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Review of Existential Therapy

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Theory Summary: Existential Therapy

Theory Summary: Existential Therapy

Existential therapy is an insight-oriented therapy, which is very similar to Freudian psychoanalysis and Adlerian personal psychology. Existential therapy differs from these other insight therapies in that it is more of a philosophical or intellectual approach to understanding a person’s problems rather than a set of techniques. Existential therapy puts emphasis on our freedom to decide what we make of our situation and believes that we are free and consequently responsible for the choices we make and the actions we take (Cory, 2013).

There are six key concepts related to existential therapy, the first of which is that we have the capacity for self-awareness. This concept tells us that we can either limit or expand our conscious depending on our awareness. Expanding our self-awareness allows us to grow in our life and in the things we do in life. The greater our awareness, the greater our responsibilities for freedom, which is the second key concept. This means that we are responsible for our actions and everything else we choose to do with our life. It is very important to consider culture backgrounds when counseling someone and assisting them with their choices. Creating individual identity and establishing meaningful relationships with others is the third concept. This concept deals with people being concerned about themselves and how this relates to other. The fourth concept is our search for meaning which is the constant effort to find a purpose in life. In existential therapy the goal is to find meaning and challenge the meaning of their life. The questions often ask when trying to find the meaning of life are why am I here, what do I want from life, what gives my life purpose, and where is the source of meaning in my life. Existential theory also says that anxiety, the

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