Existential philosophy as a new direction arose in the 20th century. Karl Jaspers, Rollo May, Jean-Paul Sartre became its ideologists.
This trend denied the philosophy of rationalism and argued that human existence is irrational. Its representatives believed that a person can realize his unity with the world, or existence, in a certain “borderline situation”, for example, with a deadly threat. This experience is of value, as it allows a person to switch to a different level of awareness of being.
From existentialism a new psychological school was born, based on a humanistic approach. Thanks to this trend in psychology, the concept of an existential crisis has arisen, which arises at the moment when a person first thinks about why he exists in this world.
Existential psychology sees man as a random creature in the material world. Understanding this, any of us begins to wonder what his place is here, what is his purpose, whether he is able to cope with the trials prepared for his lot.
An existential crisis can arise in adolescence, at the time of maturity, as well as in adulthood, when a person evaluates his life lived. It can be a painful emotional experience, especially if there is no way to find answers to painful questions.
There are several ways to overcome the existential crisis. Most people decide that they should not ask such questions, as various matters require attention and participation.
Some find a way out, realizing that only the present moment matters, and it is important to live it fully, so that later, approaching death, not regret missed moments.
One way or another, but the existential crisis always has a result in the form of a choice. A person makes a decision to follow a certain direction and finds support for his future life. As a result, he gains relative inner harmony until the next moment of rethinking values.
An integral part of the crisis is existential loneliness. Living it can also be painful. Once a person comes to the understanding that he is alone in the face of death. Sooner or later, he will go into oblivion completely alone, leaving all attachments and material wealth in this world.
Such an experience prompts a person to ask questions about the essence of the universe. Is there somewhere a creator of this world or everything that happens to us is an accident, and our lives are like the existence of microorganisms in comparison with the greatness of the Universe?
Existential loneliness can be acutely felt after loss during the period of experiencing grief or after severe psychological trauma. Similar thoughts also arise in a person on the verge of death. The feeling of loneliness can be so strong that a person forces him out. And then, in order to successfully overcome a difficult, often depressive, state, he needs to learn to recognize and accept his loneliness.
True liberation is possible only if a person can overcome the framework of his personality and begin to open up to people, strive for them and become sincere in the manifestation of his feelings. Thus, the existential crisis can be successfully overcome.
One of the undoubted merits of the psychology of existentialism is the fact that representatives of this direction saw a person as a developing being, striving to overcome the usual framework of being and the boundaries of personality. This broadened the understanding of man, made possible new approaches in psychotherapy, which began to cope more successfully with depressive states and the experience of a person being separated from the world inherent in Western culture. A person is considered as the master of his life, responsible for himself, striving to become himself.
One of the most important concepts of existentialism is existential fear. This is not a fear that pushes a person to create artificial restrictions. On the contrary, the living of fear shakes a person to the very foundations, revealing to him previously unknown truths.
It is necessary, as it is able to free a person from a measured and thoughtless existence, from everyday problems. An existential crisis is most often accompanied by a similar fear.
Fear can come suddenly, and at first a person is not aware of its cause. But gradually, peering into himself, he begins to think about the meaning of what is happening to him and realizes that most of his life values and landmarks are erroneous. This leads to another change in worldview and, as a result, to the emergence of a new direction of life and overcoming the crisis.