Existential Psychology
Dr. Paul Wong
From Viktor Frankl’s Logotherapy to the Four Defining Characteristics of Self-Transcendence
Introduction The present paper continues my earlier presentation on self-transcendence (ST) as a pathway to meaning, virtue, and happiness (Wong, 2016), in which I introduced Viktor Frankl’s (1985) two-factor theory of ST. Here, the same topic of ST is expanded by...
Positive Psychology in North America
Authors Co-authored with Roger Tweed, Ph.D., Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Surrey, BC, Canada.Abstract Positive psychology in America can be traced back to humanistic psychology, founded by Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow, with its emphasis on self-actualization and...
Self-Transcendence: A Paradoxical Way to Become Your Best
Introduction I propose that the way to become your best self is, paradoxically, to become more selfless. I want to make the case that, in a world of cut-throat competition, the best strategy to survive and prosper for individuals and societies is to give our best in...
Meaning-Centered Approach to Research and Therapy, Second Wave Positive Psychology, and the Future of Humanistic Psychology
Abstract This paper describes six research principles for revitalizing humanistic psychology and impacting mainstream psychology based on Gergen (2016) and DeRobertis (2016). It demonstrates how Wong’s meaning-centered research and therapy is an extension of...
Self-Transcendence as the Path to Virtue, Happiness and Meaning
Abstract In my last presentation (Wong, 2015), I introduced Viktor Frankl’s concept of the meaning dimension as a necessary spiritual orientation for the good life of virtue, happiness, and meaning. I proposed that meaning mindset (Wong, 2012a) represents the...
Humanistic Theories of Psychopathology (SAGE Encyclopedia of Theory in Psychology)
Humanistic psychology, which began as a movement against psychoanalysis and behaviorism in the 1950s and 1960s, remains a viable “third force” in psychology, because it provides a unique perspective on mental health and psychopathology. It questions the...
Logotherapy (SAGE Encyclopedia of Abnormal & Clinical Psychology)
Logotherapy, founded by neurologist, psychiatrist, and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl (1905-1997), literally means “therapy through meaning.” It rests on three inter-related pillars—freedom of will, will to meaning, and meaning of life—and its main contribution to...
Existential Theoretical Framework (SAGE Encyclopedia of Abnormal & Clinical Psychology)
Existentialism is concerned with the inescapable aspects of human existence and addresses the recurrent questions of human struggles: What am I doing here? What is the point of striving toward a goal, when death is the inevitable end? How can I live a worthwhile life?...
Coping and Stress (SAGE Encyclopedia of Abnormal & Clinical Psychology)
Stress is an inevitable aspect of living. In everyday parlance, stress refers to an emotional state of pressure, tension, or distress because of certain demands, actual or imagined, that threaten our psychological or physical well-being. These demands may involve a...
Death and Dying (SAGE Encyclopedia of Abnormal & Clinical Psychology)
The moment we are born, we are thrown into a precarious existence in a dangerous world; almost anything can end our earthly existence: accidents, diseases, disasters, or violence. No matter how carefully we avoid death and prolong life, sooner or later, we all die....
Integrative Meaning Therapy: From Logotherapy to Existential Positive Interventions
Abstract This chapter first argues the need for second wave positive psychology (PP2.0), which is informed by Frankl’s logotherapy as well as existential psychology. The main thesis of PP2.0 is that in order to attain healing and authentic happiness, one needs to...
Questionable Measures are Pretty Meaningless: Comment on Heintzelman and King (2014)
Keywords Meaning in life, purpose in life, psychometrics, positive psychology Heintzelman and King (2014) argued that meaning in life (MIL) is widely experienced and exists at high levels. In this brief commentary, we examine what we believe are several flaws in their...