Existential Theory of Psychoanalysis in Psychotherapy

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This paper is covering the application of the Existential theory of psychoanalysis to the problems that John a patient is suffering from. The paper is focusing on describing the key issues and treatment needs of the patient in relation to the key concepts, processes, techniques, and procedures according to the theory. By doing this, it’s addressing the major issues in psychotherapy, the crisis these problems pose, and the means that a therapist would use to address the problems. Lastly, it accounts for the strengths and weaknesses of working under this theory. (7th Ed. Corey, 2005)

In this theory, the proponent has focused on freedom, isolation, death, and meaningless in handling psychological and psychotherapeutic issues. These four views are also summarized in Love’s destroyer that comprises many shared values cross-culturally. This theory is based on the possibility for good and development that is inherent in human existence giving a religious base for this optimistic view and taking into account the challenges that face humans in development.

In approaching these four major areas in love’s executioner the balance is achieved by freedom being limited by responsibility, death by human limitation, isolation by the connectedness of people, meaning by meaningless, and emotion by experience. (7th Ed. Corey, 2005)

The existential theory seeks to study couples therapy, developmental disorders, and group analysis. In dealing with psychotherapeutic issues, the theory focuses on the fundamental realities of living like the culture, social, political, and ideological context of an individual’s life. These include values and beliefs that seek to make human living purposeful, authentic, and able to live with the limitations and contradictions of the human way of life.

The theory also focuses on the meaning of life due to the anxieties and doubts about the meanings of an individual’s life. It also focuses on existential anxiety due to the attempt to create meanings in life as it also is an ingredient for vitality in life. The part of limit situations states that some things are irrevocable and we have to live with them, an example of this is death, pain, suffering, guilt, and failure.

The transparent self emphasizes that the self is formed by the individual through their own actions that in turn guide the choices we make. The existential guilt makes us feel unease with ourselves from the feelings of not living up to the standard we want. According to this theory, there are four dimensions of existence including the gods, world, earth, and man. (Kirwan, 1984)

From the patients’ description, the key issues that need special treatment include the problem of chronic stress, the difficulty to adjust to changes in life, and the possibility of shock from the loss of his wife and job. He also has the problem of exercising authority over others to make up for the inferiority, the problem of feeling general boredom, and the lack of commitment to what he likes and enjoys doing. Other problems that he has included those of being over-demanding, the problem of being a perfectionist, distancing himself from others, and an underdeveloped sense of community. (Kirwan, 1984)

The causes of these problems include the isolation by Nannies who could leave him alone at times in addition to the lack of motherly and fatherly support. This problem led to the development of lack of interconnectedness with others and the feelings of lack of community. This deficiency in lack of interconnectedness has led to the over demanding nature on other people and not reciprocating to them so as to satisfy the deficiency and the meaningless of life. Another factor to take into account is that he was born a middle child after two elder brothers that imply being less appreciated as he was probably not doing as good as the first children.

The high expectations and goals set for him by the parents led to criticisms, feelings of incapability and lack of support that in turn led to a lowly developed sense of freedom and choice as everything was planned for him. The overly pampered school going time resulted to the development of being over demanding on others like going to live with his mother and living under the support of the wife. The fact that his parents did not allow him to mess means that he had a poor development in the oral, anal and phallic stages of development that led to his improper personality development. (Kirwan, 1984)

The key concepts that can be argued to be the cause for these problems include those of repression, projection and the unconscious deprivation. Other key concepts that may have contributed to the same include that of resistance, transference, interpretation, suppressed freedom, feelings of isolation, loss of meaning, lack of emotional attachment and the effect of oedipal attachment. (7th Ed. Corey, 2005)

The therapeutic processes that can be used in an attempt to solve the problems that John is experiencing include the use of expressive arts therapy that seeks to bring back the trust and openness in creativity in connecting the personality to the self. This can be done through the use of primary integration therapy that tries to impose emotional healing from what was to what is. Psychodrama that seeks to heal the past using liberating talk and startling insight from a past scene to resolve and integrate the person to the reality can also be employed. Other processes that can be used include the Jungian sand play and gestalt therapy that use dialogue and symbols to bridge the past and the present. (Kirwan, 1984)

On the other hand the techniques that can be used to address John’s problems include the involvement in celebrations, emotional discharge, target practicing and target switching that are the tools that can be used to deviate his thinking from the current problems. The procedures of the theory that can be applied to correct John’s problems that majorly deal with the symptoms include the use of implantable devices like the use of catheters and ablation procedures. (7th Ed. Corey, 2005)

The major issues in John’s case include the isolation that leads to lack of connectedness, the suppressed freedom from upbringing, the lack of feeling of community that results to lack of sense of interdependence and inability to work cooperatively. Other major problems include the problem of deficiency in choice making like not being able to go back to his job due to the paradox of emotions and experience, the problem of having a high discrepancy between reality and its perception and that of being over demanding on others due to the development disorders. (7th Ed. Corey, 2005)

In Johns case, there is potential crisis in that having lost his house, wife and job the level of psychological loss must be high. Taking note that he has a problem with choice making, adapting to changing situations and an underdeveloped sense of community he may choose to distance himself from the tasks of life and other people. The major ways that he may use include substance use and abuse or suicide among other risky ways. (7th Ed. Corey, 2005)

A therapist using this theory to address John’s problems will need to establish a close relationship with him so as to win his cooperation. After being psychologically close to him to be able to feel his problem then he should take the opportunity to encourage, reassure and give him hope for change by giving him genuine warmth, understanding and acceptance. After that then he withdraws his neutrality so as to discover helpful ideas then combine these with the historical information about him to understand the meaning he gives to love, work and community so as to help change these views.

He should then practice encouragement skills through cultivating courage and self esteem in him then engages him in goal evaluation and formation so as to help him resolve attainable goals in life. At this stage the therapist knows enough to take him to the missing experience track that will induce different actions and thinking in him. After this he engages in enforcement of the new thoughts and experiences that makes the individual develop the feelings of community that will help in goal redirection. After goal redirection the individual can be let on his own with a little intervention to practice the new resolutions, pursue the new goals and practice the new thinking that is free from the past experiences. (Kirwan, 1984)

The ethical issues that need to be dealt with in helping John improve his life include the religious and cultural formations and value that he upholds. These include the acts of cooperation with others and reciprocating to those who help him. Other ethical issues that may need to be addressed in him are the ethical issues of respect, courtesy and patience that may be less developed in him taking into account the underdeveloped personality. This theory also views religion as a major component of self therefore the religious ethics will also need to be addressed (7th Ed. Corey, 2005)

The strengths and weaknesses of working with this theory is that it’s one of the most socially accountable psychologies, it creates for the unique development and problems of individuals and that it gives enough contribution to the individual and the society. Further it gives consideration to limitations of human life, choice, freedom and meaning of life. However, it has weaknesses in that it is a very optimistic model and gives so much emphasis on the variables of life being limited by other forces; an example is the limitation of freedom by responsibility and isolation by connectedness.

The Existential theory is a psychotherapeutic theory giving consideration on freedom as opposed to responsibility, isolation, death and meaning of life in giving individuals solutions to psychological problems. It also focuses on the inevitable experiences of life like suffering, death and pain.

Reference list

Corey, G. (7th Ed) (2005) Theory of Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy.

Corey, G. (7th Ed.) (2005) Manual for Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy.

Kirwan, W. (1984) Biblical Concepts for Christian Counseling: A Case for Integrating Psychology and Theology. Baker Academic.

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Existential Theory of Psychoanalysis in Psychotherapy

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