Existential Therapy: Meaninglessness
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ม.ค. 2025
- www.cornerstone... - Learn about the existential therapy as it relates to the theme of meaninglessness; quick overview by Halifax Psychologist, Brad Peters.
This video outlines the ways in which our existential longing for meaning comes into confrontation with our a meaningless world - there are no ready-made scripts for us to follow, aside from cultural prescriptions that are seldom questioned in terms of their authenticity. To question meaning or purpose gives rise to countless uncertainties, which can create an existential form of anxiety. An existential therapist will help the individual question inauthentic sources of significance and meaning that can contribute to psychological suffering, helping them tolerate a degree of anxiety while they choose to live a life with purpose.
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People who don't know how to ask hard questions seem to be so much happier than me. I know the answers to questions they can't even ask and yet I am the one who is dead inside. Even the search for meaning is meaningless. There is no point to life. If I exist only to make others happy but their existence is just as pointless as mine, what use are any of these efforts?
Yes, there is something burdensome about asking such questions. Still, I'd disagree that the search for meaning is meaningless (even if one never finds it 'out there' in the world, so to speak). And while there may not be a point to 'life in general' ... I think we can each still develop a point/purpose/meaning that has enough foundation to sustain a life. Camus has been hugely influential in my thinking about these things - particularly the Myth of Sisyphus and The Rebel.
I will check out that book, thank you. I have a very hard time seeing any meaning in anything these days, I'm really struggling with this issue.
After spending 12 days in inpatient treatment for severe suicidal ideation, I'm reading The Myth of Sisyphus as you suggested. It summarizes my exact relationship with the notion of suicide. Thank you for the recommendation.
I am sorry to hear that your situation is as serious as it sounds. Please don't take any of my comments as 'professional advice' for what you should be doing. A licensed professional who knows more about your present situation should be able to help you (if not, find the right person who can). I am glad you found the book applicable. Take care.
Actually, on this matter science has little to say, since it tends to work from a generalized or 'third-person' frame; the question of suicide is a first-person dilemma.
The problem was beautifully articulated. I wish there was more content on the solutions being offered.
We questions the big unanswered questions hoping to find meaning but it’s hard to put that meaning on display and actually having it take effect. modern society is making people this way questioning why are we living this way and I think it’s time for a change before we all just get caught up in distractions then your 85 wondering what the hell happened. For me my biggest problem is time perception time is speeding up for me a year feels like a few Months and a hour feels like a few minutes very creepy...
Wow with opening this brutal reality you have just proved the necesity of those distractions to keep us going without mental health issues. Matrix world is our only healthy life style hope.
I started reading about old Chinese philosophy like Daoism and Confucianism and I stopped completely being existentialist... I recommend the book Wen-Tzu: Understanding the Mysteries. But I also recommend other teachings especially from the Eastern philosophers. I think we are too materialistic and thinking too much about nothingness after death rather than enjoying life itself
I've read some of the content suggested bellow as well. I just fnid myself not agreeing with any of the solutions to the meaninglessness of it all. to me life is more like the proverbial hell. It seems to me the purpose of living is suffering and yes, finding a meaning from this is completely absurd and a little out of sort.
That was interesting, thanks for the info :)
In the final analysis, what meaning that people come up with _is_ "authentic"? None of them, far as I can tell...
I'd agree that we can't 'self-fashion' a life-sustaining belief structure out of nothing, but I still think there is an important difference between taking one on dogmatically (out of conformity and without questioning what it is about or why we should adhere to it), and consciously *choosing* among the alternatives available.
I got all the way to the bottom of the comments section and struck gold. Jesus is the answer. Someone said that. That makes this article worth reading. That is as authentic answer as anyone can put into this article. It's a belief system. There are many others. It's a good "system" if it is followed correctly. Yes, it does take that great leap of faith.
Opposite of helpful
Jesus is the answer.
Simple, but true.
I have been active christian for more than 20 years and still am, but there is nothing in the Bible about meaning of life. Yes, there is objective - in simple words: we need to help others to get to heaven, but there is nothing about meaning of life.
Why did God created us? What are we supposed to do? Why should we do anything? Etc, etc...
For people like me - people who are seeking some meaning in everything happening in life (not goal or objective) answer "Jesus is the answer" is not only meaningless but it also deepens depression. Because I feel that you do not understand what I am trying to say.
@@jokdaris i understand. Jesus christianity paganism etc. We human allways searching for know. Like a bug of our brains. Know know know is endless but unknown is the end. This is the key stop thinking and depressing. I mean unknown is the dead end. I dont know..
No, he is not. Not everyone subscribes to Christianity...over 1.5 billion of us don't, in fact.
I can't accept the idea that a belief system is an inauthentic way of dealing with the problem of meaninglessness. What makes it "inauthentic"? Right. Nothing. It's a way of smearing, for example, someone's religion. Shame on you!
By 'inauthentic,' I have in mind the tendency to take up a belief structure (usually handed to us by our culture), without properly 'choosing' it for ourselves or questioning what it is about or what might be 'for' (I don't claim to be above it, by the way). I would imagine that someone could be religious in either a blind-dogmatic way, or in a way that might be more authentically chosen (Kierkegaard might be a good example of this).