Humanism and Existentialism, Existential Psychology and Personalities - Research Paper Example

Humanism and Existentialism Existential psychology and personalities are people who contemplate the meaning of life andseek knowledge on what the purpose of living entails. Most thinking personalities are likely to come across this phase in their lives. Humanism on the contrary, is a perspective of thinking within existential thinking. Primarily, humanism is centered on living a life that benefits other human beings and pursuing morality in exercising one’s freedom. Both disciplines are founded on the grounds of freewill and the use of one’s personal freedom as one deserves. These philosophies, although humanism is more of a perspective than an entire philosophy, have various similarities and differences. The recurrent difference is that humanism emphasizes on creativity and leading a better life whereas existentialism emphasizes on the use of one’s freedom and acceptance of responsibility for actions. Key Words: Humanism, Existentialism, Philosophy, Personality Introduction Humanism and existentialism are two different approaches in psychotherapy that have been used to cure multiple personality issues that most people encounter. Arguably, these two disciplines have been used to explain multiple issues that people face throughout their life while trying to assess the question, why were they born. Arguably, it is evident that a majority of the people face this situation once in their lives and might slump into a situation of depression. The search for the meaning of life, in a meaningless world is an issue that torments a number of people. The disciplines of humanistic psychology or psychotherapy and existential psychology or psychotherapy were designed to understand such human behavior and offer therapeutic assistance. Exploring both disciplines in detail by analysis of their connections and the various differences that these disciplines offer can assist in understanding these personality theories. Primarily, humanism is a psychological perspective in which a person seeks self-actualization by allowing each individual to express his various capabilities and creativity. This perspective is mostly associated with the changes in the manner in which people view their reasons for existence in this world (Barnes, 1962). Humanism helps people view themselves as whole beings with the right and power to become whatever they want by empowering themselves and propelling themselves towards their vision of the future. Humanism as a perspective helps people see the good in all individuals and is centered on the doctrine of dualism in which an individual decides ultimately which path to take in life. Conversely, Existentialism is more complex that humanism. Existentialism is not only the search for meaning in life, but is rather an entire philosophy, from which humanism borrows some of its doctrines. Existentialism operates on the notion that the inner conflicts within an individual stems from his inability to confront the constraints of existence. One of the key conflicts that individuals undergoing this philosophical outlook in life are faced with is the struggle between being themselves and fitting in with the societal expectations. Some of the other challenges that people have to face are the inevitability of death, meaninglessness of life, existential isolation and the freedom which is associated with responsibility (Raffoul, 2010). People argue that humanism is an existential perspective due to the fact that for people to discover their purpose, they must explore the thoughts of existentialism; that is, answering the question of what is the meaning of life? Existentialism and humanism have both led most people into a state of confusion that is mostly centered on several outlooks to determine how they emerge from such a situation. Some of the key features that might influence the effects that such thinking might have on an individual are hope and despair, living and dying and purpose or absurdity. Origins of the Personality Theories Inasmuch as these philosophies are connected, understanding the background of existentialism first would be a much better approach in understanding these perspectives in detail. Humanism was founded around the teachings of people such as Socrates and founded on a research by Sigmund Feud on behaviorism. Existentialism on the contrary, Soren Kierkegaard and another philosopher by the name, Friedrich Nietzsche are the some of the first thinkers in the line of existentialism (Sartre, 2007). This perspective of thinking began during the nineteenth century. Existentialism is founded on several perspectives such as the psychological dysfunction, existential therapy, the good life and the four worlds. The psychological dysfunction is founded on the fact that everyone has the freewill to do whatever they want. The psychological dysfunction occurs when people are unable to face the fact that the constraints set by the society can be overturn. Some people vision an ideal life that they would like to leave but most people do not know that they can choose to go against the "givens"of society. Additionally, the search or quest for a good life is another key determining feature of an individual going through this phase in life. People who succeed to go through with this phase of life is the courage to do what one feels like doing and not being afraid of achieving the kind of life that they would find ideal. However, one has to accept that there are consequences to accepting such consequences. People seek to follow morality and pursue other things that they want to follow in their lives. The search for a good life can help one overcome the fear of death. The four world’s concept of existentialism are the psychological perspective, the social dimension, the physical perspective and the spiritual dimension. In the physical dimension people seek to have some wealth and good health in life. This concept has helped a majority of people pursue career growth as well as improve their health and dietary intakes. Most people connect illness with their own morality and hence pursue to be as moral as possible. Arguably, another main dimension that is assessed is the social dimension. The social dimension is founded on two main perspectives; love and hate and cooperation or competition. Some people try to fit in with the society by following the current trends and behaviors of the current moment, whereas others seek to be trendsetters and start their own journeys. The psychological dimension people create a personal world in which they decide their rules and design a world that they love ultimately. In this perspective, people struggle to establish a sense of identity. People are confronted with countless opposition from the society’s givens and from people who might not understand them. Some confrontations are great and this can cause them to go into a state of confusion or even emotional disintegration. Self-affirmation is the only way through which people can manage to go through and maintain their sanity. The spiritual dimension is also another key area that affects the person’s thinking in that an individual creates an ideology, an idea and a philosophical outlook on the meaning of life. Humanistic therapy is a part of existentialism. It is founded on the doctrine of freewill. The humanistic approach is centered on the choice of an individual to become the best version of him or herself.The humanistic approach is assumed to lead people toward a healthy path. Currently, the path led by most people is seen by humanistic thinkers as a troubled path and humanistic thinkers assume that they can use their creativity to heal the world. Humanistic thinking is better than existential thinking because the latter gives people the freedom to choose what to do, whereas humanistic thinking purposely requires people to do good to the society. The freedom to choose should however be maximized for this kind of an effect to be achieved. Applicability Today Various dogmas including Judeo-Christian ideologies, personalism and even some ancient philosophies perpetrate humanism. Humanism is thus a perspective that is common among most people. Self-actualization is a need by most people to explore their potential. Humanism is based on consciousness in the freedom made by most people. Arguably, freedom is associated with responsibility as held by existentialism. Human beings are intentional beings and thus they should be aware of their intentions when living. However, the perspective of thinking can be met with serious oppositions in the world especially questioning the morality of the doers. Humanism is a form of existential thinking, whereas Jean-Paul Sartre argues that Existentialism is a form of humanism (Law, 2007). These two perspectives of thinking are interconnected except that the latter is more emphatic on creativity, solving problems and using one’s talents to create a better future for humanity. Humanism is emphatic on generosity and helping humanity grow and become better. Humanism uses art to unite people, music to pass positive and conscious messages and other similar aspects. Additionally, humanism is more emphatic on morality and ensures that people believe in a moral positioning that makes them seek growth and a sense of importance in themselves. Conclusion Existentialism is a philosophy, whereas humanism is a perspective within the philosophy. Humanism emphasizes the creation of art and the expression of oneself in a way that benefits humanity. As such, humanism opposes aspects such as crime, immorality or the choice of ways that are of some trouble to the world. Existentialism does not specify on the expected outcomes of one’s life but rather emphasizes on the use of one’s freewill to one’s choices which would thus justify aspects such as crime, as long as one takes responsibility for the outcomes of his actions. References Top of Form Barnes, H. E. (1962). Humanistic existentialism: The literature of possibility. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. Bottom of Form Top of Form Law, D. R. (2007). Sartres existentialism and humanism. London: SCM. Bottom of Form Top of Form Raffoul, F. (2010). The origins of responsibility. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Sartre, Jean-Paul. (2007). Existentialism Is a Humanism. New York: AAUP University Press Book for Public and Secondary School Libraries. Bottom of Form Read More