2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43
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Theories and Practices continue to explain the meaning of frequently used expressions, which are often used in colloquial speech in the wrong sense. In this issue - what is Sunday neurosis, how important it is to feel your individuality and why there is no destiny other than the one that we create ourselves
An “existential crisis” is a typical first world problem: an intelligent being, freed from the need to constantly solve the most pressing issues of survival, has enough time to think about the meaning of his own life, and often come to disappointing conclusions. But before diagnosing an existential crisis in oneself, it is worth learning more about the philosophy of existentialism and the existential psychology that grew out of it.
Existentialism had a huge impact on the culture of the twentieth century, but, remarkably, it never existed in its pure form as a separate philosophical trend. Practically none of the philosophers, whom we now refer to as existentialists, did not designate their belonging to this trend - the only exception is the French philosopher and writer Jean-Paul Sartre, who unequivocally showed his position in the report "Existentialism is humanism." And nevertheless, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Albert Camus, Jose Ortega y Gasset, Roland Barthes, Karl Jaspers, Martin Heidegger are ranked among the existentialists. There was something in common in the intellectual quest of these thinkers - they all paid special attention to the uniqueness of human existence. The very name "existentialism" comes from the Latin word existentia - "existence." However, by "existence" philosophers-existentialists mean not just existence as such, but the individual experience of this existence by a specific person.
A person wants to believe that his life is important, and at the same time, looking at his being as if from the outside, he suddenly realizes that human existence has neither a predetermined purpose, nor an objective meaning
This concept was first introduced by the forerunner of the existentialists, the 19th century Danish philosopher Seren Kierkegaard, who defined it as an awareness of the inner being of a person in the world. A person can acquire "existence" through a conscious choice, moving from "inauthentic", contemplative-sensual and external-world-oriented existence to comprehending himself and his own uniqueness.
But a person does not always succeed in realizing himself as "existence" - he is too distracted by everyday worries, momentary pleasures and other external factors. As one of the existentialists, Karl Jaspers, believed, this knowledge comes to him in a special, "borderline" situation - such as a threat to his life, suffering, struggle, helplessness in the face of chance, a deep sense of guilt. For example, Hamlet's existential quest - "to be or not to be?" - were provoked by the death of his father.
And if at such a critical moment a person begins to be tormented by questions about the meaning of his own existence, to which he cannot give a satisfactory answer, he has an existential crisis. A person wants to believe that his life has value, and at the same time, looking at his being as if from the outside, he suddenly realizes that human existence has neither a given purpose, nor an objective meaning. Such a discovery can cause deep depression or lead to radical changes in life.
How to approach the solution of this issue is a private matter for everyone. But, as in the case of cognitive dissonance, many people try to cope with an existential crisis in the simplest way - not through the search for their individual truth, but through the adoption of some ready-made concept, be it religion, tradition, or just a certain worldview system.
But since we call this crisis "existential", one of the possible solutions to the problem also lies in the field of existentialism. And this philosophy does not give ready-made answers, emphasizing that a person should first of all focus on himself and on his unique inner experience. In this regard, the famous phrase from "The Terminator" - "there is no destiny, except for the one that we create ourselves" is in some consonant with the concept of existentialism. And if to paraphrase a little - there is no point, except that we define ourselves. Thus, existentialism gives the life of each person to him in full possession, providing maximum freedom of action. But the flip side of this freedom is responsibility to oneself and the rest of the world. After all, if there is no “original” meaning in life, its value is manifested precisely in how a person realizes himself, in the choices and actions he has made. He himself must set himself individual tasks, relying largely on intuition and self-knowledge, and he himself will assess how well he managed to cope with them.
Frankl founded a new method of psychotherapy - logotherapy, focused on helping a person find the meaning of life. The psychologist believed that the three main ways to this are creativity, the experience of life values and the conscious acceptance of a certain attitude towards circumstances that we cannot change
Seeking the truth in oneself, not relying on an external "coordinate system" and realizing the entire absurdity of being, is a serious challenge for which not everyone is ready, and that is why existentialism is often called the "philosophy of despair." And yet, this approach allows in some way to look at life more creatively. This is helped by the existential direction in psychology, which helps a person to realize his life and take responsibility for it. The most interesting supporter of this trend is the Austrian psychotherapist, psychiatrist and neurologist Viktor Frankl, who for three years was a prisoner of a fascist concentration camp and still managed to overcome the torment of mental emptiness and hopeless existence. In his works, he speaks of an "existential vacuum", a kind of disease of the twentieth century, an era of change and destruction, when people felt disconnected from traditional values and losing support. Frankl founded a new method of psychotherapy - logotherapy, focused on helping a person find the meaning of life. The psychologist believed that the three main ways to this are creativity, the experience of life values and the conscious acceptance of a certain attitude towards circumstances that we cannot change.
Frankl also talks about a particular manifestation of the existential crisis - "Sunday neurosis." This is a depressed state and a feeling of emptiness that people often experience at the end of the working week - as soon as they stop busy with urgent matters, they begin to feel empty due to the lack of meaning in their lives. Perhaps it is this unfortunate phenomenon that is largely responsible for the bar's earnings on Friday nights.
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