Education as lifeproject Anders Dræby Sørensen Head of Counselling, Danish School of Education.

Præsentationer af emnet: "Education as lifeproject Anders Dræby Sørensen Head of Counselling, Danish School of Education."— Præsentationens transcript:

1 Education as lifeproject Anders Dræby Sørensen Head of Counselling, Danish School of Education

2 Plan Target group Basic principles of existential counselling Guidelines for the authentic life The relevance to education Principles for educational psychotherapy informed by the idea of the life project Educational psychotherapy in practice Presentation of a case

3 What is the problem and who has it ? Basic principles of existential psychotherapy

4 Main target group Students who experience severe difficulties of learning, performance and work preassure in their educational life Students who experience severe lack of satisfying orientation in their general way of relating to themselves, others and their world

5 Origin of problem Sociocultural complexity and fragmentation Lack of mature life mentoring Lack of positive attachment and seperation Ontological lack of orientation

6 What is existential counselling? Basic principles of existential psychotherapy

7 Existential counselling Focus on understanding individual experience and the ways in which clients relate to themselves, others and things in their world (the lived world) People long to be connected to themselves, others and the world and they want to have meaning in their lives No such thing as psychological dysfunction or being mentally ill, only different expressions of how one chooses to live one’s life

8 Existential counselling People are not ill but clumsy at living Existential and mental suffering is an expression of a misguided orientation in life / philosophy of life (inauthenticity) The aim of therapy is to help clients to be truthful to themselves (authenticity) in their orientation towards the future and not live a life of self-deception and escape This involves learning the art of living as a guiding orientation / philosophy of life

9 What guides the authentic life? Basic principles of existential psychotherapy

10 Different ideas of the goal of life Culture Society Institutions Religion Groups Family Individual.

11 Sociocultural ideal of the goal of life as a technological way of Being Man is as an advanced machine Life as a ressource, which must be challenged Goal of life as success through performance and achievements Goal of life as normality or happiness

12 The authentic life as objective of an alternative existential art of living What is art? Art is a bringing forth of something from concealment into unconcealment (Martin Heidegger)

13 The authentic life as objective of an existential art of living Origin of art of living? Aristotle Ethics as art of living directed towards human flourishing (eudaimonia) Flourishing achieved through balanced use of reason in everyday social living Cultivating virtues as capabilities of living by bringing forth existential potentials in a balanced way

14 The authentic life as objective of an existential art of living Foundations for an existential art of living? Choices regarding oneself as a condition of authentic coming into existence (Søren Kierkegaard) Human being is the not yet confirmed animal – You must become who you are (Friedrich Nietzsche) Authenticity calls the individual self out of its ”they-self” – it is associated with non-technological modes of existence (Martin Heidegger) Creating life as a piece of art by self-practice of freedom (Michel Foucault)

15 What guides the good orientation of life? Jean-Paul Sartre’s idea of the life project: Freedom as defining characteristica of human Being Man must create and form himself through choises which causes anxiety Every choice must be explained within the perspective of a larger choice of a project that grounds all motives and reasons Bad faith as a self-deceiving escape from anguish towards reassuring beliefs The project of authenticity in good faith as a facing of one’s own freedom

16 How is the good orientation of life recognized? Ortegy Y Gasset and the recognition of the authentic vocation: Every individual has a personal vocation Man can realize his vocation and live authentically Man can be untrue to himself by escaping into the security provided by social and cultural ideals of life Man recognizes his unique vocation in his meeting with the world and ”only his sufferings and his satisfactions instruct him concerning himself”

17 How is the good orientation of life recognized? Emmy van Deurzen and the poles of life: Life is the activity of movement between poles Existence is the tension between opposites and the play of forces in- between The art of living is about accepting one’s polar oppositions in a balanced way The authentic life not only practice of freedom but also of connectedness, necessity and obligation Follow the path in life, that conscience tells is right

18 Principles for an existential art of living Bringing forth of inner potentials in a balanced way directed at flourishing Informed by choice of an authentic life project expressing a persons whole Being Instructed by sufferings and satisfactions concerning oneself

19 The role of existential counselling in regard to the art of living Fascilitating the learning of a more authentic way of living Informed by a concealment of the individual life project

20 Strategy for therapy in practice Clarification of balances and inbalances in the clients way of relating to the world as connected to experiences of satisfaction and suffering Clarification of the clients innermost wishes, values and potentials Fascilitating the cultivation of capabilites in the client to engage fully in the world as a whole person understood as the exspression of an authentic inclusion

21 What is the relevance to education? Basic principles of existential psychotherapy

22 Education as existential setting 1 In modern culture a setting for leaving home, growing up and becoming and adult person For young people the main setting for choosing a course of life and creating themselves as persons Choice of education reflects selfimage and idea of lifeproject

23 Education as existential setting 2 Part of the students lifeworld – the world as experienced and given meaning to in everyday life Educational institutions mirror societys structure and provide an entrance for inclusion

24 Education as part of authentic life project 1 The choice of education is grounded in the larger choice of a genuine lifeproject and makes the individual more conscious of his destination Education as a setting that helps an individual to realise his potentials, make him more capable of living truthful to himself, make him aware of his freedom and prepare him to meet adulthood with responsibility

25 Education as part of authentic life project 2 Education must help develop the uniqueness in the individual, the complete development of the whole personality and a positive view of the self Education is a balanced part of a whole life that helps the individual mature and feel satisfaction with his existence Education as a path for genuine inclusion in society

26 Education as part of inauthentic life project 1 The choice of education is grounded in other peoples choice, expectations or experience of meaningfulness and does not create a meaning to the student that offer personal significance Education is not experienced as a course of life that is personally owned and the purpose of one’s activities Education is perceived as something external, and the student's attitude might be passive or lack a sense of responsibility Education as a setting that helps an individual to realise his potentials, make him more capable of living truthful to himself, make him aware of his freedom and prepare him to meet adulthood with responsibility

27 Education as part of inauthentic life project 2 Examinations and tests are meet either with negligence or with a life-or-death attitude, maybe even pathological anxiety The student can not maintain a good balance between student life and other parts of life as friends, family and hobbies The student may invest all identity and energy in educational life

28 Education as part of inauthentic life project 3 The student may experience a constant fear of being detected by his surroundings as a trickster or fool Student life is characterized by crises and feelings of anxiety, alienation, emptiness, meaninglessness and lack of orientation, concentration and endurance

29 What is educational counselling? Basic principles of existential psychotherapy

30 So far, so good, so what?

31 Educational counselling informed by the idea of the life project 1 Facilitation of existential learning process focused on: Education and student life as matrix and arena for personal development (learning the art of living) and connecting to an authentic life project Focus on genuine choice of education Education as part of the totality of the individual Being Course of education grounded in clarification of values, ideals, potentials and abilities

32 Educational counselling informed by the idea of the life project 2 Promotion of responsible capacity in student life Enhancing the students powers to choose for and direct him-/herself Development of capabilities in student for connecting to oneself and others in a balanced way Preparation of student to meet adult life and labour market with openness, and development of positive view of self

33 In practice? Basic principles of existential psychotherapy

34 . Presentation of a case

35 . Peter, 22 years, student of computer science Parents scientists Depression, lack of concentration, anxiety Studying 12 hours a day 2 friends, playing computer games Never had a girlfriend

36 . If you could determine your own life, what could you imagine that it contained?

37 . Working with people Following interest in biology Going to partys and have fun Having more friends Learning to dance and meet girls Being independent Listening to music

38 . Peter, 23 years Started at medical school Participating in partys and social events at medical scool Becoming better at dancing Been on ad date with a fellow female medical student Become more distanced from parents Lost interest in music