Differences Between Humanism And Existentialism

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The existential theory is a set of the philosophical beliefs that operates on the premise that inner conflicts are due to a person’s confrontation with the ultimate concerns, or givens of the human existence. This theory was not founded by any one person or group. Instead it was influenced by various 19th century philosophers. The existential therapy is an independent practice of therapy or can also be a separate school. Rollo May was an American psychiatrist and was one of the most influential contributors to existential therapy. May contracted tuberculosis in the early 1930’s which resulted in him staying in a sanitarium. In this sanitarium, he read writings by Kierkegaard and Neitzsche. Rollo’s illness and isolation helped him to adopt …show more content…
They include people being naturally good, positive and trustworthy. Another view would be people having a strong desire to realize their full potential. People naturally strive toward their potential for growth, fulfillment and creativity. The last view of human nature would be that people have vast inner resources and self-healing capacities.
There are many differences between existentialism and humanism. Some of the many differences between the two are that existentialism sees no inherent natural tendency toward growth but rather emphasizes growth as a choice. Meanwhile, humanism sees the desire for human growth and actualization as natural and automatic. Another difference between these two would be that existentialism assumes people are naturally neutral, neither good or bad. Humanism however, assumes people are naturally and basically good. Existentialism emphasizes anxiety as a natural and normal part of the human condition. Yet, humanism emphasizes incongruence rather than anxiety. There many different goals for both existentialism and humanism. The therapeutic goals for existential therapy include expanding self-awareness, confronting anxieties, and accepting responsibility for choices. On the other hand, the goals for humanism include willingness to continue growing, internal source of evaluation and validation, lastly experiencing the openness to

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