Existential Psychotherapy Ghaemi., S. (2007). Term Paper

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Dr. Keshen feels that the reason for this is that most of the literature that is available on the subject is extremely convoluted. Even the foremost authors on the subject disagree on it verities making most existential psychotherapists' ideas heterogeneous. However, the author feel that if a more precise and well-defined model of existential psychotherapy could be developed that would be amenable to some kind of empirical validation it may be more accepted by the psychotherapeutic community. The author's purpose for this article is to crate a more clinically oriented version of existential psychology and crate a template for a "manualized" approach into the field of existential psychotherapy.

The author goes on to explore the main principles of existential psychotherapy and create an excellent diagram to exampling the overall components of the process (this is reproduced in the appendix). The main tenant of existential psychology is that all human beings have a will to purpose, a sense of engagement that give their live meaning. However, if this will to purpose remains unfulfilled for too long, an existential vacuum or void in their lives develops which may in turn become an existential neurosis (see the diagram in the appendix). This dilemma makes the patient engage in actions such as defense mechanisms to fill this void. Many are often demeaning and self-destructive such as addictive disorder, social anxiety some type of narcissism and replacement factors such as a workaholic syndrome. These are purpose substitutes because they are substitutes for activities that give authentic purpose.

The author attempt to quantify Authentic Purpose with the following definitions:

Authentic Purpose (AP) is derived from anything that one has a genuine love or interest in (as long as it does not compromise others or self). Authentic Purpose has some core similarities to the concept of "authenticity" (Bugental, 1987; Heidegger, 1962; Sartre, 1958) but is less philosophically loaded and abstract; thus, it is more applicable to clinical use. (Keshen, 2006, p. 292-293)

Dr Keshen then goes on to review six case studies in support of the clinical effort to research and develop a substantiated analysis for the application existential psychotherapy in the mainstream field of psychology.

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The author review each of these case studies and list the void of each subject's will to purpose along with the purpose substitutes being used in place of a true authentic purpose. At the end of each the author comments that the use of existential psychotherapy would certainly assist in an overall treatment of the patient's maladaptive behavior, but that further research would need to be done to prove that existential psychotherapy would be an effective treatment in these cases. While there is much promise to the work begun here there is little empirical data to support the overall thesis of Dr. Keshen. The article is by no means meant to be an exhaustive analysis of the subject, but the beginnings of an idea, a plan to implement some standardization in the field of existential psychology. While even the work "standardization" is often anathema to most existentialists, it is a primary ingredient in attempting to broach the highly regulated field of psychotherapy. The author concludes, along with this writer, that existential psychotherapy has great potential in the field of psychology and that it is certainly under utilized today. This article is an attempt to create a more visceral and tangible version of existential psychology, in the hopes of laying the groundwork for the production of an existential psychotherapy manual. This may possibly bring this hybrid of philosophy and psychology together in the field of psychotherapy......

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