Existentialism as it relates to Student Affairs Source: Theory & Practice of Counseling & Psychotherapy by Gerald Corey

1. 1
Form
A
-­‐
Critical
Evaluation
Counseling
&
Development
Form
A
-­‐
Theory:
Existential
Therapy
Name:
Peter
Max
Quinn
Critical
Evaluation
Format
Dr.
Ciri
-­‐
CN528
Counseling
&
Development
Date:
December
12,
2011
KEY
Concepts
of
Existentialism:
View
of
Human
Nature
/
Basic
Assumptions
Underlying
Existentialism
• Fundamental
Questions
of
Existence:
At
the
core
to
student
success
and
their
life
challenges
o Q:
Who
am
I?
o Q:
What
can
I
know?
o Q:
What
ought
I
do
to?
o Q:
What
can
I
hope
for?
o Q:
Where
am
I
going?
o Q:
Why
are
we
here?
o Q:
What
is
our
purpose?
o Q:
How
can
we
live
a
meaningful
life?
o Q:
What
happens
when
we
die?
• Rejects
the
deterministic
view
of
human
nature.
Psychoanalysis
sees
freedom
as
restricted
by
unconscious
forces,
irrational
drives,
and
past
events;
behaviorists
see
freedom
as
restricted
by
sociocultural
conditioning.
In
contrast,
existential
therapists
acknowledge
some
of
these
basic
facts
about
the
human
situation
but
emphasize
our
freedom
to
choose
what
to
make
of
our
circumstances
• We
are
not
victims
of
circumstance
because,
to
a
large
extent,
we
are
what
we
choose
to
be
• Attention
is
given
to
students’
immediate,
ongoing
experience
in
their
quest
for
meaning
and
purpose
• Reacts
against
the
tendency
to
identify
therapy
with
a
set
of
techniques.
Instead,
it
bases
therapeutic
practice
on
an
understanding
of
what
it
means
to
be
human
• Seek
a
balance
between
recognizing
the
limits
and
tragic
dimensions
of
human
existence
on
one
hand
and
the
possibilities
and
opportunities
of
human
life
on
the
other
hand
• The
significance
of
our
existence
is
never
fixed
once
and
for
all;
rather,
we
continually
re-­‐create
ourselves
through
our
projects.
Humans
are
in
a
constant
state
of
transition,
emerging,
evolving,
and
becoming
MOST
Important
Concepts
• Focus
is
on
the
central
concerns
of
the
students
existence:
Death,
Freedom,
Existential
Isolation,
&
Meaningfulness
o We
have
the
capacity
for
self-­‐awareness
o We
are
basically
free
being
and
must
accept
the
responsibility
that
comes
with
our
freedom
o We
have
a
concern
to
preserve
our
uniqueness
and
identity
o We
come
to
know
ourselves
in
relation
to
knowing
and
interacting
with
others
o The
significance
of
our
existence
and
the
meaning
of
our
life
are
never
fixed
o We
re-­‐create
ourselves
through
our
projects
o Anxiety
is
part
of
the
human
condition
o Awareness
of
death
gives
significance
to
living
• Logo
Therapy:
Therapy
through
meaning
o Individual
search
for
meaning
of
life
o Students
find
meaning
through
progress,
suffering,
activities,
acting,
&
re-­‐acting
with
peers
o “To
be
alive
encompasses
the
ability
to
take
hold
of
life
day
by
day
as
well
as
to
find
meaning
in
suffering”
o The
central
motivation
for
living
is
the
will
to
meaning;
the
freedom
to
find
meaning
in
all
that
we
think;
and
the
integration
of
body,
mind,
and
spirit
• Basic
Dimensions
of
the
Human
Condition:
o Proposition
1:
The
Capacity
for
Self-­‐Awareness
§ The
greater
our
awareness,
the
greater
our
possibilities
for
freedom
§ We
can
choose
either
to
expand
or
to
restrict
our
consciousness
§ Self-­‐Awareness
is
at
the
root
of
most
other
human
capacities,
our
decision
to
expand
is
a
fundamental
human
growth
§ Awareness
of
alternatives,
motivations,
factors
influencing
the
person,
and
personal
goals
is
the
goal
§ As
we
become
more
aware,
it
is
more
difficult
to
“go
home
again”
§ Ignorance
of
our
condition
may
have
brought
contentment
along
with
a
feeling
of
partial
deadness,
but
as
we
open
the
doors
in
our
world,
we
can
expect
more
turmoil
as
well
as
the
potential
for
more
fulfillment

2. 2
Form
A
-­‐
Critical
Evaluation
Counseling
&
Development
o Proposition
2:
Freedom
and
Responsibility
§ People
are
free
to
choose
among
alternatives
and
therefore
have
a
large
role
in
shaping
their
destinies
§ Although
we
long
for
freedom,
we
often
try
to
escape
our
freedom
§ The
manner
in
which
we
live
and
what
we
become
are
the
result
of
our
choices
§ We
are
challenged
to
accept
responsibility
for
directing
our
lives
§ Inauthenticity:
“Since
that’s
the
way
I’m
made,
I
couldn’t
help
what
I
did”
• Lacking
awareness
of
personal
responsibility
for
our
lives
and
possibly
assuming
that
our
existence
is
largely
controlled
by
external
forces
§ We
are
constantly
confronted
with
the
choice
of
what
kind
of
person
we
are
becoming,
and
to
exist
is
never
to
be
finished
with
this
kind
of
choosing
§ Existential
Guilt:
Being
aware
of
having
evaded
a
commitment,
or
having
chosen
not
to
choose
• This
guilt
is
a
condition
that
grows
out
of
a
sense
of
incompleteness,
or
a
realization
that
we
are
not
what
we
might
have
become
§ Authenticity:
We
are
living
by
being
true
to
our
own
evaluation
of
what
is
a
valuable
existence
for
ourselves;
it
is
the
courage
to
be
who
we
are
§ Being
free
and
being
human
are
identical
§ It
is
essential
to
respect
the
purpose
that
people
have
in
mind
when
they
initiate
therapy
§ Encourage
students
to
weigh
the
alternatives
and
to
explore
the
consequences
of
what
they
are
doing
with
their
lives
o Proposition
3:
Creating
one’s
Identity
and
establishing
meaningful
relationships
with
others
§ People
are
concerned
about
preserving
their
uniqueness
and
centeredness,
yet
at
the
same
time
they
have
an
interest
in
going
outside
of
themselves
to
relate
t
other
beings
and
to
nature
§ Our
being
becomes
rooted
in
the
expectations,
and
we
become
strangers
to
ourselves
§ The
Courage
to
Be:
• Awareness
of
our
finite
nature
gives
us
an
appreciation
of
ultimate
concerns
• It
takes
courage
to
discover
the
true
“ground
of
our
being”
and
to
use
its
power
to
transcend
those
aspects
of
nonbeing
that
would
destroy
us
• Courage
entails
the
will
to
more
forward
in
spite
of
anxiety-­‐producing
situations,
such
as
facing
out
death
• We
struggle
to
discover,
to
create,
and
to
maintain
the
core
deep
within
our
being
• One
of
the
greatest
fears
of
students’
is
that
they
will
discover
that
there
is
no
core,
no
self,
no
substance,
and
that
they
are
merely
reflections
of
everyone’s
expectations
of
them
• Begin
by
asking
students
to
allow
themselves
to
intensify
the
feeling
that
they
are
nothing
more
than
the
sum
of
others’
expectations
and
that
they
are
merely
the
introjects
of
parents
and
parent
substitutes
o Q:
How
do
you
feel
now?
o Q:
Are
you
condemned
to
stay
this
way
forever?
o Q:
Is
there
a
way
out?
o Q:
Can
you
create
a
self
if
you
find
that
you
are
without
one?
o Q:
Where
can
you
begin?
• Once
students
demonstrate
the
courage
to
recognize
this
fear,
to
put
into
words
and
share
it,
it
does
not
seem
overwhelming
• Invite
students
to
accept
the
ways
in
which
they
have
lived
outside
themselves
and
to
explore
ways
in
which
they
are
out
of
contact
with
themselves
§ The
Experience
of
Aloneness:
• Part
of
the
human
condition
is
the
experience
of
aloneness
• We
can
derive
strength
from
this
experience
of
looming
to
ourselves
and
sensing
our
separation
• The
sense
of
isolation
comes
when
we
recognize
that
we
cannot
depend
on
anyone
else
for
our
own
confirmation;
that
is,
we
alone
must
give
a
sense
of
meaning
to
life,
and
we
alone
must
decide
how
we
will
live
• Q:
If
we
are
unable
to
tolerate
ourselves
when
we
are
alone,
how
can
we
expect
anyone
else
to
be
enriched
by
our
company?
• Ultimately,
we
are
alone.
§ The
Experience
of
Relatedness:
• Humans
depend
on
relationships
with
others

3. 3
Form
A
-­‐
Critical
Evaluation
Counseling
&
Development
We
want
to
be
significant
in
another’s
world,
and
we
want
to
feel
that
another’s
presence
is
•
important
in
our
world
• When
we
are
able
to
stand
alone
and
dip
within
ourselves
for
our
own
strength,
our
relationships
with
others
are
based
on
our
fulfillment,
not
our
depravation
• If
we
feel
personally
deprived,
however,
we
can
expect
little
but
a
clinging
and
symbiotic
relationship
with
someone
else
• Help
students
distinguish
between
a
neurotically
dependent
attachment
to
another
and
a
life-­‐
affirming
relationship
in
which
both
persons
are
enhanced
• Challenge
students
to
examine
what
they
get
from
their
relationships,
how
they
avoid
intimate
contact,
how
they
prevent
themselves
from
having
equal
relationships,
and
how
they
might
create
therapeutic,
healthy,
and
mature
human
relationships
§ Struggling
with
Our
Identity:
• The
awareness
of
our
ultimate
aloneness
can
be
frightening,
and
some
students
may
attempt
to
avoid
accepting
their
aloneness
and
isolation
• Some
students
get
caught
up
in
ritualistic
behavior
patterns
that
cement
us
to
an
image
or
identity
we
acquired
in
early
childhood
• Challenge
students
to
begin
to
examine
they
ways
in
which
they
have
lost
touch
with
their
identity,
especially
by
letting
others
design
a
life
for
them
• By
refusing
to
give
easy
solutions
or
answers,
professionals
can
confront
students
with
the
reality
that
they
alone
must
find
their
own
answers
o Proposition
4:
The
search
for
meaning,
purpose,
values,
and
goals
§ A
distinctly
human
characteristic
is
the
struggle
for
a
sense
of
significance
and
purpose
in
life
§ Help
students
challenge
the
meaning
in
their
lives
§ Q:
Why
am
I
here?
§ Q:
What
do
I
want
from
life?
§ Q:
What
gives
me
life
purpose?
§ Q:
Where
is
the
source
of
meaning
for
me
in
life?
§ Q:
Do
you
like
the
direction
of
your
life?
§ Q:
Are
you
pleased
with
what
you
now
are
and
what
you
are
becoming?
§ Q:
If
you
are
confused
about
who
you
are
and
what
you
want
for
yourself,
what
are
you
doing
to
get
some
clarity?
§ The
Problem
of
Discarding
Old
Values:
• Students
may
discard
traditional
(and
imposed)
values
without
finding
other,
suitable
ones
to
replace
them
• Help
students
create
a
value
system
based
on
a
way
of
living
that
is
consistent
with
their
way
of
being
• Trust
the
capacity
of
clients
to
eventually
discover
an
internally
derived
value
system
that
does
provide
a
meaningful
life
§ Meaningless:
• Faced
with
the
prospect
of
our
mortality:
o Q:
Is
there
any
point
to
what
I
do
now,
since
I
will
eventually
die?
o Q:
What
will
I
do
be
forgotten
when
I
am
gone?
o Q:
Given
the
fact
of
mortality,
why
should
I
busy
myself
with
anything?
• Meaningfulness
in
life
can
lead
to
emptiness
and
hollowness,
or
a
condition
called
the
existential
vacuum
o When
students
do
not
busy
themselves
with
routine
or
with
work
§ Creating
New
Meaning:
• Point
out
to
students
that
they
can
discover
meaning
even
in
suffering
• Human
suffering
(the
tragic
and
negative
aspects
of
life)
can
be
turned
into
human
achievement
by
the
stand
an
individual
takes
when
faced
with
it
• People
who
confront
pain,
guilt,
despair,
and
death
can
challenge
their
despair
and
thus
triumph
• Meaning
is
created
our
of
an
individual’s
engagement
with
what
is
valued,
and
this
commitment
provides
the
purpose
that
makes
life
worthwhile

4. 4
Form
A
-­‐
Critical
Evaluation
Counseling
&
Development
o Proposition
5:
Anxiety
as
a
condition
of
living
§ Anxiety
arises
from
one’s
personal
strivings
to
survive
and
to
maintain
and
assert
one’s
being,
and
the
feelings
anxiety
generates
are
an
inevitable
aspect
of
the
human
condition
§ Existential
Anxiety:
The
unavoidable
result
of
being
confronted
with
the
“givens
of
existence”:
Death,
Freedom,
Choice,
Isolation,
and
meaninglessness
-­‐
Can
be
a
stimulus
for
growth
§ Normal
Anxiety:
An
appropriate
response
to
an
even
being
faced
-­‐
Can
be
used
as
a
motivation
to
change
-­‐
We
could
not
survive
without
some
anxiety,
it
is
not
a
goal
to
eliminate
this
§ Neurotic
Anxiety:
Out
of
proportion
to
the
situation.
It
is
typically
out
of
awareness,
and
it
tends
to
immobilize
the
person
§ We
can
blunt
anxiety
by
constricting
our
life
and
thus
reducing
choices
§ Opening
up
to
new
life,
however,
means
opening
up
to
anxiety
§ As
students
recognize
the
realities
of
their
confrontation
with
pain
and
suffering,
their
need
to
struggle
for
survival,
and
their
basic
fallibility,
anxiety
surfaces
o Proposition
6:
Awareness
of
Death
and
Nonbeing
§ Awareness
of
death
as
a
basic
human
condition
gives
significance
to
living
§ Death
should
not
be
considered
a
threat.
Rather,
death
provides
the
motivation
for
us
to
live
our
lives
fully
and
take
advantage
of
each
opportunity
to
do
something
meaningful
§ One
focus
is
on
exploring
the
degree
to
which
students
are
doing
the
things
they
value
§ Those
who
fear
death
also
fear
life
§ When
we
emotionally
accept
the
reality
of
our
eventual
death,
we
realize
more
clearly
that
our
actions
DO
count!
We
have
choices
and
we
must
accept
the
ultimate
responsibility
for
how
well
we
are
living
Therapeutic
Process:
Most
important
Therapeutic
Goals
• Help
students
define
meaning
in
their
life
• Help
students
to
recognize
factors
that
block
their
freedom
• Challenge
students
to
recognize
that
they
are
doing
something
that
they
formerly
thought
was
happening
to
them
o The
student
is
the
cause,
not
others
• To
widen
the
students’
perspectives
on
choice
-­‐
They’re
NOT
stuck!
• To
help
students
accept
the
freedom
and
responsibility
that
go
along
with
their
actions
• Encourage
students
to
reflect
on
life,
to
recognize
their
range
of
alternatives,
and
to
decide
among
them
• Encourage
students
to
explore
their
options
before
creating
a
meaningful
existence
• Invitation
to
students
to
recognize
the
ways
in
which
they
are
NOT
living
fully
authentic
lives
and
to
make
choices
that
will
lead
to
their
becoming
what
they
are
capable
of
being
• Assist
students
in
moving
toward
authenticity
and
learning
to
recognize
when
they
are
deceiving
themselves
• There
is
no
escape
from
freedom
• Assist
students
in
recognizing
that
they
are
not
fully
present
in
the
therapy
process
itself
and
in
seeing
how
this
pattern
may
limit
them
outside
of
therapy
• Support
students
in
confronting
the
anxieties
that
they
have
so
long
sought
to
avoid
• Help
students
redefine
themselves
and
their
world
in
ways
that
foster
greater
genuineness
of
contact
with
life
• Increased
awareness
is
the
central
goal
Functions
and
Role
of
the
Student
Affairs
Professional
• Students
CURRENT
experience
is
the
focus,
regardless
of
the
technique
being
used
• Be
active
in
the
therapeutic
process!
• Confront
students
with
addressing
ultimate
(global)
concerns
rather
than
coping
with
immediate
problems
• To
be
warm,
welcoming,
and
friendly
• Accept
students
with
unconditional
regard
• Offer
students
a
“context
for
change”
• Strive
to
create
a
caring
relationship
with
students
• Guided
by
the
philosophical
framework
about
what
it
means
to
be
human
• Indicate
to
the
student
that
a
price
must
be
paid
for
increased
awareness
• Assist
students
in
seeing
the
ways
in
which
they
constrict
their
awareness
and
the
cost
of
such
constrictions
• Hold
up
a
mirror,
so
that
students
can
gradually
engage
in
self-­‐confrontation
(hypothetical
mirror)
• Central
prominence
is
given
to
the
relationship
with
the
student
-­‐
RESPECT
is
at
it’s
core

5. 5
Form
A
-­‐
Critical
Evaluation
Counseling
&
Development
The
students’
role
in
the
Therapeutic
Process
• Expected
to
put
into
action
in
daily
life
what
they
learn
about
themselves
• Recognize
that
they
do
not
have
to
remain
passive
victims
of
their
circumstances,
but
instead
can
consciously
become
the
architect
of
their
own
life
• Encouraged
to
take
seriously
their
own
subjective
experience
of
their
world
• Challenged
to
take
responsibility
for
how
they
now
choose
to
be
in
their
world
• Encourage
students
to
take
action
on
the
basis
of
the
insights
they
develop
• Explore
alternative
for
making
their
visions
real
Applications:
Techniques
and
procedures
of
(Theory)
-­‐
-­‐Techniques
and
Methods
applicable
Existentialism
practice
in
Student
Affairs-­‐
• There
is
a
de-­‐emphasis
on
techniques
and
a
priority
given
to
understanding
the
students’
world
• Description,
understanding,
and
exploration
of
the
students’
subjective
reality
• Assist
students
in
identifying
and
clarifying
their
assumptions
about
the
world
• Invite
students
to
define
and
question
the
ways
in
which
they
perceive
and
make
sense
of
their
existence
• Examine
students’
values,
beliefs,
and
assumptions
to
determine
their
validity
• Teach
students
how
to
reflect
on
their
own
existence
and
to
examine
their
role
in
creating
their
problems
in
living
• Students
are
encouraged
to
more
fully
examine
the
source
and
authority
of
their
present
value
system
• Self-­‐exploration
typically
leads
to
new
insights
and
some
restricting
of
values
and
attitudes
• Focus
on
helping
the
student
take
what
they
learn
about
themselves
and
put
it
into
action!
-­‐Major
strengths
of
Existentialism
from
a
diversity
perspective-­‐
• Great
for
students
seeking
personal
growth
• The
cultural,
social,
political
and
ideological
context
MUST
be
taken
into
account
when
using
this
approach
• Existential
therapy
does
not
dictate
a
particular
way
of
viewing
reality
• Broadly
based
perspective
which
makes
it
highly
applicable
in
working
with
multicultural
populations
• Focus
on
available
choices
and
pathways
toward
personal
growth
• Tends
to
work
well
with
students
who
are
at
a
crossroads
and
who
question
the
state
of
affairs
in
the
world
and
are
willing
to
challenge
the
status
quo
• Useful
for
students
who
are
on
the
edge
of
existence
(dying
or
contemplating
suicide),
who
are
working
through
a
developmental
or
situation
crisis,
who
feel
that
they
no
longer
belong
in
their
surroundings,
or
who
are
starting
a
new
phase
of
life
• Does
not
dictate
a
particular
way
of
viewing
or
relating
to
reality
• Broad
perspective
• The
most
useful
approach
to
helping
students
of
all
cultures
find
meaning
and
harmony
in
their
lives
• Its
focus
is
on
the
sober
issues
each
of
us
inevitably
face:
Love,
Anxiety,
Suffering,
Death
• Enables
students
to
examine
the
degree
to
which
their
behavior
is
being
influenced
by
social
and
cultural
conditioning
• Freedom
can
be
increased
if
they
recognize
the
social
limits
they
are
facing
• Freedom
can
be
hindered
by
institutions
and
limited
by
their
family
-­‐Evaluation
of
Existentialism
as
it
relates
to
Student
Affairs-­‐
• Encourages
the
student
to
examine
issues
such
as
assuming
personal
responsibility,
expanding
their
awareness
of
their
current
situation
• Great
for
brief
counseling
approaches,
which
are
very
prevalent
in
higher
education
settings
• Helps
students
to
make
a
commitment
on
decisions
and
how
to
act
on
them
• Students
experiences
dissonance
(anxiety)
arising
from
making
key
choices
and
other
existential
conflicts:
Accepting
freedom
and
the
responsibility
that
goes
with
it
• Most
appropriate
for
students
who
are
committed
to
dealing
with
their
problems
about
living,
for
students
who
are
alienated
from
their
current
expectations
of
society,
or
for
those
who
are
searching
for
meaning
in
their
lives
-­‐The
most
significant
contributions
of
Existentialism
-­‐
• Best
suited
for
students
who
are
experiencing
a
lack
of
a
sense
of
identity
• Offers
promise
for
students
who
are
struggling
to
find
meaning
or
who
complain
of
feelings
of
emptiness
• Can
focus
students
on
significant
areas
such
as
assuming
personal
responsibility,
making
a
commitment
to
deciding
and
acting
and
expanding
their
awareness
of
their
current
situation

6. 6
Form
A
-­‐
Critical
Evaluation
Counseling
&
Development
-­‐The
most
significant
limitations
of
Existentialism
-­‐
• Might
not
work
with
a
student
who
assumes
we
are
pre-­‐determined
or
pre-­‐destined
(Diversity)
• Lacks
systematic
statements
of
principles
&
practices
• Vague
-­‐
Lack
of
precision
causes
confusion
and
makes
it
difficult
to
conduct
research
• Has
global
terms
&
abstract
concepts
that
can
be
difficult
to
grasp
• Limited
applicability
to
lower
functioning
students
• Not
built
for
students
in
extreme
crisis:
Rape,
Fire,
Death,
Etc…
• Limited
to
students
who
are
most
concerned
about
meeting
basic
needs
• Not
useful
for
students
who
lack
good
verbal
skills
or
those
who
may
lack
insight
(self-­‐reflection)
o They
cant
express
their
current
situations/identify
actions
to
pursue
o The
value
and
vitality
of
a
psychotherapy
approach
depends
on
its
ability
to
assist
students
in
dealing
wit
the
sources
of
pain
and
dissatisfaction
in
their
lives
• Students
with
systematic
perspectives
criticize
this
approach
because
they
are
excessively
individualistic
and
they
therefore
ignore
the
social
factors
that
cause
human
problems
• Highly
focused
on
the
philosophical
assumption
of
self-­‐determination
• If
students
expect
a
structured
and
problem-­‐oriented
approach,
they
will
not
like
existentialism
• The
level
of
maturity,
life
experience,
and
intensive
training
that
is
require
of
professionals
• Lacks
a
systematic
statement
of
the
principles
and
practices
•