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Authors agree that a range of different existential therapies exist. However, not much has been written about what is characteristic and distinctive of each existential therapy, and the few claims that have been made are mainly hypothetical. Practitioners from the four main branches of existential therapy were asked about the authors and texts that have most influenced their practice and the practices they considered most characteristic of existential therapy. From all over the world, 29 daseinsanalysts, 82 existential-humanistic, 573 existential-phenomenological, and 303 logotherapy and/or existential analysis practitioners participated in this study. Data show that the scope of influence of an author is pretty much limited to the branch he or she is related to and only a few authors, in particular Frankl and Yalom, influence practitioners from all four branches. Five categories of practice are shared among the main existential branches as the most characteristics of existential therapy, with phenomenological practices being the most shared category: But the frequency of each of these categories of practice differs significantly depending on respondents’ training or affiliated branch. Data corroborate the idea of different existential therapies, with logotherapy and/or existential analysis being the most markedly different branch of them all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key contribution of both classical and contemporary humanistic theories is their distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivations and drives and their demonstration that psychological well-being is more strongly associated with the former than the latter. However, such a dimensionalization raises the question of how extrinsic motivations and goals emerge; and classic humanistic attempts to account for this tend to contradict some of the basic tenets of humanistic thinking: that human beings are integrated, meaning-seeking agencies consistently striving to maintain and enhance their being. An alternative framework is therefore proposed, a hierarchy of wants, in which extrinsic motivations and goals are seen as attempts—albeit often unsuccessful ones—to reach the highest order, most intrinsic goals. Here, “extrinsic” motivations and goals are not considered pathogenic, per se, but problematic because of their indirectness and lack of fit to present contexts. This model also suggests that human beings are most likely to achieve a state of well-being when their goals are synergetically related: determined both by the internal configuration of goals and external resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept and practice of dialogue has underpinned key developments in humanistic psychotherapy and counseling. However, dialogue has also been adopted by, and incorporated into, a range of educational, community and social theories and practices, and in this sense forms a valuable bridge between humanistic psychology and the wider field of sociopolitical theory and activity. This article critically reviews how the concept of dialogue has been developed and applied in four key domains, each oriented around the work of a principal theorist: psychotherapy (Martin Buber), education (Mikhail Bakhtin), community development (Paulo Freire), and social transformation (Jürgen Habermas). Drawing this analysis together, the discussion identifies three principal ways in which the term dialogue has been used: transformative, ontological, and everyday; outlines the different levels at which dialogue can take place; and identifies key questions for further exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

It is widely acknowledged that the therapeutic relationship is important to therapeutic outcome. In recent years, there has been additional evidence to suggest that specific, identifiable moments of relational depth between client and therapist can also have a major positive impact on the progress and outcome of therapy; however, the question of how such moments occur remains largely unexplored. Are they solely initiated by the therapist, or does the client have a role too? This article explores clients’ perceptions of the factors facilitating an experience of relational depth. Findings suggest that immediately prior to such an experience the clients themselves have reached a state of readiness, and as making a positive decision to bring their vulnerability to the fore in the therapeutic relationship, thereby facilitating a potential moment of change. Findings are discussed in relation to contemporary theory with implications for practice given. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article aims to systematize and develop humanistic practice by considering the implications of adopting an experiential stance to working within the "interexperiential" realm: the interface between one person's experiences and those of another. Psychological theory and research are used to develop an understanding of how people perceive, and misperceive, others' experiences, and implications for practice are discussed, particularly the need to encourage clients to test out their assumptions about others' experiences and to communicate more transparently their own. The article then focuses on the issue of "metaperceptions"-- how one person perceives another person as perceiving him or her and his or her experiences--and again argues that people often make significant errors in their judgments. Implications for practice are discussed, with a particular emphasis on using appropriate self-disclosure to deliberately challenge clients' metaperceptual errors. In the conclusion, the proposed interexperiential practices are presented as specific process-experiential tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]