Existential Psychology

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how the existential approach to psychology begins with the recognition that the individual is responsible for his or her own mental state. On a more personal level, the paper looks at challenges the author has faced and how he responded to those challenges.

From the Paper:

"Existentialism is related to earlier conceptions of how humans are related to the universe, such as that of Kant, and it can be seen as one aspect of the larger search for meaning in every human life. The overwhelming nature of the universe has always left human beings trying to find a reason for their own existence and some evidence that they matter. Psychology seeks to understand both this search and the processes underlying it, and existentialism is one of the structures developed by the human mind to explain its own importance in the universe."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Freud, S. (1966). Civilization and its discontents. New York: W.W. Norton.
• Klein, T. & Wymer, T. (1991). Great ideas. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
• Yalom, I.D. (1980). Existential psychotherapy. New York: Basic Books.

More papers on Existential Psychology:

• Essay # 42194 : "Existential Psychology"
• Book Review # 124774 : "Existential Psychology"
• Book Review # 124462 : "Existential Psychology"

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