EXISTENTIAL PHILOSOPHY AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
The purpose of this paper is to delineate and discuss the relationship between existential philosophy and psychopathology. To this end, the paper first presents a review of the basics notions associated with existential philosophy. This is followed by a review of how existentialism impacted psychology and the resulting psychological theories and therapeutic practices. With the discussion of the basics of both existential philosophy and existential psychology providing context, the paper then presents a discussion of psychopathology as seen from the existential framework. The last section of the paper formulates a series of conclusions based on the reviewed material.
What is the relationship between existential philosophy and psychopathology? In order to answer this question comprehensively, the essential framework of existential philosophy must first be reviewed. In this regard, Barrett (1982) stated that the existential framework can be considered an outgrowth of the major events in history during the first half of the twenty century, these events being a world-wide economic crisis and the Great Depression which facilitated the rise of fascism throughout Europe, led to the rise of Nazi Germany and World War II, and was then followed by the nuclear age and the beginning of the Cold War. The chaos and brutality of this period caused reflective thinkers to question the absolutes that had previously been accepted both at the societal and philosophical level.
Existentialism questioned these absolutes and did so thoroughly. Although existentialism had its roots in the thinking of Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Heidegger, it was Jean-Paul Sartre, philosopher, dramatist, novelist, and political journalist, who came to be known by the world as its leading proponent. Specifically, Jean-Paul Sartre (1956, 1967) offered an analysis of the notion of a priori meaning, arguing strongly that there ...