Existential Psychology
Overview
Reflecting on life is typical to the human experience, where a vast number of musings and insecurities surrounding life’s mysteries often go unshared, staying internalized in each person. However, existential psychology takes these questions about life’s meaning and frames them, providing therapists and other mental health providers a structure to help their patients confront these difficult topics.
Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855), who delved into the essential aspects of human experience, particularly human emotions, is one of the earliest records of work within existentialism.[1] A century before existential psychology would be founded, Kierkegaard did not use the same terminology as later figures in the next period of Existentialism thinking.[2] Instead, in 1844 he argued that individuals may experience emotions like anxiety or despair (often referred to “Existential angst” at the time) when they are disconnected from their true selves or fail to find meaning in life.[3] In 1945, French philosopher Jean Paul Sartre (1905-1980) reintroduced Existentialism within the philosophy discipline when he presented his work, Existentialism is a Humanism.[4] Within it, Sartre states the now-famous saying, "existence precedes essence", grappling with religious ideas that were prominent in a period just after World War II.[5] In saying this, Sartre believed that unlike inanimate objects, whose purpose is determined before they are created, human beings exist first, and then they define their own purpose through their choices and actions.[6] Since Sartre, other notable figures within the existential philosophy movement have contributed to the field, including Austrian neurologist, psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Victor Frankl (1905-1977), who believed that the search for meaning is the primary force within each person that keeps them alive despite difficult circumstances.[7] Other critical thinkers within the field are American psychologist Rollo May (1909-1944), and French philosopher and author Albert Camus (1913-1960).[8]
As early as Sartre, other philosophers and psychologists began to follow the train of thought that humans are “condemned to be free”, or born without something predicating their value, and as a result, they must search for life’s meaning on their own. However, existential psychology does not offer answers to life’s meaning. Instead, it provides therapists and psychologists the resources to help people seeking treatment to overcome the angst over a lack of self-understanding of life’s meaning.[9]
Psychopathology
Existential psychology does not provide a specific set of diagnostic criteria, and existential anxiety is not a formal mental health diagnosis included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5).[10] Rather, this field offers a framework for understanding the subjective experiences and challenges individuals face. Providers within this discipline often frame treatment by acknowledging that insecurity surrounding an individual’s true purpose is a natural response to the human condition and inherent to the search for authenticity. It is common for existential therapists to see patients who struggle to make genuine choices and want to gain better direction in life.[11] Common life events that bring often patients to existential psychotherapy include, but are not limited to:
The death of a loved one
Navigating terminal illness
Being convicted of a crime[12]
Significant life transitions[13]
Dealing with the human condition, existential psychology is closely linked to humanistic psychology, which views human nature to be naturally benevolent, with the inherent desire to build relationships and remain interconnected.[14] Like existentialists, humanists focus on self-determinism and the human condition, believing that each human being has the personal responsibility to self-direct.[15] However, existential psychology is unique in its consideration of distress in response to contending with life.[16] Existential therapy returns responsibility to each individual, and it assumes the belief that people's problems come from not exercising judgment adequately enough to make meaning out of life.[17] An existential therapist may still acknowledge forces that influence an individual’s life path (e.g., their cultural background, health, biology and other potential privileges or limitations). But ultimately, existential psychology aims to help a person overcome negative internal forces.[18]
Tenets & Essential Concerns
Existential psychology is primarily concerned with aspects within humans’ existence, which is multifaceted and varies depending on each patient’s background and specific needs. This results in variation amongst existential psychologists in their application of this field’s tenets, but broadly, topics include:[19,20]
Applications of Existential Psychology
Existential psychology continues to be applied in various areas of mental health care and counseling, providing effective treatment to patients in situations that cause them to question life’s meaning. Existential Isolation (EI), or the subjective dread from feeling alone in one’s circumstance, is positively correlated with anxiety, suicidal ideations, and other mental conditions related to depressive disorders.[21] Providers commonly treat individuals within prisons and other justice systems with these methods, helping them to overcome potential thoughts of life’s futility because of their incarceration.[22] Elsewhere, therapists and other mental health professionals are beginning to address issues related to EI and other existential dilemmas through existential therapy,[23] which can encompass:
Enhancing Therapist-Client Relationships: Existential therapists integrate existential tenets into their therapeutic practices by helping individuals understand the importance of uniqueness while still showing them compassion and empathy. Therapists work to assist clients in finding meaning through guided self-reflection and talk therapy that focuses on perspective.[24] Abandoning the more traditional dialogue between therapists and patients, the therapist becomes a peer and guides the patient through discussions on life’s difficulty.[25]
Practicing Logotherapy: Developed by Viktor Frankl in the 1930’s, logotherapy is a form of existential therapy that emphasizes the search for meaning as the fundamental force that motivates humans.[26] Originally developing this theory prior to the Holocaust, Frankl continued to observe a unique sense of drive and purpose in other survivors of concentration camps.[27] Since then, it has been applied successfully in treating psychological disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and migration-related traumas in immigrant and refugee populations.[28]
Using Educational Spaces to Foster Personal Development: Existentialism has been utilized by educators in school and counseling settings to promote children’s self-value and self-awareness.[29] Introducing philosophy on existentialism and self-development, educators encourage students to explore their values, choices and the meaning behind their academic and personal pursuits.[30]
With these methods among others, providers use existentialism in their therapy to help patients embrace the power of choice in the face of insecurities, fostering resilience.[31] Harnessing existentialist thought processes, patients are able to begin to acknowledge their fears and eventually transcend them.[32] By embracing the existential principles of authenticity and living in the present moment, individuals can find the courage to navigate fears, cultivate inner strength, and construct meaningful lives despite uncertainties that may initially provoke anxiety.
If you are suffering from an existential crisis and/or other forms of anxiety and depression that can be supported by existential therapy, please reach out to a licensed therapist for additional guidance and support.
Contributed by: Kate Graham (Campbell)
Editor: Jennifer (Ghahari) Smith, Ph.D.
References
1 Kurtz, P. W. (1961). Kierkegaard, Existentialism, and the Contemporary Scene. The Antioch Review, 21(4), 471–487. https://doi.org/10.2307/4610378
2 Kaftanski, W., & Hanson, J. (2022). Suffering, authenticity, and meaning in life: Toward an integrated conceptualization of well-being. Frontiers in psychology,13, 1079032. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1079032
3 Ibid.
4 Sartre, J. P. (1946). Existentialism is a humanism (C. Macomber, Trans.), Yale University Press
5 Ibid.
6 Ibid.
7 Rahgozar S, Giménez-Llort L. (2020) Foundations and Applications of Logotherapy to Improve Mental Health of Immigrant Populations in the Third Millennium. Front Psychiatry,11:451.
8 Bushkin, H., van Niekerk, R., Stroud, L. (2021) Searching for Meaning in Chaos: Viktor Frankl's Story. Europe Journal of Psychology,17(3):233-242.
9 Ibid.
10 Heidenreich, T., Noyon, A., Worrell, M., & Menzies, R. (2021). Existential Approaches and Cognitive Behavior Therapy: Challenges and Potential. International journal of cognitive therapy, 14(1), 209–234. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41811-020-00096-1
11 Ibid.
12 Franke I, Vogel T, Eher R, Dudeck M. (2019). Prison mental healthcare: recent developments and future challenges. Curr Opin Psychiatry, 32(4):342-347. https://doi.org/10.1097/YCO.0000000000000504.
13 Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. (1999) Brief Interventions and Brief Therapies for Substance Abuse. Rockville (MD): Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64939/
14 Ibid.
15 Winston, Christine N. (2015). Points of Convergence and Divergence between Existential and Humanistic Psychology: A Few Observations. The Humanistic Psychologist, 43(1): 40– 53. https://doi.org/10.1080/08873267.2014.993067.
16 Ibid.
17 Ibid.
18 Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (1999)
19 Sease TB, Cox CR, Knight K. (2022) Existential isolation and well-being in justice-involved populations. Front Psychol,13,1092313. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1092313.
20 Ziaee, A., Nejat, H., Amarghan, H. A., & Fariborzi, E. (2021). Existential therapy versus acceptance and commitment therapy for feelings of loneliness and irrational beliefs in male prisoners. European Journal of Translational Myology, 32(1). https://doi.org/10.4081/ejtm.2022.102171
21 Nel, K. A., & Govender, S. (2022). Existential Positive Psychology (EPP): A Positive Tool for Healing Existential Anxieties in South Africa during, and after, the COVID-19 Pandemic. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(16), 10248. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191610248
22 Kornhaber, R., Walsh, K., Duff, J., & Walker, K. (2016). Enhancing adult therapeutic interpersonal relationships in the acute health care setting: an integrative review. Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare, 9, 537–546. https://doi.org/10.2147/JMDH.S116957
23 Ibid.
24 Rahgozar S, Giménez-Llort L. (2020). Foundations and Applications of Logotherapy to Improve Mental Health of Immigrant Populations in the Third Millennium. Front Psychiatry, 1(451). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00451
25 Ibid.
26 Ibid.
27 Malboeuf-Hurtubise, C., Di Tomaso, C., Lefrançois, D., Mageau, G. A., Taylor, G., Éthier, M. A., Gagnon, M., & Léger-Goodes, T. (2021). Existential Therapy for Children: Impact of a Philosophy for Children Intervention on Positive and Negative Indicators of Mental Health in Elementary School Children. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(23), 12332. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182312332
28 Ibid.
29 Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (1999)
30 Ibid.