TOP - May: Existential Psychology by Feist & Feist
Photosource: cwdd62inxziwa6r7j2pe5ylbjh6jc3sachvcdoaizecfr3dnitcq_3_0.png May: Existential Psychology Rollo Reese May was born April 21, 1909, in Ada, Ohio, the first son of the six chil- dren born to Earl Tittle May and Matie Boughton May. Neither parent was very well educated, and May’s early intellectual climate was virtually nonexistent. In fact, when his older sister had a psychotic breakdown some years later, May’s father attributed it to too much education (Bilmes, 1978)! Modern existential psychology has roots in the writings of Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855), Danish philosopher and theologian. Kierkegaard, like later existentialists, emphasized a balance between freedom and responsibility. People acquire freedom of action through expanding their self- awareness and then by assuming responsibility for their actions. The acquisition of freedom and responsibility, however, is achieved only at the expense of anxiety. As people realize that,...