Existential emptiness and the search for meaning: what can psychology do?

Psychology must turn to philosophy to help those who are searching for meaning in their lives.

Have you ever had to choose between two or more situations and don't know if the choice you made was the right one? Have you ever wondered what is the point of living if we are going to die sooner or later? Have you ever experienced: anguish, guilt or deep suffering? If you answered yes to at least one of these questions, read on because this article was created for you.

The title of the article outlines more than just theoretical concepts, as it exemplifies an anthropological and existential definition: "Man as an indeterminate being in constant search of meaning"; however, **is it possible to find this meaning from psychotherapy? **

The search for meaning as a human act

Women and men are always oriented towards something that we ourselves are not, for example, being intentional towards something or someone; for this reason, we speak of meaning as an anthropological characteristic, for the very fact of being considered a human being is to go beyond ourselves, and this possibility of transcendenceand this possibility of transcendence is what constitutes its existence.

Now, from a historical and social point of view, it is considered that the human being's ultimate goal is to be happy, isn't it? However, it has been discovered that what the human being really wants is not happiness in itself, but a reason to be happy, since, as soon as he finds this reason to be happy, he is happy.For, as soon as this motive is found, happiness and pleasure arise of their own accord; happiness is a consequence.

Thus, what motivates women and men is neither the will to pleasure nor the will to power, but the will to meaning, and it is this that drives humanity to pursue and try to unveil its meaning; that is, to go out of oneself to meet with an "other", as acts of realization and encounter that are the basis of happiness in the human being.

However, this aspiration usually dissolves in the direct search for pleasure, instead of this being given as a consequence of a meaningful act, pleasure then becomes the goal itself, leading people to fall into a compulsive and disturbing cycle.. We know that, the more one worries about pleasure, the more one drifts away.

Existential frustration

Thus, nowadays, it is more evident that the population lives immersed in an existential frustration, not because there is a greater amount of "emptiness", but because the abrupt changes of the times force us to adapt to the "novelty", for which many times we are not prepared or we do not even know that we must adapt.

Viktor Frankl, founder of the logotherapy, exposes that in these post-modern times we are living in an increasing existential frustrationwhich can manifest itself through boredom, apathy or despair, these being the first symptoms of the expression of emptiness and lack of meaning. Thus, some causes of existential emptiness are usually the loss of instincts (what to do) and traditions (how to do it).

This aspect is fundamental to allow us to reflect on it, because, contrary to animals, human beings are not limited to our instincts, but to our instincts.But also, at present we lack traditions and customs that tell us how to do things. Thus, in the absence of that which tells us how we should be and that which tells us how to do things, it seems that deep down we no longer know what we really want, which is why we end up doing what others do or doing what others tell us we should do.

In addition, a third point about existential emptiness or frustration must be considered, and this is anguish. If we are in a time of emptiness, does our life make sense? Here an interesting dichotomy arises: life has meaning, but this meaning cannot be given, it must be discovered, for if meaning were given or invented, it would produce a subjective meaning, an absurdity.

Human beings, when they show no ability to unveil or create meaning in their lives, flee from the sensation of meaninglessness: they believe that it is something absurd or subjective. However, meaning must not only be found, but fortunately it is possible to discover it. But how?

Well, consciousness is the key, because it will be the one that will give direction to the search for meaning. But let us be cautious, because it can deceive the human being as to what his own meaning is, since we will not know with absolute certainty whether we have really found it or not: we are condemned to uncertainty.

What can psychotherapy do to help find meaning?

As I have pointed out throughout this article, meaning cannot be provided by anyone, and this includes, of course, the psychologist, psychiatrist, physician or psychotherapist.This is a personal task. Nevertheless, it can be pointed out to the consultant that life has meaning under any circumstance, since the fact of not having certainties is what allows us to act with genuine freedom.

With respect to psychology, the issues of meaning are based on phenomenology, because there cannot be an emission of judgments or false morality in any situation; on the contrary, it focuses much more on the experience and the value that each person designates to the circumstances in which he/she lives, because human beings have the capacity to find meaning in their experiences, "a sense"..

Psychology, like medicine, knows that it is necessary to "take advantage" of philosophy, since the lack of meaning and the radical changes in our days, the lack of objectives, boredom, the lack of sense and purpose require more than interpretation and technical instructionsThe purpose is to cultivate a "personal philosophizing" as a capacity to look at oneself and enable a reflective thinking that invites the consultant to know himself capable and free to answer the questions that life asks him.

Now, why does life make sense in spite of everything? From this perspective, life has meaning under any circumstance and even with limitations of any kind, because human beings are sustained by two anthropological and existential pillars, freedom and responsibility, which make it possible to face life's challenges.which make it possible to face every obstacle in life. I am sorry to disillusion you, but it is so, we are free beings because we are limited beings, we are finite, we are wandering beings, and it is before such possibility that we must know that we are in permanent capacity of choice.

Finally, it is not a matter of giving answers to each client, but of enabling his ability to respond to himself, to shape his destiny.

Thus, the psychologist specializing in these areas of care will accompany you not only as a witness of your ability to respond, but also as a support and solid support on which you can sustain yourself while you experience the anguish of choice, renunciation, and of course, the freedom to which, as a person, you are condemned; And it is thanks to this accompaniment, to this support in the how of the experience, that it is possible to know and understand from where the person "chooses and transforms himself/herself" allowing to identify that perspective that could limit his/her horizon of meaning, for example, from what he/she has learned, from his/her beliefs, from his/her judgments, from his/her deepest fears or from those habits that have shaped him/her.

The human being can overcome these limitations and thus, from that freedom and ability to respond, can shape its destiny..... Psychotherapy, therefore, can be considered as a possibility of meaning, because it shows the patient how to transform hopelessness into triumph (V. Frankl, 2003).

If after what you have just read, more or new questions and queries have arisen, how wonderful: the task has been accomplished, for this is a reflective and philosophical invitation, questions being the first step of the journey. If you consider that the current situations in your life raise more questions to which you do not know what and how to answer and you wish to face this challenge, you can contact me so we can try to unveil together this experience for the sake of a Meaning.