EXISTENTIAL PSYCHOTHERAPY

Existential Psychotherapy

Existential Psychotherapy

Introduction

The main purpose of this paper is to summarize the Yalom's book of 1980 Existential Psychotherapy. Existential Psychotherapy, the book was conceived by me last summer as holiday reading. When I picked up from the bookstore, the headlines that jumped me, in the eye at first glance, were more of a shock (death, freedom, isolation and meaninglessness), as the promise of a relaxed holiday reading fare (Searles 2000).

All positive psychotherapies have assumed that fear is the driving force for psychopathology; that psychological operations, some consciously and some unconsciously developed, so that man could handle the fear, that these psychological operations (defences) made up the psychopathology, although they provided security, inevitably limited the growth and experience.

The question of the content of fears and after the "depth" of the conflict, however, would answer them differently.

At the beginning, of the book is the author of some basic considerations on psychotherapy. So he considered this question: Is the existential psychotherapy, dynamic psychotherapy? He also considers the question of the content of conscious and unconscious conflicts, the question of the "depth" of the conflict, the importance of developmental thought, and the seemingly given selective inattention of some therapists to existential problems. He highlights the importance of the presence in the therapy to last to end with a brief historical sketch of the existentialist philosophy of mind and existential psychotherapy (Yalom 1980).

Discussion

The author in this book says that the new psychologists can adopt the various methods for the psychotherapy use. He says that the use of psychotherapy is increasing day by day.

He has also provided a wonderful brief summary of these themes in Love's Executioner (Yalom, 1989). It should not be assumed that Yalom's (1980) Existential Psychotherapy is a comprehensive overview of existential theory. The theory itself is far too broad to be thoroughly summarized in any unusual volume. In many ways, it is better to think of the existential theories instead of a singular existential theory. While there are many shared values, there are few, if any, places where there is right agreement amongst existential theorists.

One of the major distinctions between theorists is their view on whether the major givens or questions of our existence can be answered. In general, theorists will agree that it is not possible to completely answer these questions while still in our determinate form. However, some philosophers and psychologists believe there are no ultimate answers to these questions. John Paul Sartre and Irvin Yalom are two primary examples of this group. A prominent voice purporting this approach to existential theory has caused many to believe that existentialism is inherently atheistic, nihilistic, and pessimistic. However, this is not true of many of the existential thinkers. It is evident that people who purport this singular view of existentialist theory do not have a good grasp of the breadth or foundation existential thought.

Other existentialists provide a very optimistic viewpoint focusing on the potential for good and growth that is necessary in the human ...