Book Review: Invitation to Existential Psychology: A Psychology for the unique Human Being and its Applications in Therapy

Abstract

Review of the book, Invitation to existential psychology: A psychology for the unique human being and its applications in therapy, by Chichester Bo Jacobson (2007). This book explores the richness and depth of the human being as seen by existential psychology. Chapter 1 opens on the question of what is existential psychology, and gives a tour beginning with the concept of phenomenology through to the big questions in life and how existential psychology compares and contrasts to other schools of psychology—humanistic psychology, positive psychology, and mainstream psychology. The remaining chapters 2 to 7 discusses the world of happiness and suffering, love and aloneness, adversity and success, death anxiety and life commitment, free choice and the obligations of life reality, and meaning of life in a chaotic world, respectively. The book is well written and very engaging one. Bo Jacobson brings his own insights to the book interwoven with scholarly and comprehensive discussions of the work of main existential theorists. The book is recommended to anyone studying psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)