Rollo May

Rollo May talks about the lack of symbolism and myths in contemporary human beings and relates it to the psychological problems of today.

Rollo May discusses his views on the relationship between counseling and the human condition with John H. Whiteley and others. He relates the role of symbol and myth to coping with anxiety and stress in everyday life, explores existential and humanistic branches of psychology and looks at the importance of a sense of history and how it relates to man's place in society and its effects on expeessions of creativity and dealing with the tragic in life.

Rollo May discusses the origins, purpose, and development of humanistic psychology, and reflects on his own role in this movement. May identifies the postulates of his theory of humanistic psychology: psychology should deal with the whole human being, should be based on normal people, should recognize the subjective attitudes of the counselor, etc.

Existential psychology emphasizes philosophic rather than psychopathological aspects of the human condition. In this animated, two-part discussion, Dr. May proposes that genuine growth comes from confronting the pain of existence rather than escaping into banal pleasures or shallow, positive thinking. Genuine joy, he says, can emerge from an appreciation of life's agonies.

Dr. May discusses his views of maturity and his own recent work on the process of creativity. He also evaluates his most significant contributions, reacts to his critics, and discusses his future plans.

Drawing from the influence of his forefathers--Freud, Jung, and Fromm--as well as classical mythology, philosophy and literature, May gives a passionate explanation of Existential Psychotherapy and why it is so important for the practice of psychotherapy in a world full of "gimmicks." In this personal and provocative dialogue with Kirk Schneider and colleagues, May explores his own unique therapy style, reflects on his work with clients, and gets specific on what we can take and leave from other influential psychotherapists.