Don’t Fall Into Those Stereotype Traps

Abstract

The current work examines some notable women in existential psychology, with a discussion of their contributions to the field and how they incorporated the work of previous existential philosophers and clinicians. The analyses are based on their own writings, dating back to the 1950s, as well as some secondary source material that reviewed their work. What the research reveals is first that there are many more women in the history of existential psychology than most people currently know about—especially from the 1950s and 1960s. Second, the “feminine” version of existential psychology really stresses the emphasis on depth, presence, and being. Even nonexistential theorists, including Winnicott and Guntrip noted that this idea of being with rather than doing for the client splits along gender lines—feminine for “being” and masculine for “doing.” But in a world where the many of the existential psychologists currently practicing are male—in 2011, the Society for Humanistic Psychology had 60.8% male members to only 39% female—bringing this feminine component to existential therapy by introducing the work of these female practitioners is vital to make existential psychotherapy a richer practice not just for women but for everyone.