acted aggressively to the dolla.Even beat the doll in ways that weren’t modeled2.Kids who didn’t see the woman beat the doll weren’t violentv.Using modeling principles for therapy1.E.X. Addressing phobiasa.Breaking down intimidating tasks into small, manageable tasksb.Therapist and clients do things togetherc.Increase time with experiences to decrease negative responses and normalize the experienceE.Moral Disengagementi.Enable people do things they wouldn’t do by disengaging morally1.E.X. killing people during a warii.Spread responsibility, ignoring or minimizing problems, dehumanizing peopleiii.Selective disengagement:1.Choosing what we engage with and what we don’t16.Critically apply Bandura’s concepts to explain human thought and behaviorA.Triadic Reciprocal CausationB.Observations Learning – ModelingC.Self Efficacy17.Triadic Reciprocal Causation12
A.EX. Person Set up studying goals based on there values, Carry out studying which exhibits behavior, and environment produces reinforces these goals such as getting a good grade, making the deans list B.Personal, Behavior, and Environment18.FortuityA.Chance encounters and fortuitous eventsi.What were some chance encounters andfortuitous events in Bandura’s life? … In yourlife?1.E.X. carpooling with people taking anearly morning class and ending up findinghis love for psychologyii.Do you agree with Bandura or do you thinkthat there are “no accidents”?19.Behavior is acquired through 2 ways or learning:A.1. Enactive Learningi.Learning through your own experienceB.2. Observational Learning (Vicarious Learning)i.Core of observational learning is Modeling20.Processes governing observational learning:A.1. AttentionB.2. Symbolic RepresentationC.3. Transformation to ActionD.4. Motivational Incentive13
21.Human AgencyA.Humans have capacity to exercise control over their own livesi.Active process of exploring, manipulating, and influencing environment to attaindesired outcomesB.4 Core features of Human Agencyi.Intentionality1.Having a goal will make you more likely to get resultsii.Forethought1.Thinking ahead about how to get things doneiii.Self-reactiveness1.Knowing what we need but deciding what to do based on the results so fariv.Self-reflectiveness1.Reflecting on what did happen22.Self-effi cacyA.Definition: Belief in one’s ability to produce desired results by own actionsi.Self-efficacy is foundation of human agencyii.Found in the “person” area of Triadic Reciprocal Causation Modeliii.Not self-esteemiv.Not generalizable, like esteem or confidenceB.It is a belief and not a skillC.What contributes to self-efficacy?i.Mastery experiencesii.Social modeling1.Seeing someone doing something and it affects your belief that you can do it tooa.E.X. beauty industry – anti-aging creamsiii.Social persuasion14
1.Parents, coaches, peers, etc.2.People who can get us to believe things and motivate us from that 3.Giving people small challenges you know they can overcome to set them up for successiv.Physical and emotional states1.Fear can be a motivator or a hinderancea.E.X. fear is good if you are driving on an icy road and are scared of losing traction… fear is bad if you have things like a fear or failureD.Proxy Agencyi.Confidence in others’ competenciesE.Collective Efficacyi.People’s shared beliefs in collective power to get desired results1.What are examples of where this works and doesn’t work?a.Team sports, plays2.Are some cultures more likely to have higher collective efficacy?a.In general, Asian cultures are more collectivistic while Western cultures are more individualistic3.What factors promote or undermine collective efficacy?a.Post to chat What factors would promote the collective efficacy of the community of Reno to stop COVID-19 occurrences here?23.Self-RegulationA.External Factorsi.Provide a standard for evaluating our own behavior1.E.X. Having a certain GPA or high scores on exams, beauty standardsii.Provide means for reinforcement1.E.X. Compliments, getting into the school you wantB.Internal Factorsi.Self-Observation15
ii.Judgmental Processiii.Self-Reaction1.Positive or negative feelingsa.Is this working? Am I doing a good job?C.External and internal factors work together and effect each other24.Moral DisengagementA.Self Regulation through Moral Agencyi.Redefine the behavior1.Way of restructuring thingsa.Moral adjustmenti.E.X. beating up a gay person because the bible says no man should sleep with another manb.Comparisoni.E.X. yeah, I did this, but that guy over there did something so much worsec.Euphemismsi.E.X. Nazis talking about killing people called it the final solution2.Avoid cognitive dissonanceii.Disregard/distort the consequences of behavior1.E.X. Parent abusing kid and gets called on it, so they use the excuse that they were disciplining their kidiii.Dehumanize or blame the victim(s)iv.Displace or diffuse responsibility1.E.X. Prisons with the death penalty25.Dysfunctional BehaviorA. Depressioni.Can occur in any of the 3 self-regulatory areas1. Self-observationa.E.X. life isn’t going the way you thought it would2. Judgment16
a.We need a certain amount so we know where we stand vs. where we want tobei.E.X. not feeling good about yourself if you don’t get all A’s3. Self-reactiona.Not letting things get you downB. Phobiasi.Learned in 3 ways1.Direct contacta.E.x. being bitten by a dog when younger and now afraid of dogs2.Inappropriate generalizationa.E.X. because being bitten by a dog, now afraid of all animals3.Observational experiencesa.E.X. you see someone being bitten by a dog and now you’re afraid of dogsC.Aggression – learned through:i.Observation of others1.E.X. Bobo doll and kids hitting it after seeing a woman do itii.Direct experiences with positive and negative reinforcements1.E.X. negative reinforcement: parents spank the kid and the kid stop doinga behavior2.E.X. positive reinforcement: Get attention when you act outiii.Training or instruction1.E.X. military, football, rugby, etc.26.Goal of Social Cognitive TherapyA.Ultimate Goal: Self-regulationi.Change specific behavior, generalize it to other situations, and maintain changeB.Challenge: Deviant behaviors are socially learned and then maintained because they serve a purpose27.Steps to Successful TherapyA.Instigate some change in behaviori.E.X. have small steps17
B.Treatment Approachesi.Overt (vicarious) modeling1.Watching someone else do itii.Covert (cognitive) modeling1.Imagining yourself doing itiii.Enactive master (systematic desensitization)1.You already have experience, so you set up a fear hierarchy and start working up the hierarchyC.Mechanism common to all strategies is cognitive mediation28.Usefulness of Bandura’s TheoryA.Very High on:i.Generating researchii.Internal consistencyiii.ParsimonyB.High on:i.Falsifiability ii.Guiding Actioniii.Organizing Knowledge29.Bandura’s Concept of HumanityA.Determinism or Free Choice? Free choiceB.Pessimism or Optimism? OptimismC.Causality or Teleology? Both, self-efficacy based on past experiencesD.Conscious or Unconscious Motivation? ConsciousE.Biological or Social Influences? Biological plays a part, but mostly social influencesF.Unique or Similar? Unique18