chapter 7 - romanticism and existentialism

Question 1

what is romanticism a reaction to?

Answer 1

• the enlightenment period / end of renaissance
• push back against enlightenment thinking (empiricism and rationalism)
• romantics placed importance on logic, reason, and rational thinking, and emotion

Question 2

what are the main ideas of existentialism?

Answer 2

• free will
• search for meaning: of life, existence; very important to humans, reaching our potential, growth (what does not kill us makes us stronger)
• subjective experiences: emotion, feeling, purpose are important, our perspective of the world is important to us, responsibility
• rational (desire for order), irrational (chaos) aspects of human nature

Question 3

what are the similarities and differences between romanticism and existentialism?

Answer 3

• similarities: highly value emotion; criques society, free will, against mechanism and materialism
• differences: existentialism focuses on meaning, argues subjective experience is most important, involves existential crisis
  romanticism focuses on importance of irrational human nature, anti-enlightenment

Question 4

how did these movements influence future theories in psychology?

Answer 4

• psychology focuses on the unique, individual, emotional experience, which points to the romanticism era
• all we know is out own conscious experiences, points to existentialism

Question 5

how would the romanticists and existentialists describe the causes of human behavior and thought?

Answer 5

• romanticism: appreciation for nature, emotion over reason, senses over intellect, heightened examination of human personality and its mental potentialities
• existentialism: meaning and purpose of human existence, thoughts and behaviors are shaped by a temporary existence