Existential Theory - Essay Example

Existentialist Theory Existential theory is grounded on the philosophical constructs of “freedom” and “responsibility”. It basically adheres to thebelief that we have the freedom to make choices in our lives, but should be responsible for the consequences of those choices. The adage “Life is what we make it” summarizes the complex theories of existentialism. Admittedly, as I was reading through existential theories, I felt inadequate and shallow. Reading great minds of brilliant philosophers like Kierkegaard, Sartre, Frankl, Bugental & Yalom is a humbling experience. However, my personal view is that their human ideas could still be improved if these are infused with Christian principles. That is my modest attempt in the course of this paper. Finding meaning in one’s life is a difficult contemplation that confronts our personal convictions. Why am I here? What is my life’s purpose? Difficult questions to answer at gunpoint, and when one takes time to really think about it, considers a multitude of aspects over time, and still not come up with a comprehensive and comprehensible answer. Being in this state of questioning creates anxiety. This anxiety, considered good by existentialists, drives us to create a life that is meaningful and has purpose. The bible offers relief in this gut-wrenching deliberation of what our purpose in life is: “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.” Ephesians 1:11 (Msg). Living our lives in congruence to God’s will frees us from making wrong decisions and assures us of meaning and purpose. The existential approach views human nature as comprised of the following: capacity for self-awareness; freedom and responsibility; creating one’s identity and establishing meaningful relationships with others; the search for meaning, purpose, values and goals; anxiety as a condition of living; and awareness of death and non-being. In Existential therapy, both therapist and client thoroughly explore each concept. Achieving true self-awareness is an aim of all counseling. It empowers the client to know what he is all about – his motivations, temperament, skills and limitations, and use this knowledge in making the right choices for his own life. It also opens up the client to his options in case he makes a wrong choice and pursues those according to what he believes will make his life worth living. The strong emphasis of existential theory on freedom and responsibility may be paralleled to God’s gift of free will. Since we freely make decisions about our lives in accordance to our circumstances and what we believe is right, we should be responsible for the consequences, be they good or bad. The existentialists are not tolerant of excuses, as they assume that decisions have been thoroughly thought out before being made. Freedom and responsibility entails commitment to one’s convictions. Having our own identity and establishing relationships with others often creates dilemmas. Most clients have lost their identities because they have allowed others to create it for them in an attempt to maintain harmonious relationships. It is part of human nature to seek connectedness to others, the social beings that we are, however, we must remain true to our authentic selves. Part of our growth is searching for and establishing deep meaning in our lives. At times, people who feel emptiness in their lives shun the struggle of creating a life with purpose. They become complacent with merely filling their time with unending tasks without pausing to reflect if what they are doing is truly meaningful and relevant. An example is that of a businessman who gains riches and success through dishonest deeds as compared to a simple social worker who is upright and honest in his ways. Who feels true happiness? The rich but dishonest man may enjoy all the comfort and luxury he desires, but inwardly, he finds no meaning in his existence. The simple but upright man may be wanting in material comforts but knows he is carrying out his life’s purpose. The bible offers: “Righteousness guards the man of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner. One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.” Proverbs 13: 6-7 (NIV). Existential theory postulates that existential anxiety is constructive, and compels us to make every effort to use our freedom to make the best decisions for a more meaningful existence. Getting out of our comfort zones to a different but better lifestyle may be a frightening move, but Christian therapists may help in assuring the client that he is capable of such a change. Besides, it would be encouraging to quote the greatest assurance of all, “’For I know the plans I have for you’, declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’.” Jeremiah 29: 11 (NIV). That, in itself may boost the confidence of a fallen person aspiring to rise again. Another important existentialist view is that awareness of death gives significance to living. If we know that we have limited time on this earth, we would endeavor to live life fully, counting every moment crucial in the fulfillment of our purpose. It must be made clear to the client that the greatest tragedy is not death but life without purpose. The relationship of the therapist and client in an existential approach is highly personal. The therapist exhibits authenticity in his own humanity to elicit the same from the client. A deep level of trust is maintained throughout the therapy period as they venture into the client’s subjective mistakes, pains, regrets and remorse to better understand his life circumstances, and come up with objective alternatives to his life decisions in the attainment of healing. A fitting declaration to the client from a trusted therapist would be words from James on trials: “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” James 1: 12 Person-Centered Therapy Person-centered therapy stems from the theories of Carl Rogers, a noted psychologist who espoused humanistic views in therapy. His non-directive approaches to the therapeutic process raised a lot of eyebrows when it was introduced because it seemed to have thrown scientific techniques out the window and instead focused on the inherent needs of the client as a human being instead of a mere subject of therapy. This approach has great respect for a client’s subjective views and potential for self-actualization. It offers a fresh and hopeful perspective on its views on human nature. The main ingredient to successful therapy is a warm and caring therapist imbued with attributes such as congruence, unconditional positive regard and accurate empathic understanding. Such qualities are hard to come by in therapists nowadays. Rogers believe that possession of such qualities in addition to a high level of maturity qualifies a person to practice as a person-centered therapist, as it does not require a specialized training. Being a sensitive and tactful listener who exudes total acceptance of the client can compensate for the lack of formal counseling techniques. The mere mention of unconditional positive regard sparked in my mind images of Jesus Christ as someone who is best qualified as a person-centered therapist. In my knowledge, he is the only human being capable of such feat, as he has proven it on the cross. His great love for us, regardless of our state of devotion to goodness or level of fallibility, is never-ending. “God shows his great love for us in this way: Christ died for us while we were still sinners.” Romans 5:8 (NCV). His qualification as a non-directive person-centered therapist overshoots Rogers’ expectations, considering he is not even a degree holder! Being congruent means being real and authentic – no discrepancy between one’s perceptions and one’s being. A therapist needs to be congruent himself before he can decipher incongruence in his clients. His wisdom enables him to spot clients whose ideal self-concept is far from the truth, (i.e. the mistaken perception of one’s greatness in a skill when in reality, he is very poor at it). His goals include helping his clients have an openness to experience, a trust in themselves, an internal source of evaluation and a willingness to continue growing. The ability of a therapist to accurately empathize with a client’s subjective experiences on an interpersonal, cognitive and affective level is essential in fully unlocking the client’s perceptions, feelings and motivations for his behavior. The therapist’s enormous capacity to understand and accept the client no matter what communicates to the client that he is a worthy person. However, the therapist must caution against being swayed by emotions of his clients to justify excuses for wrong decisions, as he must always have a firm grasp of what is right and wrong. As the saying goes, “Love the sinner but not the sin”. This is not to say that the therapist holds the moral compass in the therapy sessions, but he is in a position to influence the “awakened” client to come up with his own appropriate decisions from the therapy point forward. A client comes to a counselor with a feeling of helplessness, powerlessness and an inability to make decisions or effectively direct his own life. He finds refuge in therapy with a warm, trustworthy and accepting friend who is there for him in his seemingly lowest point. He feels safe enough to shed his mask and just be. He finds freedom to express his innermost feelings, be they positive or negative, and is assured that he will remain acceptable. In this kind of relationship, the client finds opportunity to grow and overcome his feelings of failure – and commences his healing by deciding on a positive action towards self-actualization. The assurance that God has forgiven his sins and acknowledges his remorse could greatly lift his burden. “What happiness for those whose guilt has been forgiven!...What relief for those who have confessed their sins and God has cleared their record.” Psalm 32:1 (LB). Assessment procedures are not given emphasis in the Person-centered approach. Diagnostic screening, identification of clients’ strengths and weaknesses and several other tests at the outset of therapy may even impede the progress of therapy as the therapist-client relationship is believed to evolve from the clients’ subjective sharing of his life experiences instead of a record of information created before establishing a relationship with the therapist. The best assessment for this form of therapy is self-assessment by the client. Although I believe in sharing deep dark secrets with a close, long-time friend, I found the theories of Person-centered therapy to be too good to be true, and more personal than professional especially after being exposed to other psychological approaches. The rather “Polyannaic” views that clients must be embraced with unconditional positive regard seems ideal, as if handing would-be therapists rose-colored lenses to see with. I do not feel comfortable with my jaded perception because deep inside I would really want to believe that such an approach is truly successful. However, my doubts that there is a human therapist with such immense patience and understanding while maintaining professional judgment impair my full confidence in the approach. In my book, no therapist can even come close to Jesus Christ who embodies congruence, unconditional positive regard and accurate empathic understanding. I liken Person-centered therapy to prayer- with me as the client and God as the therapist, who is consistently centered on me. “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5. Read More