History Of Psychology Ch. 7 Romanticism And Existentialism

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Aesthetic stage

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according to Kierkegaard, the fist stage in the growth toward full personal freedom. At this stage, the person delights in many experiences but does not exercise his or her freedom.

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Apollonian aspect of human nature

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according to Nietzsche, that part of us that seeks order, tranquility, and predictability.

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Dionysiac aspect of human nature

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according to Nietzsche, that part of us that seeks chaos, adventure, and passionate experiences.

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Enlightenment

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a period during which Western philosophy embraced the belief that unbiased reason or the objective methods of science could reveal the principles governing the universe. Once discovered these principle could be used for the betterment of humankind.

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Ethical stage

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according to Kierkegaard, the second stage in the growth toward full personal freedom. At this stage, the person makes ethical decisions but uses principles developed by others as a guide in making them.

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Existentialism

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the philosophy that examines the meaning in life and stresses the freedom that humans have to choose their own destiny. Like romanticism, existentialism stresses subjective experience and the uniqueness of each individual.

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General will

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according to Rousseau, the innate tendency to live harmoniously with one's fellow humans.

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Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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believed that life is characterized by choices between opposing forces and that much about humans is forever beyond scientific understanding.

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Soren Kierkeegaard

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believed that religion had become too rational and mechanical. He believed that a relationship with God should be an intensely personal and a highly emotional experience, like a love affair. Taking the existence of God on faith makes God a living truth for a person, thus Kierkegaard contended that truth is subjectivity.

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Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

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claimed that humans could no longer rely on religious superstition or metaphysical speculation as guides for living; instead, they must determine life's meaning for themselves. By exercising their will for power, people can continue to grow and overcome conventional morality. The term superman described those who experimented with life and feelings and engaged in continuous self-overcoming.

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Noble savage

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Rousseau's term for a human not contaminated by society. Such a person, he believed, would live in accordance with his or her true feelings, would not be selfish, and would live harmoniously with other humans.

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Perspectivism

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Nietzsche's contention that there are no universal truths, only individual perspectives.

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Religious stage

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according to Kierkegaard, the third stage in the growth toward personal freedom. At this stage, the person recognizes his or her freedom and chooses to enter into a personal relationship with God.

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Romanticism

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the philosophy that stresses the uniqueness of each person and that values irrationality much more than rationality. According to the romantics, people can and should trust their own natural impulses.

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Jean-Jacques Rousseau

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considered the father of modern romanticism, Rousseau believed that human nature is basically good and that the best society is one in which people subjugate their individual will to the general will. The best education occurs when education is individualized and when a student's natural abilities and curiosity are recognized.

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Arthur Schopenhauer

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believed that the will to survive is the most powerful human motive. Life is characterized by a cycle of needs and need satisfaction, and need satisfaction simply postpones death. The most people can do is to minimize the irrational forces operating within them by sublimating or repressing those forces.

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Supermen

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the name Nietzsche gave to those individuals who have the courage to rise above conventional morality and herd conformity and to follow their own inclinations instead. The German word Ubermensch can be translated as "overman," "higherman," or "superman."

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Will to power

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according to Nietzsche, the basic human need to become stronger, more complete, more superior. While satisfying the will to power, a person continually becomes something other than he or she was.

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Will to survive

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according to Schopenhauer, the powerful need to perpetuate one's life by satisfying one's biological needs.