Rollo May Flashcards
Being-in-the-world:
the self cannot exist without a world
the world exist as the person perceives it - we live in a world where we can only understand from our own perspective
Healthy Personality: according to May
People who are continually growting and expanding their being in the world by:
- challenging destiny,
- cherishing freedom,
- living authentically,
- and recognizing death
they also lived with umwelt, mitwelt and eigenwelt where they adapted to their world, relate to others and theyre aware what their experiences means to them
Existential Alienation:
“Illness of our time”
How is the existential alienation manifested in
Umwelt
Mitwelt
Eigenwelt
(Umwelt).
Means The world of the objects
Separation from nature
(Mitwelt).
Means THe world of the people
Lack of meaningful relationships
(Eigenwelt)
Means The world of the inner self
Alienation from authentic self
Myths according to May
they are conscious and unconsciosu Belief systems explaining personal/social problems.
Provide meaning, expand self-awareness
he believed that the western world had urgent needs for muths (eg. religious cults, drug addiction, popular culture to find meaning)
Anxiety according to May
The awareness that his existence can be destroyed - however our human behavior is motivated by this sense of dread and anxiety
all growth consist of anxiety creating . when we grow, we change aka expand our way of being and this induces anxiety
Types of anxiety according to May
Normal and Neurotic
Normal Anxiety:
Proportionate to threat, accompanies growth
can be confronted constructively on a conscious level
Neurotic Anxiety:
Disproportionate, involves repression and other forms of intrapsychic conflicts
Love and will according to May. what are the meaning of the two and what happened to their meanings
Love = recognize essential humanity of the other person. Will = acting with intentional ways
however, in modern society the meaning have changed where
Love became superficial and Will became manipulative and self-serving
There has been a division between love and will
What is our existential task or challenge regarding love and will
Uniting them back together
through care, choice, action and responsibility
what are the Forms of love common in western tradition
Sex, Eros, Philia, Agape
human adult intimate relationships tends to blend all 4
Ero
psychological desire that seeks procreation
or creation through enduring union
Philia
intimate non sexual friendship between people eg Brotherly love
Agape
altruistic love
it goes beyond any gain one can get out of it
Sex
the biological function that is satisfied in a release of sexual tensions
Freedom & Responsibility
Linked to destiny; freedom through self-awareness
freedom comes from understanding destiny (that death is possible at any moment)
Responsibility and destiny are also linked
challenging our destiny should help us achieve or gain more freedom
What about healthy people and Freedom
Healthy people assume their freedom and face their destiny
What are the 2 kinds of freedom
Existential Freedom = freedom of doing, act on the choices one makes
Essential freedom = freedom of being , of the conscious mind
Psychopathology: what do people often experience
mainly experiencing Apathy and emptiness;
being directionless and lacking purpose
it can lead to diminished consciousness
What is existentialism focused on
understanding the meaning of human existence
developed in response to movements of positivism and determinism
