Rollo May: Existential Psychology Flashcards
Who is the founder of modern existentialism? (Rollo May)
Soren Kierkegaard
Rollo May birthdate and birthplace
April 21, 1909
Ada, Ohio but raised in Michigan
what is the german term for being-in-the-world (Rollo May)
Dasein
what do the hyphens in the term “being-in-the-world” imply? (Rollo May)
it implies a oneness of subject and object, of person, and of world.
how is alienation manifested? (Rollo May)
(1) separation from nature,
(2) lack of meaningful interpersonal relations, and
(3) alienation from one’s authentic self
what are the three simultaneous modes of being-in-the-world? (Rollo May)
Umwelt Mitwelt Eigenwelt
what is umwelt? (Rollo May)
relating with the environment around us
is the world of objects and things and would exist even if people had no awareness
we must learn to live in the world around us and to adjust to changes within this world (Rollo May)
umwelt
We must relate to people as people, not as things (Rollo May)
mitwelt
how can we differentiate umwelt and mitwelt (Rollo May)
It can be seen by contrasting sex with love. If a person uses another as an instrument for sexual gratification, then that person is living in Umwelt, at least in his or her relationship with that other person. However, love demands that one commit to the other person. Love means respect for the other person’s being-in-the-world, an unconditional acceptance of that person.
what theories mostly deal with Mitwelt? (Rollo May)
Sullivan’s Interpersonal Theory and Rogers Person-Centered Theory
what theory mostly deals with umwelt
Freud’s psychoanalytic theory
what are the five tenets of existentialism? (Rollo May)
first, existence takes precedence over essence
second, existentialists oppose the artificial split between subject and object
third, they stress people’s search for meaning in their lives
fourth, they insist that each of us are responsible for who we are and what we will become
fifth, they are anti-theoretical because they believe that theories tend to objectify people
refers to one’s relationship with oneself (ROLLO MAY)
EIGENWELT
what does it mean to live in Eigenwelt? (Rollo May)
To live in Eigenwelt means to be aware of oneself as a human being and to grasp who we are as we relate to the world of things and the world of people. What does this sunset mean to me? How is this other person a part of my life? What characteristics of mine allow me to love this person? How do I perceive this experience?
what does rollo may say about healthy people?
Healthy people live in Umwelt, Mitwelt, and Eigenwelt simultaneously
They adapt to the natural world, relate to others as humans, and have a
keen awareness of what all these experiences mean to them
the dread of not being (Rollo May)
is an awareness of the possibility of one’s not being, through death or loss of awareness.
nonbeing or nothingness
what are the four ways we confront nonbeing? (Rollo May)
contemplating death
addiction to alcohol or other drugs
promiscuous sexual activity
compulsive behaviors
how can nonbeing also be expressed in other ways? (Rollo May)
nonbeing can also be expressed as blind conformity to society’s expectations or
as generalized hostility that pervades our relations to others
how does Rollo May define anxiety?
“the subjective state of the individual’s becoming aware that his [or her] existence
can be destroyed, that he can become ‘nothing’”
how does rollo may define normal anxiety?
he defined it as that “which is proportionate to the threat, does not involve repression, and can be confronted constructively on the conscious level”
how does rollo may define neurotic anxiety?
“a reaction which is disproportionate to the threat, involves repression and other forms of intrapsychic conflict, and is managed by
various kinds of blocking-off of activity and awareness”
what is the difference between normal anxiety and neurotic anxiety are felt? (Rollo May)
anxiety is normal when values are threatened but it becomes neurotic when those values become a dogma for a person
arises when people deny their potentialities, fail to accurately perceive the needs of fellow humans, or remain oblivious to their dependence on the natural
world (May, 1958a)
Guilt
define separation guilt (Rollo May)
a form of ontological guilt that is especially prevalent in “advanced” societies where people live in heated or cooled dwellings, use
motorized means of transportation, and consume food gathered and prepared by others.
removed from umwelt
isn’t this basically when people are too comfortable in cities and forget about nature
what is the second form of guilt (Rollo May)
mitwelt guilt - in other words, the injustice we do to other people by only seeing them through our own eyes. it is because we cannot perfectly judge their needs that we feel inadequate in our relations with them
what is the third form of guilt (Rollo May)
eigenwelt guilt - is associated with our denial of our own potentialities or with our failure to fulfill them. In other words, this guilt is grounded in our relationship with self
reminiscent of Maslow’s concept of the jonah complex
(Rollo May) the structure that gives meaning to experience and allows people to make decisions about the future is called
unconscious
intentionality
“delight in the presence of
the other person and an affirming of [that person’s value and development as much
as one’s own” (Rollo May)
love
“the capacity to organize one’s self so that movement
in a certain direction or toward a certain goal may take place” (Rollo May)
will
what are the four kinds of love in Western tradition? (Rollo May)
sex
eros
philia
agape
is a biological function that can be satisfied through sexual intercourse or some other release of sexual tension (Rollo May)
Sex
is a psychological desire
that seeks procreation or creation through an enduring union with a loved one (Rollo May)
is built on care and tenderness
Eros
is an intimate nonsexual friendship between two people (Rollo May)
Philia
“esteem for the other, the concern for the other’s welfare beyond any gain that one can get out of it; disinterested love, typically, the love of God for man”
is altruistic love (Rollo May)
Agape
is the possibility of changing, although we may not know what those changes might be
is the individual’s capacity to
know that he is the determined one
entails being able to harbor different possibilities in one’s mind even though it is not clear at the moment which way one must act (Rollo May)
freedom
should not be identified with existential philosophy.
is the freedom to act on the choices that one makes
It is the freedom of action—the freedom of doing (Rollo May)
existential freedom
freedom of being (Rollo May)
essential freedom
our destination, our terminus, our goal
the design of the universe speaking through the design of each one of us (Rollo May)
destiny
what does rollo may say about myths?
May (1991) compared myths to the
support beams in a house—not visible from the outside, but they hold the house together and make it habitable.
are the stories that unify a society;
“they are essential to the process of keeping our souls alive and bringing us new meaning in a difficult and often meaningless world” (May, 1991,p. 20).
are belief systems, both conscious and unconscious, that provide explanations for personal and social problems.
myths
why do people experience guilt? (Rollo May)
(1) separation from the natural
world,
(2) inability to judge the needs of others, and (3) denial of their own
potentials.
