International Journal of Existential Psychology & Psychotherapy
Challenges and Opportunities: Response to Paul T.P. Wong’s Editorial, Existential Psychology for the 21st Century Gary T. Reker1
I found Paul Wong’s (2004) editorial to be uplifting, refreshing, and unifying. He is right to say that we must step out of the long shadows of ‘doom and gloom’ advocated by well known and respected existential philosophers. Contemporary existence also requires us to embrace the ‘growth and potential’ of the human experience as advocated by existential psychologists, particularly those of us who endorse the values of positive psychology. As one of the latter, I have been a long time campaigner and advocate for the importance of positive psychology, particularly as it pertains to the constructs of personal optimism and personal meaning in life (see, for example, Reker & Chamberlain, 2000; Reker & Wong, 1985). Paul, through his editorial, expresses a very similar conviction and provides a much-needed refocus on the tenets and meaning of existential psychology. As Paul (Wong, 2004) points out, life is full of paradoxes. Paradoxes are, by definition, bi-polar. We need to be careful, however, not to get over-zealous in emphasizing only the positive; the negative is also important in promoting the human potential for growth. Each pole of the paradox must be acknowledged for the simple reason that one defines the other. Can we really fully experience good, hope, or
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Gary T. Reker is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology at Trent University. Correspondence regarding this article should be directed to greker@trentu.ca.
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love without ever having experienced evil, despair, or hate? For me the answer is ‘no’. Paul’s (Wong, 2004) four fundamental questions and their respective subsets raise conscious awareness of our existence to a level that we don’t often contemplate in our busy lives. Indeed, our challenge is to reflect on and attempt to understand the what, while at the same time trying to activate the how. The what questions impel us to take stock, set goals, and identify values. The how questions give us guidance, provide direction, and perhaps identify a process for addressing the what. Paul’s formula for creating a body of knowledge that incorporates, without prejudice, both quantitative and qualitative research methods is something I heartily endorse and have been advocating for quite some time (see Reker, 1995). From the perspective of a researcher, the ultimate goal is to conduct good science. The concurrent use of quantitative and qualitative methods provides more complete answers to research questions and may add new and deeper insights and understandings of human development. Finally, I was somewhat surprised that Paul’s editorial pertained primarily to existential psychology and did not address the equally relevant practical side, that of existential psychotherapy. What I am most concerned about is what I perceive to be a lack of empirical evidence on the effectiveness of existential therapies. The challenge for existential psychotherapists is to become more accountable for the outcome of their therapy. They must begin to demonstrate that existential psychotherapy makes a difference; that it is a unique and distinct form of therapy that can complement and/or supplant alternative approaches. Personal testimonies, intuition, or a deep conviction that existential psychotherapy ‘works’ do not constitute acceptable evidence. Potential new members
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International Journal of Existential Psychology & Psychotherapy
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to our cause are pushing for accountability and I fear that if their cry goes unheeded, existential psychology and psychotherapy might not survive the 21st century. I share my concerns with advocates of existential psychotherapy, not to be overly and unjustly critical, but because of a strong desire to help nurture and further the ideals expressed in Paul Wong’s editorial (Wong, 2004). In my opinion, not addressing the issue of responsibility and accountability constitutes an important oversight in an editorial designed to introduce the reader to a new journal on existential psychology and psychotherapy. References Reker, G. T. (1995). Quantitative and qualitative methods. In Kimble, M.A., McFadden, S.H., Ellor, J.W., & Seeber, J.J. (Eds.), Aging, spirituality, and religion (pp. 568-588). Fortress Press: Minneapolis, MN. Reker, G. T., & Chamberlain, K. (Eds.) (2000). Exploring existential meaning: Optimizing human development across the life span. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Reker, G. T., & Wong, P. T. P. (1985). Personal optimism, physical and mental health: The triumph of successful aging. In J. E. Birren and J. Livingston (Eds.), Cognition, stress, and aging (pp. 134173). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: PrenticeHall. Wong, P. T. P (2004). Editorial: Existential psychology for the 21st century. International Journal of Existential Psychology and Psychotherapy, 1, 1–2.
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