Existentialism Flashcards

Question

Existential

Answer 1

Feeling of loneliness Inherent aloneness in the universe Born alone, die alone Not necessarily that we feel lonely, loneliness is a function of interpersonal isolation; some barriers you put up

Answer 2

Crave Witness Fusion

Answer 3

Live lives as a way to buffer against feelings of isolation Looking for how authentic someone is Looking for people to provide us with services rather than relating to them authentically Example- if you’re on a beach somewhere and no one knows who you are or you’re there, what is the purpose/meaning? Why are you there? Example 2- Social media

Answer 4

Let go of our boundaries Awareness of interpersonal boundary between yourself and your partner (must have limits with that boundary) If not- you will try to become your partner and adopt their preferences or beliefs Example- when someone starts dating someone new and they become a new person Example- Stephanie and AJ - Unrealistic expectations for what a relationship should look like especially around boundaries; desperation

Answer 5

Ultimate concern with meaning Search for a purpose Existence precedes essence Nothing will mean anything until we make meaning How does a being who requires meaning find meaning in a universe that has no meaning?

Answer 6

Meaninglessness We look for patterns in random stimuli and our day to day experiences that allow us to construct a story or narrative that have value defends against meaninglessness Many choose not to construct their own values and go with the norm of society If you ever look in the norm of cultural values and you don’t share/believe the same values

Answer 7

Distress Desire to avoid the anxiety that comes from confronting the four concerns

Answer 8

The consciousness of our existence means we are also conscious of nonexistent Awareness will be anxiety-provoking and painful

Answer 9

Specialness Ultimate Rescuer

Answer 10

“I am special, this won’t happen to me” Example- Thinking that if you smoke, you’re going to be one of the people who don’t get lung cancer Moving up in mortality and avoiding the anxiety about death will result in a shortened life

Answer 11

Anti-religion component Learning about other belief Belief that someone divine (or a human) is watching over them Example- “I can feel a loved one who died is watching over me” Omnipotent savior that guards and protects our welfare will help humans deal with facing mortality

Answer 12

Ultimate rescuer

Answer 13

People that want to amass a lot of goods and plans and power Feeling if you have a plan and stuff “Workaholism” - don’t have to pay attention to what might be coming down the line

Answer 14

Intrapersonal isolation Therapist and the patient are “fellow travelers” No one is immune to the ultimate concerns Therapist must also confront the ultimate concerns for themselves Idea that both patient and therapist are going through the same thing (hope therapist is further along in that journey)

Answer 15

Understand- Understand unconscious conflicts Identify- Identify defense mechanisms Discover- Discover their destructive influence Develop- Develop other ways of coping

Answer 16

Life can't be lived without this we can use therapy to alleviate the levels of anxiety that keep us from authentically navigating these concerns, we can bring it down to a level where we can use it constructively (optimal level that is motivating Example- if you have no stress about something, you are not particularly motivated to do it Find tolerable levels and use them constructively

Answer 17

Deep according to freud- been there the longest and it goes far back in the past (psychoanalyst) Deep according to existentialists- looking at the things that are most important in that moment Looking to reduce anxiety → to tolerable levels (NOT get rid of it)

Answer 18

Point out instances in the moment Correct “can’t” to “won’t” Inquire about patient’s role Encourage ownership (about thoughts and feelings) Correct inability to wish Reduce impulsivity Help patients decide

Answer 19

We set up systems where we avoid taking responsibility Will be looking for different clues where patient is not taking responsibility

Answer 20

Idea of “can’t” → Example - “I can’t go to the gym after work” Confronting that idea - “is it that you can’t, or that you are choosing not to?” It is ok not to, but you need to be conscious of the idea that it’s that you don’t want to

Answer 21

What are the decisions that led them to the situations they are in Only care about the past that brought them to where they are today

Answer 22

(about thoughts and feelings) They way they think, feel, and behave Ultimately, the choices they make

Answer 23

People may be stuck in decisional panic and become unable to wish at all and stuck waiting for people to make decisions around them Have people confront and think about what is it they really want When we can identify and wish, then we can make constructive freedom about which wishes we act upon

Answer 24

Help patient learn to distinguish between wishes and assign priorities Helping patients make a decision for themselves If i have 5 different choices I make, and I need to make one, I have to exclude the others (could make people stuck) Going through the what ifs Being able to tolerate the what ifs Example- They will make a choice about which school to go to and they won’t go to the others - they will have to exclude all the others (choosing one to go to will not PERMANENTLY exclude the other)

Answer 25

Help- Help patients focus on values beyond themselves Develop- Develop curiosity and concern for others Remove- Remove obstacles to whole-hearted engagement

Answer 26

Listen What are the things they choose to value and how is that in line with the meaning they are talking about?

Answer 27

Investigator mentality and being curious and investigating these things All the concerns are intertwined The way we can get into some of the meaning is how meaning and isolation interact Thinking about empathy for others In the way of relating in a way that is empathetic and meaningful

Answer 28

Awakening Experience Examine regret Choice towards a "lived life"

Answer 29

Forces their existential conflict with death Could be own death or own experience, serious illness, etc. OR Loss of someone close to you Activates the idea of nonexistence

Answer 30

Making the conscious decision to move forward and not rehashing the old regrets and what you could’ve done differently “You are here now with these regrets. Do you want to move forward to minimize making more regrets”

Answer 31

Idea of building a life worth living Making choices towards your lived life

Answer 32

Balance isolation and support Reciprocity and mutuality Authenticity Alone Together

Answer 33

We are always isolated in some way Intrapersonal conflict- We never fully know another person’s consciousness- there will always be a boundary and a limit Born alone and die alone Support seeking and developing a support system Isolation can be a healthy boundary

Answer 34

Building an authentic relationship - dont want fused people, want people to participate in reciprocity The therapist being a fellow traveler is modeling what an authentic relationship could look like on the outside

Answer 35

Therapist authenticity and their presence will help allow the patient in feeling more safe and experience their concerns Both therapist and patient aren't immune to the ultimate concern

Answer 36

Interactions that the fellow travelers are having and asking them to reflect on the experiences they’re having in the room Willing → “can’t” to “won’t”

Answer 37

Challenges to research on existential psychotherapy Reductions in anxiety could mean that the patient is using defenses Skills that focus on meaning-making and addressing death can be relevant for people facing cancer conditions Empirical support derived from research on common factors

Answer 38

Regardless of the culture you are in, they need to be faced by every human

Answer 39

Culture will influence the defenses we use Example- many people who are religious Is it wrong to believe you are saved with a savior if you genuinely believe it Increase meaning, engagement and purpose with the lived life they are experiencing

Answer 40

although we crave to persist in our being, we are finite creatures; We are thrown alone into existence without a predestine life structure and destiny Each of us must decide how to live as fully, happily, ethically and meaningfully as possible

Answer 41

A form of psychotherapy focused on will, freedom, meaning, and responsibility

Answer 42

the most fundamental concerns facing the individual in that moment Process Of psychotherapy

Answer 43

equated with authorship

Answer 44

wishing and deciding

Answer 45

the bridge between wishing and action Alternatives exclude Therapist task is not to create will but to disencumber it

Answer 46

a type of urgent experience that propels the individual into a confrontation with an existential situation Most powerful is a confrontation with your own death

Answer 47

has a new dimension when a therapist deals honestly with existential issues - therapist is open about own existential concerns

Answer 48

the way of the educator and the therapist- one uncovers what was there all along Meeting- existential communication