Existential Theory

According to the existential view, death makes life meaningless.

False

From the existential perspective, anxiety is seen as neurotic manifestation. As a result, the goal is to eliminate anxiety in order for students to live comfortably.

False

In the existential approach, techniques are primary, and a subjective understanding of the student is secondary.

False

The central issue in existential theory is examining and working to change irrational beliefs.

False

Viktor Frankl

Reacting against the tendency to view therapy as a system of well-defined techniques, this model stresses building therapy on the basic conditions of human existence, such as choice, the freedom and responsibility to shape one's life, and self-determination. It focuses on the quality of the person-to-person therapeutic relationship. We are not victims of circumstance because, to a large extent, we are what we choose to be.

Therapeutic Goals

Recognize the ways we are not living fully authentic lives and to make choices that will lead to their becoming what they are capable of being Basic goals include: •Recognize factors that block freedom •Challenge clients to recognize that they are doing something that they formerly thought was happening to them •Widen clients' perspectives on choice •Accept the freedom and responsibility that go along with action Asks deep questions about the nature of the human being and of anxiety, despair, grief, loneliness, isolation, and anomie

6 Key propositions/basic dimensions of human condition

The capacity for self-awareness •As we become more aware, it is difficult to return to old self •The greater our awareness, the greater our possibilities for freedom •Awareness is realizing that • We are finite - time is limited • We have the choice to act or not to act • Meaning is not automatic - we must seek it • We are subject to loneliness, meaninglessness, emptiness, guilt, and isolation Freedom and responsibility •We do not choose the circumstances into which we are born, but we create our own destiny through our choices •Freedom implies that we are responsible for our lives, for our actions, and for our failures to take action •Freedom and responsibility go hand in hand; assuming responsibility is a basic condition for change •Help people face up to the difficulties of life with courage rather than avoiding life's struggles •Freedom is bound by certain limitations. We are not free from conditions, but we are free to take a stand against these restrictions. These conditions are the subject to our decisions, which means we are responsible. Striving for identity and relationship to others •Identity is the courage to be - we must trust ourselves to search within and find our own answers • Our great fear is that we will discover that there is no core, no self • Being existentially alone helps us to discover our authentic self •Balancing aloneness and relatedness helps us develop a unique identity and live authentically in the moment •At their best our relationships are based on our desire for fulfillment, not based on deprivation •Relationships based on deprivation tend to be clinging and symbiotic Search for meaning •A distinctly human characteristic is the struggle for a sense of significance and purpose in life •Logotherapy - provide the conceptually framework for helping clients find meaning in their lives •Meaninglessness in life can lead to emptiness and hollowness Anxiety as a condition of living •Existential anxiety is normal - life cannot be lived, nor can death be faced, without anxiety •Neurotic anxiety, of which we typically are unaware, is anxiety about concreate things that is out of proportion to the situation •Anxiety can be a stimulus for growth as we become aware of an accept our freedom; it can be a catalyst for living authentically and fully •We can blunt our anxiety by creating the illusion that there is security in life •If we have the courage to face ourselves and life we may be frightened, but we will be able to change Awareness of death and nonbeing •Death gives significance to living; it is necessary to think about death if we are to think significantly about life •Our awareness of death is the source of zest for life and creativity We can turn our fear of death into a positive force when we accept the reality of our mortality

View of Human Nature

The current focus is on the individual's experience of being in the world alone and facing the anxiety of this isolation Seeks the question: What am I? What can I know? What out I to do? What can I hope for? Where am I going? We continually recreate ourselves; we are the authors of our lives •People are creators and actors in their own life. They have choices that they make but not about the circumstances. Existential anxiety is healthy and a central part to the therapy process because anxiety can be used as a motivation to change Determine turning points in life Philosophical approach that influences a counselor's therapeutic practice. Deals centrally with the questions of meaning, creativity, and love.

According to existential theory, people define themselves by the choices they make.

True

According to the existential perspective, a human characteristic is the struggle for a sense of meaning and purpose in life.

True

According to the existential perspective, people are free to choose among alternatives and, therefore, have a role in shaping their destines.

True

Authenticity is one of the most crucial qualities in an effective therapeutic relationship.

True

Humans have a tendency toward self-actualization; that is, toward becoming all they are able to become.

True

The existential view is based on a growth mode and conceptualizes health rather than sickness.

True