PSY 310 Chapter 4 Textbook

Unhealthy and wrong

Existentialists believe that reducing psychotherapy into a technical procedure that focuses on symptom reduction is ____________.

Existential Philosophy

Philosophy focused on the inevitable conditions humans face during life such as death, responsibility, freedom, and the pursuit of meaning.

Existential Psychotherapy

Focuses on self-awareness, facing the unavoidable conditions of human existence, and authentic living.

Lean into

Clients are encouraged to ________ their symptoms, learning everything they can from the whole of their existential experience.

Founders of Existentialism

Kierkegaard and Nietzsche

Soren Kierkegaard

Danish philosopher, believed virtuous traits such as responsibility, honesty, and commitment are subjective choices, often in response to a subjective religious conversion. His views were the precursor for the existential philosophy movement.

Friedrich Nietzche

German philosopher, had negatives feelings about christianity. Believed individuals should channel their passions into creative, joyful activities.

Dialectic

A process where learning is stimulated from the integration of opposites (i.e existentialism being developed by devote christians and atheist)

Jean-Paul Sarte

The Existential Prototype; claims there are no absolute or essential truths (essences). Individuals create their own truth and reality.

Reinvent/change

Existentialist believe that humans contain no permanent elements; people can ________ themselves.

Reject

Existentialists ________ the unconscious and instinctual drivers of human behavior.

Choice

Existentialists embrace human freedom and ________.

Victor Frankl

A jewish psychiatrist who worked on suicide prevention while locked up in a concentration camp. His family was murder in the camps. He developed logotherapy. He believed freedom would degenerate with responsibility.

Logotherapy

Focuses on helping people find personal meaning in life; Clients are pushed to deal directly with the need for meaning but specific meaningful activities are not prescribed. The responsibility to find meaningful activities falls on the client.

Rollo May

Brought existential theory into existential practice. Got many degrees and worked all around the world. He argued that anxiety was an essential component of human condition. He integrated self-awareness with an action orientation

George Wilhelm Freidrich Hegel

Believed human reasoning and ideas evolve through a dialectical process.

Dialectal Process

(a) a concept idea is developed which then (b) fuels the generation of the opposite idea, which (c) produces conflict between the ideas. It is through this conflict that (d) a new, synthesized, and high er level of truth is understood.

Radical Acceptance

Dialectical behavior therapy practitioners adopt a dialectical positions of __________ when working with clients.

Primary Pathway

The ongoing polarized struggles with individuals can be seen as a _____________ toward deeper understanding of the true nature of the self.

Crisis of the Self

Eastern though, particularly Buddhist philosophy, don’t recognize the idea of the self.

Self

Humans naturally create polaraites. These polarities generate conflict, and through this conflict there is potential for synthesis and intellectual development. Some centralize the _____ while culturally diverse cultures deemphasize the ____. learn from both perspectives as this links to existential practice.

Zeigeist

WWI and WWII stimulated an introspective process focusing on death, personal responsibility, freedom, love, etc.

The I-AM Experience

The experience of being, of existing, explains the immediate human experience. Reflect on the moment (the now)

Daesin

May’s I-Am is pretty much the same as Binswanger’s __________ (being in the world).

Self-awareness

For the I-Am experience, ___________ and self-discovery is key.

4 Existential Ways of Being

Umwelt, Mitwelt, Eigenwelt, Uberwelt

Umwelt

Being with nature or the physical world

Mitwelt

Being with others or the social world

Eigenwelt

Being with oneself or the world of the self

Uberwelt

Being with the spiritual world or over world

Van Duerzen

Added the last existential way of being (Uberwelt)

Switch between

You can focus on one existential way of being or you can __________ them depending on your situation and intentions

Moves

Your being-ness ________ based on several factors: anxiety, awareness, previous experiences, intentions, and/or your spiritual predisposition

The Daimonic

Any natural function which has the power to take over the whole person; this is an elemental force, or urge, residing within all persons that functions as the source of constructive or destructive impulses (Rollo May’s)

Integrate

The goal of the daimonic is to ________ the natural daimonic uruges and energies in ways that maximize constructive and creative thinking.

Anxiety

This should be explored, experienced, engaged, and redirected into constructive activities. Do not avoid this. (Rollo May)

Normal Anxiety

Directly proportional to the situation; it is meaningful as it enters awareness and stimulates constructive action. It doesn’t require repression or other defensive processes.

Neurotic Anxiety

Disportionate to the situation; it is usually repressed, denied, or avoided. It’s not used to a creative or constructive purpose. It is destructive.

Normal vs Neurotic Anxiety

1. you deny the importance of your life demands. 2. you response or react to the situation out of desperation rather than responding proactively. 3. You end up increasing your chances of having difficulties down the road because you haven’t responsibility maintained yourself.

Reduce Neurotic Anxiety

Existential therapy is not about eliminating normal anxiety; the goal is to _________________.

Guilt

Inspires people to act in thoughtful and conscious ways. This should be dealt with directly and constructively.

Normal Guilt

A “sensor”, it alerts us to what is ethically correct and guides us toward morally acceptable behavior.

Neurotic Guilt

Twisted, exaggerated, or minimized version of normal guilt.

Excess

_______ guilt may make such people thin kthey should be punished or make restitution for their unacceptable behavior.

Existential Psychodynamics

Therapists help clients face and embrace the ultimate concerns of existence.

Yalom’s Ultimate Concerns

Death, Freedom, Isolation, and Meaninglessness

Death

Death and life exist simultaneously. The possibility of death can’t be ignored and death is a primordial source of anxiety. Facing death is one method for experiencing life more deeply and fully.

Psychopathology

Death is the main source of ____________.

Embrace the present

When individuals ___________ , they can approach death without increased psychology or emotional distress.

Freedom

People tend to resist change, even when that would result in greater freedom. You are responsible for your choices and non-choices. For existentialist, the best and most direct route to personal empowerment is awareness of personal responsibility, including fully experiencing the angst thta comes along with it.

Personal responsibility

__________ is the primary burden of freedom.

Isolation

We enter life alone and we exit the same way. Therapist help clients connect as deeply as possible with others, while at the same time acknowledging their inconvertible separateness.

Love or the awareness

One way to deny isolation is through __________ of existential isolation should improve their ability to form healthy interpersonal relationships. It is also motivates us to live in a more meaningful way.

I-Thou Relationships

The deepest of all possible connections between two individuals. Both self and other are fully experienced. These moments are rare and brief.

Meaninglessness

Thinking about the meaning of life can be agonizing. Existentialist believe it is up to the individual to invent, create, and discern meaning in your life.

Striving or willing

Meaning isn’t a drive or push, but involves ___________.

Pathways toward meaning

Altruism, Dedication to a cause, Creating, Self-transcendence, Suffering, God/Religion, Hedonism, and Self-actualization

Altruism

Clients can serve others through kindness and unselfishness (a pathway toward meaning)

Dedication to a cause

Clients can dedictate themselves to political, medical, familial, scientific, or other causes. A cause beyond selfishness. (a pathway toward meaning)

Creativity

Client can create something beautiful, powerful, and meaningful. (a pathway toward meaning)

Self-Transcendence

Guilt, depression, personal salvation, and other self-oriented goals are put aside to pursue selflessness. (a pathway toward meaning)

Suffering

Clients can face suffering with optimism, dignity, and integrity. (a pathway toward meaning)

Religion

Clients can serve god or their religion instead of serving the self or pursuing material goals. (a pathway toward meaning)

Hedonism

Clients can live to the fullest each moment and drink up the excitement, joy, and sorrows of daily life. (a pathway toward meaning)

Self-actualization

Clients can dedicate themselves to self-improvement and meeting their potential. (a pathway toward meaning)

Theory of Psychopathology

Caused by a diminished self-awareness. Diminished self-awareness may include emotional numbness or automotive living, failure to acknowledge and reconcile life’s ultimate concerns, and/or avoidance of anxiety, guilt, or other meaningful emotions.

Avoidance

____________ is the root of neurotic or maladaptive behavior.

Live in the moment

Successful therapy is about expanding self-awareness and helping clients ____________.

Integrated Self

Clients need to face the four ultimate concerns with an _____________.

Psychopathology Sequence

1. There is a will to meaning in life (purpose) 2. the individual is unable to find or fulfill authentic meaning. 3. the individual experiences an existential vacuum. 4. vacuum symptoms. 5. The individual engages in a purpose substitute (i.e addiction, excessive tv watching, or emphasis on acquisition)

Vacuum Symptoms

Anhedonia (reduced ability to experience pleasure), worthlessness, anxiety, apathy, emptiness, low self-esteem, low mood

The Prototypical Dysfunction

Taking responsibility for things one doesn’t have responsibility for and denying responsibilities for things one does have responsibility for.

Informed Consent

Providing ___________ is especially important due to the confrontational components of existentialism.

Interpersonal Therapeutic Encounter

The primary therapeutic force that existentialists use is the _____________ → by being present with the client in the immediate moment, therapist collaborate with clients toawrd self-discovery and growth.

Therapist I-Though Relationship

This relationship should include depth, mutuality, connection, and immediacy. There is also a huge emphasis on therapist transparency and authenticity.

Therapist Responsibility

Therapist most be responsible for their actions and create conditions that facilitate an interpersonal therapeutic encounter and to avoid behaviors

Presence

Describes therapists who are alert, interested, and are fully in-the-room as possible during every minute of every session.

Too intense

For some clients, focused existential presence and an I-Thou Relationship might be _________. This could serve as an indicator of whether or not an existential approach is a good fit for a given client.

Existential Integrative Therapy

An approach that Schnedier developed. Empathetic mirroring and focusing on components of presence and invoking the actual.

Invoking the Actual

A calling of attention to help clients to experience the expansive rage, for example, beneath their oppressive sadness or the contractive melancholy beneath their expansive bravado.

Verbal Techniques to Avoid Invoking the Actual

Topical focus, topical expansion, and content-process discrepancies

Topical Focus

“Take a moment to what’s present for you”, “what really matters right now”, and “can you give me an example”

Topical Expansion

“tell me more”, “stay with that feeling a few moments”, or “your look like you have more to say”

Content Process Discrepancies

“You say you are fine, but your face is downcast”, point out if their posture doesn’t match their words or if there are phsyical differences.

Feedback

Therapist providing clients information about what they see and hear in a session.

Confrontation

Feedback that focuses on client inconsistencies or discrepancies.

Implicit

When therapists are present and mirroring back what they’re seeing, hearing, and experiencing, feedback and confrontation are _________.

Unhealthy client behaviors

Confrontation is generally more reasonable when a strong therapeutic alliance exists, along with a chronic pattern of __________________.

Mindfulness

Emphasizes awareness and acceptance of thoughts and life situations. This is not a direct part of existentialism but is a component of dialectical behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and the foundation of a type of cognitive therapy.

Paradoxical Intention

Antisuggestion; Alfred Adler’s technique, have the client do the opposite of what they usually do. This allows them to distance themselves from the situation and “let go” of their symptoms.

Exaggerating

______________ your reality (i.e with humor) is not avoiding reality and can be a part of paradoxical intention.

Cognitive Reframing

Change the way the situation is viewed (i.e giving suffering meaning)

Self-awareness moment-to-moment dimensions

Constriction, Expansion, and Centering

Expansive

________ periods involve growth, risk, and moving forth assertively into the world.

Constrictive

________ periods involve inhibition and a retreat from contract with others and the outside world.

Healthy

As individuals deal with threatening life circumstances or opportunities, shifting from expansion to constrictivness to expansion is ___________.

Centering Experience

As clients work on developing awareness and understanding their personal meanings, existential integration therapy moves clients toward a ____________.

Embracing

The goal of moment-to-moment self-awareness is to be in the center while observing and intentionally __________ constrictive and expansive behavior.

Personal therapy

Existentialists recommend _____________ for therapists.

Treatment Planning

Generally existentialists aren’t keen on ______________.