This book, "A History of Existential Psychology," is the first volume of a two-volume work titled "Introduction to Existential Psychology" by Zoltan Kovary. It's designed primarily as a textbook for university psychology students and for helping professionals like psychologists, psychotherapists, psychiatrists, and social workers who are interested in the existential approach. The book sets out to help readers study the philosophical roots, different schools, connections between philosophy, literature, and psychology, and areas where existential psychology can be applied. Unlike some other recent books on the subject, this volume specifically focuses on existential psychology in general, rather than just existential therapy. Think of it as providing the essential background before diving into the practical applications covered in the second volume. The author feels strongly that history is really "the heart of the matter" when you're trying to understand something or someone. As Heidegger suggested, you can't grasp something fully without considering its place in time and history. This book takes a "polyphonic" approach to historical interpretation, meaning it looks at chronology, how ideas change over time (like the concept of anxiety), the social and cultural contexts, and even the psychological experiences of key figures that shaped their thought. This comprehensive view helps paint a richer picture. The book also deliberately highlights the importance of European and continental intellectual traditions, which the author notes sometimes took a back seat in psychology after World War II. One of the central themes you'll see is the deep relationship between existential psychology and philosophy. Reconnecting psychology with philosophical perspectives isn't about making things overly academic or just intellectual. The sources explain that there's a distinction in European continental philosophy between "understanding" (Verstehen) and "explaining" (Erläuterung). Understanding, in this context, isn't just cold, technical reason; it's more like emotional insight in therapy, what Rollo May called "ecstatic reason". This involves intuition, sudden realizations, emotional engagement, and catharsis – all things that support personal change and decisions. Returning to philosophy in this way touches upon fundamental questions about the nature of human existence (ontology) and how we can properly gain knowledge about it (epistemology). The book explores these philosophical roots, looking at questions of existence and human characteristics (ontology and philosophical anthropology) and how we acquire knowledge about these things (epistemology). It contrasts this approach with standpoints like neurologism or objectification that have historically influenced psychology. Key philosophical influences discussed include 19th-century figures like Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche, often seen as founders of the existential movement, who even called themselves psychologists and saw concepts like anxiety and ressentiment as having an _ontological_ significance, reflecting general characteristics of human existence. Later German existentialists like Karl Jaspers and Martin Heidegger are presented as responding to the issues raised by Kierkegaard and Nietzsche. Heidegger's "Being and Time" and the phenomenology of Edmund Husserl are highlighted as providing the philosophical base for early existential psychology schools like Daseinsanalysis. Other philosophers like Max Scheler (important for Frankl's value philosophy), Henri Bergson (on time, memory, freedom), and Wilhelm Dilthey (on understanding whole persons in context) are also noted for their relevance. There's even a mention of surprising parallels with traditional Far Eastern thinking, such as Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism. It's noted that the epistemological foundation often involves phenomenology and hermeneutics. Phenomenology, broadly speaking, is about the study of conscious experience, and hermeneutics is about interpretation. Some pioneers like Binswanger felt phenomenology should replace Freud's natural science approach in psychoanalysis. The book points out that many professionals dealing with human problems are implicitly using these methods, even if they weren't taught them formally. Beyond philosophy, the book emphasizes that modern literature is another major intellectual source for existential psychology. It suggests that literature, like existential psychology and philosophy, grapples with the "eternal themes and crises of human existence". The sources mention that important figures like I. D. Yalom felt they learned much more from philosophers and writers than from psychiatrists. The book discusses writers who influenced existential thought, such as Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, Rainer Maria Rilke, Franz Kafka, and Leo Tolstoy. It's interesting to think about how these writers explored deep psychological and existential issues through their characters and narratives. The relationship with older depth psychology traditions, especially psychoanalysis, is also a key area. The sources explain that while existential psychology emerged partly by critiquing psychoanalysis (particularly its deterministic or biological view of humans, sometimes called _homo natura_), it didn't seek to eliminate it. Instead, the aim was often correction, providing a different understanding of the human being. The book highlights figures who bridged these traditions, like Otto Rank, who was influenced by Kierkegaard and psychoanalysis and focused on the link between psychoanalysis and the human sciences, creativity, and the therapeutic relationship. Karen Horney and Erik Erikson, psychoanalysts interested in psychosocial and existential themes (Horney read Kierkegaard and Husserl, Erikson was introduced to Kierkegaard early on), are also mentioned as part of this bridge-building, as is Heinz Kohut, founder of self psychology, whose work is described as deeply human science-oriented and connected to the arts, philosophy, and hermeneutics. The book then details the major historical schools of existential psychology. These include: - **Daseinsanalysis:** Developed in Switzerland by Ludwig Binswanger and Medard Boss, seen as a synthesis of Freudian psychoanalysis, Husserlian phenomenology, and Heideggerian phenomenology. Binswanger was more focused on the scientific, epistemological aspects, while Boss developed the therapeutic principles, strongly influenced by Heidegger. - **Logotherapy and Existential Analysis:** Founded by Viktor Frankl in Austria, developed as a response to the reductionism of Freud and Adler. Frankl focused on the "will to meaning" as the primary motivation and explored the "tragic triad" of suffering, guilt, and death. Max Scheler's philosophy of values was a significant influence. - **Existential-Humanistic Psychology:** Emerging in the United States, closely linked with humanistic psychology, often called the "Third Force". Key figures include Rollo May, James Bugental (who coined the term), and Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, and Gordon Allport. This school often incorporates themes of anxiety, freedom, choice, responsibility, and the importance of relationship and self-awareness. - **Existential-Phenomenological Psychology:** Primarily associated with the United Kingdom, linked to figures like R. D. Laing and later Emmy van Deurzen and Ernesto Spinelli. This approach places a strong emphasis on philosophical foundations (pre-Socratics, Socrates, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger) and meticulous methodological application of phenomenology. Van Deurzen, for example, focuses on the paradoxical and challenging nature of human existence and the idea that ontological insecurity is universal. - **Fate Analysis:** Introduced as a "lost" Central-European school, developed by Leopold Szondi. Szondi's work is described as being between Freud and Jung, exploring transgenerational influences and the interplay between fateful compulsion and fateful choice, leading to the concept of the "pontifex self" which mediates between opposing poles and exercises freedom. The book sets the stage for exploring key concepts in Volume 2 related to the "conditio humana" or the human condition. These main topics of existential psychology include modes of being-in-the-world, anxiety, freedom, border situations and crises, authenticity, love and togetherness, suffering and meaningfulness, temporality, finitude and death, creativity, and the question of transcendence. Ultimately, the volume aims to clarify the historical relationship between psychology and existentialism, arguing for the value of a "human science psychology" that engages with philosophy, literature, and the full depth of human experience, rather than limiting itself to a narrow scientific identity focused on objective explanation. It suggests that despite being often marginalized in mainstream psychology textbooks, existential psychology deals with fundamental questions central to everyday life and psychological practice. The renewed interest in phenomenology and existential psychotherapy at the turn of the millennium is presented as a sign that purely scientistic approaches haven't fully addressed the problems of the human condition or mental health. By exploring these historical roots and key figures, the book provides a rich foundation for understanding the existential approach to psychology and its continued relevance today.