Personal identity: moving beyond essence

Education’s ancient and profoundly important pursuit to ‘know thyself’, is often realised through engaging with the question ‘who am I?’ In order to the identify who in this search, it is argued in this paper that personal identity should be understood to be embedded in the purposes one has for one’s life through how one relates, and is therefore spiritual. This spiritual quality of personal identity is therefore existential in character – not essential.

However, often when children respond to this question ‘who am I?’, they rely upon socially constructed categories and labels such as religious, feminine, cool, punk and the like. The application of such labelling assumes that meaningfulness lies in their essence; that is, they identify what is. This can become most problematic when individuals accept and apply such essentialist labelling to themselves, because such a process can only answer ‘what am I?’ and not the educationally more important question of ‘who am I?’ This paper therefore challenges the inadequacy of such an approach and offers a conceptualisation of personal identity which is spiritually embedded in a purpose for one’s life.     

Heidegger in Mexico: Emilio Uranga’s ontological hermeneutics

“Exiled” Spanish philosopher José Gaos was the first to translate, in its entirety, Martin Heidegger’s Sein und Zeit. Emilio Uranga, a student of Gaos in Mexico City (exiled since 1938), appropriates Heidegger’s ontological hermeneutics in an effort to expose the historico-existential structures making up “lo mexicano,” or Mexicanness. Uranga’s Análisis del ser del mexicano (1952) freely and creatively employs the methods of existential analysis, suggesting that the being-there of the Mexican being is ontologically “insufficient” and “accidental”—modes of being reflected in existential expressions of sentimentality, indifference, and angst particular to this form of life. As a work indebted to Heidegger’s Sein und Zeit, Analysis of the Being of the Mexican fails to be faithful to this method. This, however, is the source of its value. The purpose of this paper is two-fold: one, to introduce the Anglo–American philosophical readership to Uranga’s existential phenomenology; and, two, to disentangle the lines of thought that make up Uranga’s Análisis and in the process defend Uranga from the possible charge that he ignorantly misappropriates Heidegger’s method.

Heidegger's Reception of Kierkegaard: The Existential Philosophy of Death

After briefly drawing attention to two key strains in the history of philosophy's dealings with death, the Platonic and the Epicurean, I describe a more recent philosophical alternative to viewing death in terms of this ancient dichotomy. This is the alternative championed by the likes of Søren Kierkegaard, the father of existentialism, and Martin Heidegger, whose work on death tends to overshadow Kierkegaard's despite the undeniable influence exerted on him by the nineteenth century Dane. By exploring this influence, a deep connection between them on the topic of death becomes apparent. Although both of these thinkers arise from the Platonic/Christian tradition, I discuss how they handle Epicurean insights about death in their work, and thereby prescribe a peculiar way of living with death that falls somewhere in between the Platonic and the Epicurean strains. This way of approaching life through death, in which Kierkegaard and Heidegger show signs of reaction to (and in some cases, influence from) both strains, is what I call the ‘existential philosophy of death’.     

Primary and secondary reflection in existential family therapy

The author uses Gabriel Marcel's topology of primary and secondary thought to clarify and outline the process of reflection in Existential Family Therapy. Clinical material is used to illustrate the differences between primary and secondary reflection during the practice of Existential Family Therapy.     

The practices of existential psychotherapists: development and application of an observational grid

Within the major therapeutic paradigms, observational instruments have been developed to assess orientation-specific interventions or processes. However, to date, no such instrument exists to assess existential practices. Recent research indicates the key practices of existential therapists, and forms an empirical basis on which to develop an observatory grid. This paper describes the development of such a grid, and its exploratory testing with eight clients of four Portuguese existential psychotherapists. A total of 32 sessions were observed and both speaking turn and whole-session analysis showed that it was feasible to assess existential therapy using the instrument, although psychometric findings recommend further refinement of the tool. Session-rating data suggest that the chief practices applied by existential therapists were relational, followed by the use of hermeneutic interventions and reformulations. Interventions based on phenomenological and existential assumptions were observable in practice but limited in frequency. Further refinements and developments of the observational grid, together with additional research – using a range of therapists from different schools of existential therapy – are recommended.     

The contributions of religious practice,existential certainty,and raising grandchildren to well-being in older adults

ABSTRACT

Religious beliefs and practices are believed to foster well-being across the life course. This study examines whether religious practice, spiritual development, and existential certainty are positively linked to well-being in grandparents (N = 2,503) and whether these factors buffer grandparents from risks associated with raising grandchildren and adjusting to changing roles. Data were collected from individuals attending Protestant churches. Spiritual development and existential certainty were positively associated with well-being. We found no evidence for buffering effects of religious practice on grandparent well-being. Grandparents raising grandchildren reported more challenges in adjusting to changes in roles compared to their peers.     

The authenticity of Christian Evangelicals: between individuality and obedience

Based on ethnographic data in a Christian Evangelical church in the UK, the article shows how Evangelical Christians construct their individual and group identity through appeals to authenticity. Authenticity, as it emerges from the local narratives, shares much with philosophical and sociological understandings of it, yet it is articulated within the framework of tradition. By grounding authenticity in Christian tradition, Evangelicals construct an identity which they understand as distinctive rather than morally superior to other moral traditions. Christian authenticity is a moral pursuit that requires obedience—the acceptance of God’s will. This is contrasted with the celebration of individual self-authority that is at the core of Western society. The tension between individuality and obedience to God is the motif that makes Christianity distinctive in the eyes of the informants in this study. It is also the basis for the formation of the Christian self.     

The battle within the self, 1: An existential framework for understanding personality disorders

A new phenomenologically based model for understanding personality disorders is presented. This model draws upon the existential concepts of Dasein and pitch to explain how individuals with personality disorders have extremely constricted and rigid experiences of the world. When they were children, these individuals internalized and retained hypercritical, sadistic parental messages. Such covert parental voices are misidentified as rational evaluations by these patients who are deficient in their capacity to engage in rational self-evaluation. When these individuals are encouraged to observe and report upon the internalized self-attacks, their observing ego is strengthened and an effective groundwork is set for ultimate changes in behavior.     

The existential dimension in psychiatry: an enactive framework

ABSTRACT

In his paper Psychiatry and religion: Consensus reached!, Verhagen advocates the relevance of spirituality and religion for the “origins, understanding, and treatment of psychiatric disorders”. In this comment, I argue for the broader claim that the existential dimension is important for understanding psychiatric disorders – of which religion can, but must not necessarily be, part. The existential dimension refers to our ability to relate to ourselves, our experiences, and our situation. This evaluative relation can play an important role in psychiatry: it can co-constitute the disorder, be affected by the disorder, and/or modulate the course of the disorder. Given this importance, it makes sense to explicitly recognize the existential dimension in our explanatory model of psychiatric disorders. The biopsychosocial model goes a long way in providing an integrative model, but there is room for improvement, especially when it comes to integration of its aspects, and acknowledging the existential aspect. I briefly introduce the research paradigm of enactivism, and suggest that an enactive framework is well-suited to incorporate this existential dimension – along with the traditional dimensions of the biopsychosocial model.     

A validity study of existential/dialectical marital questionnaire [EDMQ]: A psychometric questionnaire for assessing marital interaction

This paper reports the successful development of a psychometric questionnaire for analyzing marital functioning and interaction based on an existential/dialectical model originally presented by Charny as the basis for a clinical model for rating couples,Existential/Dialectical Marital Profile [EDMP]. The clinical model and psychometric questionnaire address five main areas of functioning in marriage: family management, companionship, relationship and communication, attraction and sexuality, and parenting; as well as five main dimensions of marital relationship: competence, commitment, respect, power, and closeness.Presented at the Conference of the International Family Therapy Association, Amsterdam, May, 1993. This study was completed as a master's thesis by Shlomit Asineli in collaboration with and under the supervision of Professor Israel Charny at the Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University.     

Mourning the person one could have become: The existential transition for the psychotherapy clients experienced by abuse or neglect

Mourning the “Person One Could Have Become” (POCHB) is an existential transition for traumatized individuals. In order to survive, they tend to mystify their existence, hoping that one day they will eventually turn into POCHB. POCHB is conceptualized as personality and physical characteristics that could have emerged if an individual at the right time had received an appropriate quantity and quality of nurturing and developmental stimuli, which consequently would have enabled the person to make more mature choices. The process of mourning the POCHB is part of the group therapy. The role of the therapist in facilitating such mourning is discussed. Possible obstacles to the process of mourning are depicted. Theoretical assumptions are illustrated with cases of two clients.     

An existential interpretation of success neurosis

The fear of success is typically interpreted as a neurosis in which the fear of change plays a central role. In spite of agreeing with the existence of this syndrome in clinical practice. this author holds that a similar ambivalence about change lurks within ourselves as well. We are especially like patients in that, in spite of their often unique conflicts, they also run away, like us, from true success. In defining the latter, the author interprets it as synonymous with living an ethical life filled with reverence and respect for all.Grateful acknowledgement is made to Stephen Getsinger, Ph.D., for having read and made numerous cogent remarks on this paper.     

An existential view of adolescent development

In clinical work with adolescents there is a stark similarity between what they experience and the concepts of existentialism. However, surprisingly very little has been written in terms of how the concepts of existentialism can or should be applied to this age group. Rather, existentialism seems to be a concept reserved for its application to the adult population. In fact, a search of the literature included in PsychINFO under "existentialism" and "adolescent development" results in only 5 hits. Perhaps by avoiding the use of these ideas as they might apply to adolescents, for various reasons a disservice is being done. Drawing on ideas posited in existential literature will not only benefit adolescents, it will assist caring adults in their work with them and encourage professionals to expand on existing ideas when conducting research and developing theories that apply to this age group.     

From cultural to existential diversity: The impossibility of psychotherapy integration within a traditional framework

The authors build upon Castonguay and Goldfried's analysis regarding issues and directions central to advancing psychotherapy integration. They elaborate on two issues addressed only minimally in Castonguay and Goldfried's article. The first involves moving beyond traditional psychotherapy territory to include cultural, self-in-relationship, and interdisciplinary domains. The second concerns using more holistic and synergistic processes to coconstruct integrative theories and approaches. Finally, the authors offer some insights into what they believe should be the goals of the integrative movement and into additional issues they think should be addressed to attain these goals. Psychotherapy has become so complex and changing that we need a new view—one that recognizes the impossibility of any final or superior integrative theory and the need for constant change and evolution in theory and practice.     

Jung's concept of the archetype: An existential phenomenological reflection

Abstract

The concept of the archetype became the central focus of Jung's analytic psychology. This paper will present some phenomenological reflections on this concept. It will first reason that the archetype is not a phenomenologically acceptable concept by drawing upon the absolutely unconscious nature of the archetypes, their independence from the individual's intentionaliry, and their separateness from Dasein. The paper will then argue that what Jung refers to as “archetypal” images, ideas, and experiences do have phenomenological value. As data pursuant to a phenomenological analysis, they may lead to a better understanding of those psychological experiences that may be common to all of humanity.