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Positive Psychotherapy as an Existentialism

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Positive Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychology

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Abstract

The growing inequality coupled with the increased economic globalization of the early twenty-first century is presenting mounting challenges to people around the planet. This chapter discusses the issues of culture and acculturation in light of Positive Psychotherapy (PPT) and existential philosophy. PPT and existentialism share a set of principles including the focus on self-awareness and meaning. PPT’s balance model of four domains of life – body, achievements, contacts, and fantasy – is correlated with Binswanger’s “being-in-the-world” model of physical (Umwelt), personal (Eigenwelt), social (Mitwelt), and spiritual (Uberwelt). The two basic capacities of PPT – to love and to know – are also coupled with two existential capacities, to introspect and for courage. These parallels underscore a reading of Positive Psychotherapy as an existentialism.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chicago School of Professional Psychology, John Hopkins University, School of Education, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Andre R. Marseille

  2. Professor of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA

    Erick Messias

Authors
  1. Andre R. Marseille
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  2. Erick Messias
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andre R. Marseille .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Professor of Psychiatry, College of Medicine University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA

    Erick Messias

  2. Wiesbaden Academy of Psychotherapy, World Association for Positive and Transcultural Psychotherapy, Wiesbaden, Germany

    Hamid Peseschkian

  3. Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Consuelo Cagande

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Marseille, A.R., Messias, E. (2020). Positive Psychotherapy as an Existentialism. In: Messias, E., Peseschkian, H., Cagande, C. (eds) Positive Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33264-8_31

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33264-8_31

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-33263-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-33264-8

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