In this paper, I am going to demonstrate the key components on how the application of Existentialism Theory/Therapy can be utilized when counseling clientele with Anorexia Nervosa. I am going to focus on the following components related to Existentialism, “life and meaning,” “authenticity” vs. “inauthenticity,” “setting free,” “aloneness,” “freedom,” and “understanding life.” I will accentuate a detailed description of Existential Theory and identify the major theorist’s that is suitable for this specific psychological disorder. I will provide feedback that conceptualizes Existentialism and how it originates towards individuals suffering with Anorexia Nervosa. I will deliberate a comprehensive overview why I choose this type of therapy/theory …show more content…
However, we are only human, and we are all vulnerable to death anxiety. Unfortunately, we are all going to experience “death” one-way or another, no matter how prepared you are, or how you look at it (Murdock, 2013). Freedom is viewed as the undeniably constructive concept, and is referred to as the nonexistence of the outside structure. The concept of “existential isolation” is the third definitive distress, however, no matter how we look at this notion there is always an existential battle and pressure between each other, and our awareness (Murdock, 2013). “Meaninglessness” is the fourth ultimate concern in the givens of existence; however, we must all invent, pull together, and find meaning in our own lives, in order to live life to the fullest (Murdock, 2013). Logotherapy is based on seeking meaning to life and existential frustration; however, Existentialism can be referred to the being, the meaning of existence, and finding meaning in existence of one’s self (Schulenberg, Hutzell, Nassif & Rogina,
There are many reasons why individuals are afraid of death: inability to take care of dependents, pain and sadness that loved ones will feel, or fear of the afterlife. But one of the most common reasons is the fear of nothingness and loss of self (Yalom, 1980). Death anxiety can manifest itself in many different ways (Yalom, 1980). One’s feeling of missing exciting events or the desire to control the surrounding world, demonstrate this manifestation. These unhealthy thoughts help individuals ease fear of death by dealing not with the real and terrifying source of anxiety, but indirectly, through more socially acceptable actions. Many people protect themselves from death anxiety by denying it. Yalom (1980) discussed two ways that accomplish this goal: the ultimate rescuer and personal specialness. Both ideas lead people to feel that they will not be affected by misfortune like others might be. The ultimate rescuer is a type of defense mechanism leading people to believe that someone will come into their life and save them from their problems. An example of this would be a person with severe financial problems needing money to take care of health problems believing that someone or something will bring the needed money and the situation will work itself out. Personal specialness involves the belief that one is in a way different from others and therefore immune from the hardships of life. Personal specialness
Existential psychotherapy is a dynamic, philosophical approach to therapy that is based on the premise that an individual’s conflict within is due to their concerns with the givens of existence (Yalom, 1980). These givens, or ultimate concerns as noted by Yalom (1980), are inescapable properties that are part of the human existence in the world: meaninglessness, freedom (and its associated responsibility), isolation, and the inevitability of death. Confrontation with these givens can result in existential anxiety (Corey, 2009).
Within all these theoretical standpoints, the theme and process of coming to terms with death and relationship could be regarded as the essence of an existential quest; one
"If we affirm life and live in the present as fully as possible, however, we will not be obsessed with the end of life"(Corey p.153). This is the way of thinking for the existential theorist when it comes to patients who deal with death anxiety. Dr. Yalom dealt with this issue when he did a study on bereavement. He put an ad in the
The thought of a diet has crossed the mind of many females. Maybe she wants to lose a few pounds to fit in her prom dress, or get back down to her college size. However, what if the mental capacity of that person, would not let them end the diet. In her mind she is still fat, even if she weighed only ninety pounds, this happens to a female with Anorexia Nervous (AN).
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that consists of self-regulated food restriction in which the person strives for thinness and also involves distortion of the way the person sees his or her own body. An anorexic person weighs less than 85% of their ideal body weight. The prevalence of eating disorders is between .5-1% of women aged 15-40 and about 1/20 of this number occurs in men. Anorexia affects all aspects of an affected person's life including emotional health, physical health, and relationships with others (Shekter-Wolfson et al 5-6). A study completed in 1996 showed that anorexics also tend to possess traits that are obsessive in nature and carry heavy emotional
Eating disorders are diseases in which people have an unhealthy relationship with their food, and negative image reflecting how their body looks, such as, the fear of gaining weight. This type of body dysmorphia can lead to damaging eating habits, such as; starvation, purging, and even binging. Furthermore, there are numerous eating disorders recognized today, the most common being binge disorder, causing the affected person to eat far too much and experience pain, discomfort, and irritable bowel symptoms, bulimia which causes the affected person to purge their food through vomiting, and one of the most common eating disorders -- anorexia nervosa. (Eating Disorders, 2008) Many of these disorders can be treated in multiple ways, the most common way is through counselling with a social worker, the social worker helps develop a treatment plan for the client and aids them in their recovery.
The purpose of this group is to help aging adults cope with the process concept of death and coping with the end of life to which an existential approach will be applied. The everyday aging adult faces many challenges that have to do with the process of aging, such as loss of certain privileges (e.g. driving), loss of vision and hearing, loss of friends and family, loss of freedom, just to name a few. One of the resources to be established is existential group counseling for the elderly. In existential group counseling, members will explore their purpose and meaning of life.
Berman, Boutelle and Crow (2009) conducted an experiment in which they investigated the positive effects of acceptance and commitment therapy to treat patients who were treated for Anorexia Nervosa in the past. Participants received several therapy sessions and interviews to determine whether they met the criteria for anorexia nervosa. The participants communicated with their family members throughout the experiment. Overall, the participants showed improvements in terms of the reduction of Anorexia symptoms. Fluoxetine may also take part in reducing the relapse for the symptoms of anorexia nervosa. A Study conducted by Duvvuri et al. (2012) describes such phenomena. In their research, Duvvuri and his colleagues (2012) uses twins who are malnourished due to
Death involves biological,psychological,spiritual,societal,and cultural components.All through history, humans have pondered the meaning of mortality and developed defense mechanisms against the terror of death both at the individual and cultural levels. “In sum, all human activities are framed by death anxiety and colored by our collective and individual efforts to resolve this inescapable and intractable existential given (Tomer, Wong,2011).” Furthermore, Tomer and Wong discuss, to achieve a complete psychology of death one must use terror management theory and growth oriented models such as self-determination theory. These two theories, help to emphasize the meaning-seeking/ making as basic human motivation. Therefore, it is important to discuss the importance of terror management theory and how it affects depth
Fairborn (2005) points out that there is a range of treatment options and a variety of treatment settings for anorexia nervosa, however there is inadequate empirical support for this abundance of options as what minimal research on the treatment has been inconclusive. One reasoning behind this is that anorexia nervosa has been an uncommon disorder and sample sizes for studies have been low. Furthermore, the lack of evidence based treatment research can be attributed to the individual’s avoidance of treatment and dropping out of treatment. Many individuals with anorexia nervosa are unwilling to change as their identity and self-worth are intertwined with their distorted body image; they tend to deny that anything is wrong with their weight and are ambivalent on changing (Abbate-Daga, Amianto, Delsedime, De-Bacco & Fassino,
Existential therapy is a self-help style of therapy based on choices. Existential therapy focuses on the here and now and the changes an individual can make in their lives if they are willing to honestly explore, self-evaluate, and make changes in their beliefs, traditions, patterns and behavioral issues. Questioning such things as death, the meaning of human existence, God’s existence, and relationships is done through a close client therapist relationship built on trust, transparence and understanding. Existential therapy can help a person determine direction, set and accomplish goals and achieve self-actualization. Existential therapy can also benefit individuals struggling with addiction, anxiety, and depression. Individuals seeking immediate relief, not willing or able to be honest in self-evaluations, have been reprimanded to therapy or resistant to the process are less likely to benefit or make any meaningful progress. With the help of therapy individuals are able to ask and seek answers to questions that will help them to aspire to become their true authentic self.
Topic: Eating Disorder I. Introduction Paragraph 1 Thesis statement: Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that can be caused by biological and environmental factors, which is detected through several symptoms and can be treated with medication and therapy. II. Body Paragraph 2 Topic sentence: A particular eating disorder disease, anorexia nervosa, can arise from several factors, such as biological and environmental factors. Supporting ideas: 1. Biological factors that would contribute to the occurrence of anorexia nervosa include irregular hormone functions and genetics.
For many of us death is a thought, a topic that brings up fear and often avoidance. In yet, death is something that each one of us will face during our lives. Even the people that surround us and the people we love will face death also. Death is a part of our everyday lives and the more consciously that we explore it for most people the better that experience become and the less fear that there is surrounding it. Death helps us to define more fully how we want to live and as we learn about death in our own thoughts and feeling about it. It often helps shape how each of us lives today and the choices that we made of our own dying. Throughout this paper, we will discuss how death and dying occur, how it affects Religion and Belief,
Teens all over the world are leaning on Anorexia to look, and feel better. Anorexia is the third most common long-term illness among teenagers. People that are diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa is greatly affected by the disorder, in more than one way. People with Anorexia Nervosa have to deal with not only health issues, but also mental and social issues. They are put through a lot after being diagnosed with a disorder that is this serious.