Chapter Six: Existential Therapy Flashcards
Existential analysis
emphasizes the subjective and spiritual dimensions of human existence
life-changing psychotherapy
the effort to help clients examine how they have answered life’s existential questions and to invite them to revise their answers so they can live more authentically
existential tradition
seeks a balance between recognizing the limits and tragic dimensions of human existence on one hand and the possibilities and opportunities of human life on the other hand
inauthenticity
although we long for freedom we often try to excape from our freedom by defining ourselves as a fixed or static entity
freedom
implies that we are responsible for our lives, for our actions, and for our failures to take action
existential guilt
being aware of having evaded a commitment, or having chosen not to choose
authenticity
implies that we are living by being true to our own evaluation of what is a valuable existence for ourselves; the courage to be who we are
existential neurosis
the experience of meaninglessness
existential vacuum
a condition of emptiness and hollowness
logotherapy
designed to help clients find meaning in life
existential anxiety
the unavoidable result of being confronted with the “givens of existence” (death, freedom, choice, isolation, and meaninglessness)
normal anxiety
an appropriate response to an event being faced
neurotic anxiety
anxiety about concrete things that is out of proportion to the situation
restricted existence
a limited awareness on oneself and a vagueness about nature of problems