Discussion Case study
Glenda becomes painfully aware that she has perfected the art of manipulating men with her physical appearance. She says the appropriate things, she has an abundance of men in her life, all of her contacts with people are superficial, and she accepts in herself that she has not pursued any depth because she has apparently gotten what she wanted with such little effort. But now she suffers as she comes to grips with her own vacancy and superficiality.
The issues of freedom with which she might well wrestle as a result of her dawning awareness could be reflected in questions such as these:
Am I tired enough of being plastic that I will risk finding out whether I’m real or not?
Since my style has worked so well in the past, will I really change now?
What if I pursue depth in a relationship only to find emptiness?
What if I am really empty inside?, What if all I am is a pretty exterior?
Will I be better off deluding myself that a fine exterior is better than the experience of nothingness?
How do I begin to change?, Can I allow myself to hurt, or will I retreat into old ways to repress my pain?
Discussion Questions
1. Assume that you are Glenda’s counselor and design a therapy plan for her. Which approach would you select: existential therapy or person-centered therapy?
2. What are some of the benefits and shortcomings of using this approach?
Instructions
Please include in your answer some of the following “existential” terminology: relatedness, search for meaning, meaninglessness, loneness and isolation, engagement, “bad faith,” “givens of existence,” commitment, being in the world, existential anxiety, the will to meaning, restricted existence, the human condition, authenticity, self-awareness, existential guilt, existential vacuum, inauthentic existence, freedom and responsibility, I/Thou relationship, authorship, paradoxes of existence, courage to be, self-determination.
Also include some of the following “person-centered” terminology: non directive counseling, accurate empathic understanding, openness to experience, clarification, self-trust, internal locus of evaluation, congruence and incongruence, growth-promoting climate, actualizing tendency, genuineness, unconditional positive regard, here-and-now experience.
