Group Therapy in the Face of Death

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer notes that Irvin Yalom's 2005 narrative, 'The Schopenhauer Cure: A Novel', provides one of the more unique and challenging glimpses at death in the context of life. The writer summarizes the plot of the novel and discusses the main character, Dr. Julius Herzfeld, who is in the unique and terrifying disposition of counseling individuals through their own troubled lives while preparing for the end of his.

From the Paper:

"A most interesting case within the context of this emotionally charged scenario is Stuart, the detached pediatrician whose disposition comes not from his insensitivity but from a bizarre social impenetrability. Stuart's experience within the group is therefore one prone to some of the more interesting interactions in the narrative. Particularly, this is so because one of Stuart's nature would distinctly gain far more from a group experience than from one-on-one counseling where, arguably, somebody such as Phillip or Bonnie could benefit in a one-on-one context.
"Interestingly, the stoical Stuart provides of the moments of greatest breakthrough for Julius, who in the immediate days following the revelation of his approaching death, would be mired in despair."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Yalom, I. (2005). The Schopenhauer Cure: A Novel. Harper Collins.

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