Theory and Practice of Existential Psychology

The names of the authors whose works are collected in this book are firmly associated with existentialism, as these individuals were at the origins of the development of the existential direction in psychology and psychiatry. These works form a kind of encyclopedia of existential psychology for American psychologists; their publication became one of those factors that significantly contributed to the establishment of modern psychology and psychiatry at that time.
Rollo May, one of the main transmitters of existentialism ideas in psychology, believed that only the existential direction would help fill the serious gaps that exist in the psychological understanding of a person, which has developed under the influence of psychoanalysis. According to him, the existential approach provides answers to questions that trouble many psychologists and psychiatrists. Existential methods are ideally suited for psychological counseling, as in the context of counseling work, rigid schematization and reducing people and their problems to narrow structured frames do not yield results. The structure of the individual's world is revealed through their life story, language manifestations, dreams, and emotional experiences. The existential direction opened up possibilities for a completely different perspective on human problems, as well as for a deeper penetration into their experiences.
To psychologists, psychiatrists, and specialists helping people achieve mental health, and to all those who are not indifferent to the questions of being, human existence, and its development.