748 existential Flashcards
Existential: Best described as a ___ approach that influences a counselor’s therapeutic practice
philosophical
Existential: Best described as a philosophical approach that
influences a counselor’s therapeutic practice
Existential: Asks deep questions about
the nature of the human being and of anxiety, despair, grief, loneliness, isolation, and anomie
Existential PsychotherapyDeals centrally with the
questions of meaning, creativity, and love
Common questions/sources of existential angst for clients
“Why am I here?”
“What do I want from life?”
“What gives my life purpose?”
“Where is the source of meaning for me in life?”
Existential: Basic Dimensions of the Human Condition
The capacity for self-awareness
The tension between freedom and responsibility
The creation of an identity and establishing meaningful relationships
The search for meaning
Accepting anxiety as a condition of living
The awareness of death and nonbeing
Existential: Basic Dimensions of the Human Condition: The capacity for s____
The capacity for self-awareness
Existential: Basic Dimensions of the Human Condition: The tension between
The tension between freedom and responsibility
Existential: Basic Dimensions of the Human Condition: The creation of an
identity and establishing meaningful relationships
Existential: Basic Dimensions of the Human Condition: The search for
meaning
Existential: Basic Dimensions of the Human Condition: Accepting
anxiety as a condition of living
Existential: Basic Dimensions of the Human Condition: The awareness of
death and nonbeing
Existential: The Capacity for Self-Awareness, what does this refer to
The greater our awareness, the greater our possibilities for freedom
Existential: 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
Existential: Awareness is realizing that: We are f
We are finite—time is limited
Existential: Awareness is realizing that: We have the choice to
act or not to act
Existential: Awareness is realizing that: Meaning is
Meaning is not automatic—we must seek it
Existential: Awareness is realizing that: We are subject to
We are subject to loneliness, meaninglessness, emptiness, guilt, and isolation
Existential: Freedom and Responsibility, 3 things
we don’t choose our circumstances, but we choose our destiny
Having freedom means we’re responsible for ourselves
Freedom and responsibility go hand in hand; assuming responsibility is a basic condition for change
Existential: Freedom and Responsibility: We do not choose
We do not choose the circumstances into which we are born, but we create our own destiny through our choices
Existential: Freedom and Responsibility: Freedom implies that we are responsible for
Freedom implies that we are responsible for our lives, for our actions, and for our failures to take action
Existential: Freedom and Responsibility: Freedom and responsibility go
Freedom and responsibility go hand in hand; assuming responsibility is a basic condition for change
Existential: Identity and Relationship: Identity is
Identity is “the courage to be”– we must trust ourselves to search within and find our own answers
Existential: Identity and Relationship: Our great fear is
Our great fear is that we will discover that there is no core, no self
Existential: Identity and Relationship: Being existentially “alone” helps us to
Being existentially “alone” helps us to discover our authentic self
Existential: Identity and Relationship: Balancing
Balancing aloneness and relatedness helps us develop a unique identity and live authentically in the moment
Existential: Identity and Relationship: At their best our relationships are
based on our desire for fulfillment, not based on deprivation
Existential: Identity and Relationship: Relationships based on deprivation
tend to be clinging and symbiotic
Existential: The Search for Meaning definition
A distinctly human characteristic is the struggle for a sense of significance and purpose in life
Existential: The Search for Meaning: Logotherapy
Logotherapy can provide the conceptual framework for helping clients find meaning in their lives
Existential: The Search for Meaning: Meaninglessness in life can lead to
emptiness and hollowness; an “existential vacuum”
Existential: Yalom’s four givens of existence create
anxiety
Existential anxiety is
normal - life cannot be lived, nor can death be faced, without anxiety
Existential: Neurotic anxiety definition
Neurotic anxiety, of which we typically are unaware, is anxiety about concrete things that is out of proportion to the situation
Existential: A healthy view of anxiety: Anxiety can be
Anxiety can be a stimulus for growth as we become aware of and accept our freedom; it can be a catalyst for living authentically and fully
Existential: A healthy view of anxiety: We can blunt our anxiety by
creating the illusion that there is security in life
Existential: A healthy view of anxiety: If we have the courage to face ourselves and life
we may be frightened, but we will be able to change
Existential: Awareness of Death and Nonbeing: Death gives
Death gives significance to living; it is necessary to think about death if we are to think significantly about life
Existential: Awareness of Death and Nonbeing: Our awareness of death is the source of
Our awareness of death is the source of zest for life and creativity
Existential: Awareness of Death and Nonbeing: We can turn our fear of death into a positive force when
we accept the reality of our mortality
Goals of Existential Psychotherapy: Assisting clients in moving toward authenticity and learning to
recognize when they are deceiving themselves
Goals of Existential Psychotherapy: Helping clients face anxiety and engage in
action that is based on creating a meaningful existence
Goals of Existential Psychotherapy: Helping clients to reclaim and reown
their lives; teaching them to listen to what they already know about themselves
Goals of Existential Psychotherapy: Schneider and Krug (2010) identify four aims of therapy: To help clients become more present to
themselves and others
Goals of Existential Psychotherapy: Schneider and Krug (2010) identify four aims of therapy: To assist clients in identifying ways they block
themselves from fuller presence
Goals of Existential Psychotherapy: Schneider and Krug (2010) identify four aims of therapy: To challenge clients to assume responsibility for designing
their present lives
Goals of Existential Psychotherapy: Schneider and Krug (2010) identify four aims of therapy: To encourage clients to choose more expanded ways of being
To encourage clients to choose more expanded ways of being in their daily lives
Existential: Relationship Between Therapist and Client: Therapy is a journey taken by
therapist and client
Existential: Relationship Between Therapist and Client: The _____ relationship is key
The person-to-person relationship is key
Existential: Relationship Between Therapist and Client: The relationship demands that therapists be in contact with their own
phenomenological world
Existential: Relationship Between Therapist and Client: Respect and faith in the clients’ potential to
cope
Existential: Relationship Between Therapist and Client: Sharing reactions with genuine
concern and empathy
Existential: Role of Techniques: Existential psychotherapy is not
technique oriented
Existential: Role of Techniques: Techniques from other models can be
used within the context of striving to understand the subjective world of the client, but they must be used in an integrated fashion
Existential: Role of Techniques: When the deepest self of the therapist meets the deepest part of the client,
the counseling process is at its best
Phases of Existential Therapy: Initial phase:
Clients are assisted in identifying and clarifying their assumptions about the world
Phases of Existential Therapy: Middle phase:
Clients are assisted in more fully examining the source and authority of their present value system
Phases of Existential Therapy: Final phase:
Clients are assisted in translating what they have learned about themselves into action
Existential: Application to Group Counseling: Provides an ideal environment for therapeutic work on
responsibility
Existential: Application to Group Counseling: Clients are responsible for their
behavior in group
Existential: Application to Group Counseling: Group settings provide a mirror of how
clients may act in the world
Existential: Application to Group Counseling: Through feedback members learn to
view themselves through another’s eyes and how their behavior affects others
Existential: Application to Group Counseling: Builds ____ skills
Builds interpersonal skills
Existential: Application to Group Counseling: Provides an opportunity to explore the ____ of existence
Provides an opportunity to explore the paradoxes of existence
Existential: Application to Group Counseling: Reduces avoidance of universal existential concerns because
not addressing these themes diminishes one’s engagement with life
Existential: Strengths from a Diversity Perspective: It does not dictate a particular way of viewing or relating to
It does not dictate a particular way of viewing or relating to reality
Existential: Strengths from a Diversity Perspective: It has a focus on universality, and on the human experiences that
It has a focus on universality, and on the human experiences that transcend the boundaries that separate cultures
Existential: Strengths from a Diversity Perspective: It considers the degree to which behavior is influenced by
social and cultural conditioning
Existential: Limitations from a Diversity Perspective: Approach may be excessively individualistic and insensitive to
Approach may be excessively individualistic and insensitive to social factors that cause problems; however, this is beginning to change
Existential: Limitations from a Diversity Perspective: Social injustices may lead clients to feel _____ or _____ if the therapist too quickly conveys that they have choice in improving their lives
Social injustices may lead clients to feel patronized or misunderstood if the therapist too quickly conveys that they have choice in improving their lives
Existential: Limitations from a Diversity Perspective: Some clients may prefer more ____ direction
Some clients may prefer more concrete direction
Contributions of Existential Therapy: Existentialists have contributed a new dimension to the understanding of d_, a_, g_, f_, l_, and a_
Existentialists have contributed a new dimension to the understanding of death, anxiety, guilt, frustration, loneliness, and alienation
Contributions of Existential Therapy: Its emphasis on the __ quality of the therapeutic relationship is a strength
Its emphasis on the human quality of the therapeutic relationship is a strength
Contributions of Existential Therapy: The key concepts of the existential approach can be integrated into most
The key concepts of the existential approach can be integrated into most therapeutic schools
Limitations of Existential Psychotherapy: The individualistic focus may not fit within the world views of clients from a
collectivistic culture
Limitations of Existential Psychotherapy: The focus on self-determination may not fully account for real-life limitations of those who are
oppressed and have limited choices
Limitations of Existential Psychotherapy: Some clients prefer a more ____ approach to counseling
Some clients prefer a more directive approach to counseling
Limitations of Existential Psychotherapy: Some practitioners may view existential concepts as l___ and e__
Some practitioners may view existential concepts as lofty and elusive
Limitations of Existential Psychotherapy: Some practitioners may lack the level of m_, l_ e_, and i_ training required to be effective
Some practitioners may lack the level of maturity, life experience, and intensive training required to be effective
Limitations of Existential Psychotherapy: The approach does not focus on specific t____, making treatments difficult to
The approach does not focus on specific techniques, making treatments difficult to standardize and study empirically
