How Existentialism and Psychoanalysis Influenced Frankl

Before an in-depth look at how existentialism and psychoanalysis influenced Frankl, let take a look at what each of these theories mean. Existentialism became identified with a cultural movement that blossomed in Europe during the forties and fifties; this term adopted by Jean-Paul Sartre as a self-description in Sartre and his associates postwar literary and philosophical writings. â€Å"By the mid 1970s the cultural image of existentialism had become a clichà ©, parodized in countless books and films by Woody Allen.† (123 Help me) According one website I researched, all about philosophy states the definition of Existentialism is: â€Å"Existentialism is a 20th century philosophy concerned with human existence, finding self, and the meaning of†¦show more content†¦Applying a broad definition of sexuality, he called these periods’ psychosexual stages. During each stage, the pleasure-seeking impulses of the id focus on, and derive pleasure from, a particular area of the body and in activities connected with that area†. (123 helpme) Freud’s theories parallels with what I was taught in young child development class that during the first five years, the groundwork for the child’s personality, morals and values had been laid and practically sealed.† o Psychoanalytic therapy normally has two stages: 1.the release of repression, thereby allowing the conflict to enter consciousness, and, 2.the redirection of the emotional energy (libido) associated with the repression thereby allowing the patients ego to gain control of the conflict. With the fore mention examples of existentialism and psychoanalysis, a relevant connection can be made in how Frankl’s views could have been influenced. As Frankl’s states on page 162: Optimism like happiness cannot ordered or forced it must be ensue, A human being is not one in pursuit of happiness but rater in search for a reason to be happy. Existential and psychoanalysis both seem to build off a person’s inner self, their core individuality and decides from there what they will or won’t endure for themselves or for others be it family, love ones and or friends. Where Marxism relates mostly to a society rather than an individual within a society as shown in the below excerptShow MoreRelatedA Critical Analysis Of Two Counselling Theories : Existential Therapy And Psychoanalytic Therapy2004 Words   |  9 Pagesopposing views of human nature and therapeutic goals. A key concept of existential therapy is the relationship between freedom and responsibility. In contrast to the determinist view of psychoanalytic therapy, existentialism states that individual is always free â€Å"to choose one’s way† (Frankl, 1963, p. 104). From the multitude of potential responses that could occur in reaction to stimuli, it is the individual alone who chooses what action to take (May, 1975, p. 100). A result of this freedom is theRead MoreExistentialism vs Essentialism23287 Words   |  94 PagesEssentialism vs. Existentialism Essentialism: A belief that things have a set of characteristics that make them what they are, amp; that the task of science and philosophy is their discovery amp; expression; the doctrine that essence is prior to existence While, Existentialism:A philosophical theory or approach, that emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free amp; responsible agent, determining their own development through acts of the will. Existentialism * is