This paper presents an unconventional approach to the existential crisis according to the transpersonal psychology of the eleventh century text, Yogavāsiṣṭha. An existential crisis is a general term used to signify a subjective experience of emotional distress as it relates to certain objective realities of human existence. This paper builds off key concepts (“givens”) from the field of existential psychotherapy, including death, isolation, freedom, and meaninglessness, provided by psychoanalyst Irvin D. Yalom, illuminating how the crisis is addressed in contemporary psychotherapeutic settings. Brief attention is given to the Western academic roots of existential psychotherapy, including areas of continental philosophy and humanistic psychology; this reveals a stark implication regarding general Western approaches: alleviation of the existential crisis requires a humanistic intervention, the individualist pursuit toward self-identity. Although this addresses the significance of human will and agency, it fails to take into consideration existence as a complex whole, suggesting a dualistic understanding of what it means to be in the world—the self in contrast to other living beings, the universe, the cosmos. This thesis proposes to expand the humanistic approach, responding to the existential crisis through the transpersonal Yoga of the Yogavāsiṣṭha, whose captivating mythological-like stories illustrate overcoming crises of human existence through a nondual, mind-only philosophy, emphasizing the importance of cultivating nonattachment, effort, and creativity to live a life of selfless action. Four narratives are explicated as well as the transpersonal techniques used to overcome the internal conflict perpetuated by Yalom’s “givens” of existence. By working with dreams, inquiring into reincarnation, contemplating on the five great elements, and expressing narrative, realization of Self-identity (with a capital ‘S’) removes the veil of ignorance overshadowing perception of an existential crisis, thus elucidating a visionary metamorphosis.

Show of Wonders is a fictional novel.

This comparative analysis is based on Nelly Alards novel Moment d’un couple from 2013 and its source of inspiration being La femme rompue of Simone de Beauvoir. These novels do both demonstrate marriage as a constitution and what happens to it when an infidelity takes place. This is thus a feminist analysis of the reaction and presentation of the betrayed woman and her way of coping with this new found situation she founds herself in. Alards narrative voice makes continuous reference to beauvoirian feminism. Beauvoir’s féminist theory is hence essential for this study as well as our source for theoretical framework as we aim to conduct an analysis using her elaborated terminology as a pivotal factor. Her conception of « The Other » is central for feminist theory as it focuses on the given female role in a patriarchal society. It is hence of relevance that Beauvoir published a novel by which that of Alard is said to be inspired. Whereas Beauvoir presents a character who herself normalises infidelity, and finds herself in second place, Alard presents a modern and more independent character. The crucial contrast is presented through Beauvoir’s normalisation of infidelity and Alard’s normalisation of violence against women.

The vastness of the universe (i.e., cosmic vastness) can evoke polarizing existential experiences. Some people report elevating experience, such as awe, elevation, and self-transcendence, whereas others experience existential distress, such as feeling insignificant, powerless, and vulnerable. The purpose of this thesis was to examine three main research questions: 1) How do people react to the vastness of the universe? 2) What is it about witnessing cosmic vastness (i.e., mediators) that elicits polarizing experiences? 3) What is it about a person and their individual traits (i.e., moderators) that causes people to react differently? Two studies were conducted to investigate these questions. Study 1 was a primarily qualitative in-lab study where participants watched one of two videos depicting the vastness of the universe. Participants answered open-ended questions about their experiences, along with some preliminary quantitative questions, and these responses were used to inform what experiences were measured in Study 2. Study 2 was an online quantitative experiment in which a cosmic vastness video was compared to two other videos (Earth nature vastness and neutral control). Study 2 also examined mediators and moderators that explain the relationship between witnessing cosmic vastness and both elevating experience and existential distress. Both studies found that facing cosmic vastness can elicit positive and negative experiences. Study 1 found that most participants reported positive (93%) and negative experiences (68%), including a substantial degree of elevating experience (58%) and existential distress (46%). Study 1 also found several cognitive responses that were good candidates to be mediators in Study 2, including small self, need for accommodation, experience of the unknown, and existential contemplation. Study 2 showed that a cosmic vastness condition elicited greater levels of elevating experience than the neutral control condition and greater levels of existential distress than both the neutral control and Earth nature vastness conditions. Results from both studies also found significant polarization in participants responses, such that half of the participants reported more elevating experience, and half of participants reported more existential distress. Mediation analyses in Study 2 demonstrated that the four cognitive responses each mediated the positive relationship between witnessing cosmic vastness and both elevating experience and existential distress. Furthermore, moderation analyses revealed that self-esteem moderated the relationship between witnessing cosmic vastness and elevating experience, whereas both self-esteem and meaning in life moderated the relationship between cosmic vastness and existential distress. This research provided unique contributions to literature on how people react to vast stimuli that has the capacity to be existentially threatening. Further implications of these results are discussed, as well as how these results may generalize to other areas of research.

Bakgrund: Ålderdom påverkar livet, kroppen och sinnet. Långvarig, ofrivillig ensamhet är skadligt för hälsan och vanligt förekommande bland äldre personer. Existentiell ensamhet utgör en form av ofrivillig ensamhet och definieras som en plågsam insikt om att vara separerad från världen och andra människor. Nästan alla erfar det någon gång i livet, särskilt i samband med kriser eller att man upplever sig stå inför döden. Inom existensfilosofi och existentiell psykoterapi beskrivs ångest och lidande som grundläggande livsvillkor och existentiell ensamhet är ett resultat av detta. Lidandet är i sig meningslöst men med hjälp av copingmekanismer och stöd kan man ta sig igenom lidandet och skapa mening. Äldre personer uttrycker ofta ett behov av att samtala om existentiella frågor medan sjuksköterskor inte sällan undviker dem då de upplever samtalen som svåra och ofta känner sig otillräckliga. Stöd till vård- och omsorgspersonal är därför viktigt. Samhällsutvecklingen pekar mot ett allt mer ansträngt läge inom vård och omsorg och arbetsgivare och fackförbund tvistar om ansvarsfördelningen. Ansvaret för äldres hälsa ligger dels på individen själv, dels på vård- och omsorgspersonal och samhället. Syfte: Att undersöka äldre personers upplevelser av existentiell ensamhet. Metod: En systematisk litteraturöversikt genomfördes. Urvalet bestod av tio kvalitativa vetenskapliga originalartiklar publicerade mellan år 2003–2023. Deltagarna bestod av äldre personer från 60 år. Materialet tematiserades med en induktiv ansats, därefter diskuterades resultatet i relation till Katie Erikssons lidandeteori. Resultat: Tre teman med underteman togs fram ur resultaten: Det första temat var Att känna sig frånkopplad från världen med undertema meningslöshet och När orden inte räcker till. Det andra temat var Att förlora och omdefiniera sig själv med undertema Frihetsförlust, Kontrollförlust och Identitetskris. Det tredje temat var Att leva i ett relationellt tomrum med undertema Att känna sig isolerad och Tankar på döden. Slutsats: Upplevelser av att sakna djupa relationer samt att förlora kontrollen över sitt liv kunde utlösta existentiell ensamhet hos äldre personer. Det gjorde att de kände sig frånkopplade från världen och andra människor samt upplevde meningslöshet. För att kunna hjälpa äldre personer med dessa känslor behöver sjuksköterskor kunskap om vad som orsakar existentiell ensamhet och vad den innebär. / Background: Old age affects both life, body and mind. Long-term involuntary loneliness is harmful to ones health and common among elderly people. Existential loneliness is a form of involuntary loneliness and is defined as a painful insight in being separated from the world and other people. Most people experience it sometime during their lifetime, especially during a time of crisis or when one feels confronted with death. Within the realm of existential philosophy and existential psychotherapy, anxiety and suffering are described as fundamental conditions for life and existential loneliness is a result of this. Suffering itself is meaningless but with the help of coping mechanisms and support, one can get through it and create meaning. Elderly people often express a need to talk about existential concerns while nurses can be avoidant since they find these conversations tough and feel insufficient. This makes support for the nursing staff an important matter. The societal development indicates an increasingly strained situation within healthcare and elderly care, with employers and trade unions disputing over the allocation of responsibilities.  The responsibility for the health of elderly people lies partly on the individuals themselves, partly with healthcare and care personnel, and partly with society. Aim: To explore elderly persons’ experiences of existential loneliness. Method: A systematic literature review was carried out. The literary sample consisted of ten qualitative, scientific original articles published between 2003–2023. The participants in the studies were elderly people from the age of 60 and older. The material was thematized with an inductive approach, thereafter it was discussed in relation to Katie Erikssons theory of suffering. Results: Three themes with subthemes emerged in the results. The first theme was To feel disconnected from the world with the subthemes Meaninglessness and When words aren’t enough. The second theme was To lose and redefine oneself with the subthemes Loss of freedom, Loss of control, and Identity crisis. The third theme was To live in a relational void with the subthemes To feel isolated and Thoughts on death. Conclusions: Experiences of lacking deep relationships and losing control of their lives could trigger existential loneliness within elderly persons. This made them feel disconnected from the world and other people and made them experience meaninglessness. To be able to help elderly persons with these feelings, nurses need knowledge regarding what the cause of existential loneliness is and what it means.

Abstract "Man vill ibland ge svar, och så har man inte de svaren"  Sjuksköterskors föreställningar om existentiell omvårdnad, och upplevelsen av hur utbilningen rustade dem för det uppdraget.  Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka sjuksköterskors föreställningar om existentiell omvårdnad, och hur de upplevt att grundutbildningen rustat dem för den existentiella dimensionen av helhetsperspektivet som betonas inom vården. Några av de frågor som behandlas är vad begreppet existetiell omvårdnad innebär och vilket utrymme den har i praktiken. Andra frågor som uppsatsen belyser är hur grundutbildningen rustat de blivande sjuksköterskorna för den existentiella omvårdnaden och om det finns ett upplevt behov av fortbildning efter grundutbildningen. Tidigare forskning visar att existentiell omvårdnad upplevs vara ett eftersatt område, både i sjuksköterskeutbildningen och i praktiken. Denna uppsats bygger på semistrukturerade intervjuer med sex sjuksköterskor, utifrån fenemenlogisk ansats. Resultatet i studien överensstämmer i stor utsträckning med tidigare forskning. Det pekar på en samstämmighet om att helhetsperspektivet i vården betonas under utbildningenoch i praktiken, men upplevelsen är att den existentiella dimensionen ändå tenderar att få för lite utrymme. Uppsatsen belyser faktorer som bidrar till denna upplevda brist. Vidare lyfter den fram utvecklingsområden gällande existentiell omvårdnad - i utbildningskontexten och i praktiken. Den relationella pedagogiken lyfts fram som en möjlighet när det handlar om utbildning och fortbildning i existentiell omvårdnad.  Keywords: Nurse, Education, Spiritual care, Teaching, Existential care, Sjuksköterska, Utbildning, Andlig vård, Undervisning, Existentiell omvårdnad "Sometimes you want to give answers, and then you don´t have those answers..." Nurses´ideas about spiritual care, and the experience of how the education equipped them for that task.

Syftet med denna litteraturstudie var att beskriva existentiella och psykosociala upplevelser hos patienter med ALS. Nio kvalitativa artiklar valdes ut och inkluderades till litteraturstudiens resultat. Artiklarna beskrev upplevelser från patienter i olika kontexter där existentiella och psykosociala aspekter berördes. Det framkom i resultatet att patienter upplevde meningsfullhet och att familjen var betydande för deras välmående, men också hopplöshet och känslan av att vara en börda för andra vilket utgjorde svårigheter att finna mening i livet. Patienter upplevde lidande i flera dimensioner och hanterade sin situation med hjälp av olika strategier, attityder och förhållningssätt. Slutsatser som författarna för denna litteraturstudie kunde dra från resultatet var att patienterna går igenom flera dimensioner av lidande vilket ställer krav på sjuksköterskan att lindra dessa. Sjuksköterskan ska också hjälpa patienten att framhäva sina styrkor och skapa en större förståelse för att patienten skall nå acceptans. En annan slutsats som drogs var att familjens involvering i omvårdnaden kunde vara positiv då de står närmast patienten och det visade sig vara en positiv faktor för att acceptera situationen. ALS är en neurodegenerativ sjukdom som förstör motorneuron i hjärnan. Det leder till att den viljestyrda muskulaturen förlorar sin funktion. Till sist drabbas även muskulaturen kring lungorna som leder till minskad lungkapacitet. Från symtomdebut är överlevnadssikten cirka två till fem år där vanligaste dödsorsaken är koldioxidnarkos. Tidigare forskning har framfört positiva och negativa känslor hos patienter med ALS. Upplevelser att kroppen misslyckas i förtid samt behov av att prata om döden framkom. Kommunikation med vården var viktig för att patienter skulle uppleva att sjukdomen var hanterbar. Litteraturstudien använde bärande begrepp såsom lidande och försoning. En kvalitativ ansats användes då upplevelser skulle undersökas och analysen utgick från Fribergs femstegsmodell. Diskussionen utgick från resultatets huvudteman Främjande aspekter för meningsfullhet samt Utmanande aspekter för livsvillkor. Denna litteraturstudie är viktig då den bidrar till en ökad kunskap och förståelse för hur patienter med ALS upplever existentiella och psykosociala aspekter. Genom kunskap kan vården utvecklasoch främja vårdkvaliteteten för patienterna och samtidigt stärka sjuksköterskan i sin yrkesroll.Främjande och utmanande aspekter som påverkade välbefinnandet hos patienter identifierades och diskussionen ledde således till sjuksköterskans funktion samt litteraturstudiens bärande begrepp, lidande och försoning.

During the 1920s, the Midwestern American architect Bruce Goff advanced a unique design approach that would govern his career: "Good architecture for everyone." Following the First World War, this period is considered the end of the Victorian and Edwardian era and "American innocence," and the beginning of the modern era—the 20th century. Goff challenged the predominant views of progressive modernism, the belief that science and technology were to be the "grand solution" to society's weaknesses. In contrast to his contemporaries who employed design methods of standardized building forms, mass production, and technology, which would later lead to societal alienation, Goff viewed his clients as individuals possessing a mind, a body, and a spirit living in a world together with other human beings. He believed that each person is endowed with five or more senses that "always" respond to Nature and its beauty. This dissertation will show that such an experiential and existential attitude is found in Goff's drawings, writings, lectures, and interviews and expressed in a clear commitment to the Bavingers (as clients), to their chosen site, and the architectural experiences designed for the Bavinger House. Informed by Gaston Bachelard's, poetic imagination, three journeys to and through the Bavinger House, reconstructed by generating drawings and bringing together a manifold of experiential methodologies to argue the claim that the Bavinger House is the preeminent paradigmatic example of Goff's work. The goal is to establish that Goff was indeed, a poetic architect who employed an imaginative organicism in his work. / Doctor of Philosophy / During the 1920s, the Midwestern American architect Bruce Goff advanced a unique design approach that would govern his career: "Good architecture for everyone." Following the First World War, this period is considered the end of the Victorian and Edwardian era and "American innocence," and the beginning of the modern era—the 20th century. Goff challenged the predominant views of progressive modernism, the belief that science and technology were to be the "grand solution" to society's weaknesses. In contrast to his contemporaries who employed design methods of standardized building forms, mass production, and technology, which would later lead to societal alienation, Goff viewed his clients as individuals possessing a mind, a body, and a spirit living in a world together with other human beings. He believed that each person is endowed with five or more senses that "always" respond to Nature and its beauty. This dissertation will show that such an experiential and existential attitude is found in Goff's drawings, writings, lectures, and interviews and expressed in a clear commitment to the Bavingers (as clients), to their chosen site, and the architectural experiences designed for the Bavinger House. Informed by Gaston Bachelard's, poetic imagination, three journeys to and through the Bavinger House, reconstructed by generating drawings and bringing together a manifold of experiential methodologies to argue the claim that the Bavinger House is the preeminent paradigmatic example of Goff's work. The goal is to establish that Goff was indeed, a poetic architect who employed an imaginative organicism in his work.

No description available.

The present study seeks to determine the relationship between Terror Management Theory (TMT) and various measures of existential anxiety, future consciousness, and future-oriented thinking. By using TMT as a theoretical construct, a scale was devised to measure participants’ protective behaviors relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. Three other scales were utilized, including Lalot’s Future Consciousness Scale (FCS), Strathman’s Consideration of Future Consequences Scale (CFCS), and Weems’ Existential Anxiety Questionnaire (EAQ). The scales were combined into one composite survey along with demographic questions. 315 participants were then administered the collection of scales via an only survey platform. Results indicated strong significant correlations between the scale developed and the three other scales utilized. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed the three scales utilized were strong predictor variables of proximal and distal protective behaviors as predicted by TMT. The possibilities for future research include expansion of the knowledge regarding protective behaviors during widespread health issues, and how to design programs to maximize protective behaviors to minimize health risks.