Date of Award

1-1-1980

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Counseling Psychology & Community Services

Abstract

The counselor brings to the counseling relationship certain assumptions regarding human nature, its limits, possibilities and processes. Usually these assumptions are not articulated and sometimes they are not known. Counseling, as an endeavor which touches human lives, requires examination of its premises. The purpose of this study is to construct a philosophical basis for the counseling relationship based upon the works of Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855), a rich source of such information.The study, which is literary in form, undertakes an indepth examination of those psychological aspects of Kierkegaard's major works which are especially relevant to understanding and facilitating the work of the counselor. These books were The Concept of Dread, Concluding Unscientific Postscript, Either-Or and Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing. The writer identifies Kierkegaard's process of dialectical self-creation as the pivotal theme of the study. Dialectical reasoning is compared to demonstrative reasoning and the two are deemed to be complementary rather than mutually exclusive. The dialectical process is examined developmentally as it appears at different stages in the life of an individual. The self is seen as the arena in which the dialectical process operates. The concept of "inwardness" is examined and seen to be the variable which differentiates one life stage from another. Inwardness is conceived of as the outgrowth of dialectically relating thought to action, reflection to immediacy, within the self. Two life stages, the Aesthetic and the Ethical, are examined in detail.Kierkegaard's Aesthetic Stage, in which life is lived in immediacy, is considered first. The aesthetic person pursues pleasure and enjoyment as life goals but, lacking inwardness, lacks also the resources to tolerate adversity. He falters as life demands more of him than enjoyment of immediacy. Despair then results as the aesthetic person is thrown back on his own resources and found lacking. At this point the person may resort to a number of defensive actions, retreating to the condition Kierkegaard describes as "shut-upness." Or he may move ahead, confronting the anxiety inherent in the freedom to choose. Thus despair may be the prelude to growth, for it forces the person to develop beyond his present state.The Ethical Stage is brought about dialectically as the despairing person begins to temper immediacy with reflection. In groping for change, the ethical person searches for a new basis from which to live. She demands confrontation, responsibility, honesty and perserverance in her relationship to the self. The ethical transformation is examined in detail and seen to be an on-going process, as evidenced by Kierkegaard's description of life as "constant striving." The result of this transformation is that the person creates a validated internal basis from which to live.The study concludes by discussing Kierkegaard's relevance for a philosophy of counseling. The transformation to the ethical is seen to parallel the internal, unarticulated process that frequently occurs in the counseling relationship. Kierkegaard's position is examined in light of current therapeutic approaches (Freud, Skinner, Rogers, May, Tyler and Sundberg) and striking similarities as well as divergences are noted. Recommendations for counselor education are made on the basis of Kierkegaard's work; these include a seminar on philosophical issues in counseling, an in-depth self study paper and increased attention to the counselor's own internal dynamics within the counseling setting. Finally the possibility of dialectical self-creation as described by Kierkegaard is affirmed to be a needed contribution to contemporary life.

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