Freedom & Responsibility -- An Existential Overview

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Freedom, from an existential perspective, cannot be separated from

responsibility. With freedom comes responsibility. Yet, it is commonfor many people to seek freedom while trying to avoid responsibility.While, at times, it appears that people may be able to succeed atthis, there remains a psychological consequence. This consequenceis often not very noticeable, but may find expression through guilt,anxiety, depression, or even anger.Existential freedom is not the same things as freedom in the politicalsense we often think of it in America. In fact, political freedom couldbe view to be a rather shallow, though not unimportant, type offreedom. A person can be existentially free despite not beingpolitically free, and a person can avoid embracing their existentialfreedom despite being offered great political freedoms.Frankl (1984), in the story of his experience in the concentrationcamps, provides a powerful overview of this distinction. While all hispolitical or social freedoms were taken away, he gives credit for hissurvival to his psychological freedom. This psychological freedomallowed him to find and embrace meaning in the midst of whatappeared to be meaningless suffering.

Ways of Avoiding ResponsibilityThere are several common examples of how people avoidresponsibility in American culture. Conformity is one good example.Americans pride themselves on being autonomous individuals to thepoint of idealizing individualism. However, upon closer analysis,Americans find extremely creative ways of giving up their freedom.Americans conform through blind allegiance to various organizationsand institutions including political parties and religious institutions.This is not to say that being dedicated to either of these are bad. Infact, often they can lead to very positive outcomes. The problem

comes with blindallegiance where a person gives up theirresponsibility to critically think through the beliefs, perspectives, andvalues of the organization. When this happens, the individual'svalues are no longer authentic.When a person gives their allegiance to an external belief structure,they may go in one of several directions. First, they often willbecome very rigid in their allegiance to the organization or structureto which they have committed. This type of conformity can be seenthrough various forms of fundamentalism -- religious, political,psychological systems, etc.Second, they may present as being very committed to a beliefsystems or organization, but they feel very comfortable bending therules where it does fit their desires. It becomes easy to bend the

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rules because they are not really committed to the underlying valuessystem. However, when a person is deeply committed to authenticmoral or value principles, they are less willing to act in ways whichcontradict these principles. The principles are authentic.Another way avoid responsibility can occur through the belief thatone is powerless. There can be many factors which are seen torender a person powerless. A person can perceive themselves as a

victim of their environment, of various supernatural or spiritualforces, their unconscious, or a victim of their biology/genes. Whilean existential approach will recognize that all of these factors mayinfluence a person, none of them render a person powerless orcompletely control them.

The Ability to Choose FreedomOtto Rank discusses the issue of freedom beautifully. Essentially,Rank states that the degree to which a person is unaware of thoseforces which influence us, they are controlled by them. Stated

differently, the degree which we are unaware of how our drives,instincts, unconscious, and environment are influencing us, theycontrol us. However, if a person chooses not to be aware of theseinfluences, even if done so passively or unconsciously, a choice hasstill been made.Self-awareness, in Rank's conceptualization, is a commitmentpeople make which can enhance their freedom. Yet, most peoplechoose to live a life of being unaware.It can be frightening to deeplyknow who we are and the realities of our existence. Yet, it can be

even more rewarding. The movie the Matrix provides a parallel tothis understanding of freedom and awareness. While many chooseto avoid living in the realities of life, a few choose to live more fully inawareness. The existential question then becomes do you choosethe blue pill? Or will you take the red one?

Self-Awareness and the Ethical LifeIf we accept Ranks views on freedom, the unconscious, and the will,then to live a responsible life is to live a life committed to self-awareness. If the choice made is to merely be a product of ourbiology, our unconscious, and our environment; then the choice hasbeen made to live an inauthentic and irresponsible life. Thiscommitment is not always an easy one, but, again, the rewards canbe great.The inauthentic and unaware life limits a person in so many ways.First, it limits a person's ability to live an ethical life. Second, it limitsthe potential for authenticity. A third loss, which is necessarilyconnected to the second loss, is that we are limited in our ability forintimacy and relational satisfaction. It is only through knowingourselves that we can be authentically in relationship with others.

However, the ironic paradox remains that the only way we can cometo know ourselves is through relationship with others.In returning to the discussion of ethics, it can be seen that this isprofoundly different approach to ethics than the one typically

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embraced by American society. A close look at America's valuesystem reveals that it typically is based on a) conformity to rules andethics codes, b) what benefits the individual or their family the most,or c) what is more financially beneficial for the individual.I would maintain that an existential approach to ethics must becounterculture in American society. As existential thought tends tobe anti-structural, it will focus on broader principles instead of rules.

These principles may be derived from a religious or spiritual system,but not necessarily so. They would embrace a respect for humanexistence, but also the broader environmental and natural systems(nature) of which human existence is a part. Love, compassion, anda commitment to social justice (not in the punitive or avengingsense, but rather in seeking to change the evils of society) are theprinciples which are foundational to existential theory. While manyindividual principles may also be a part of different peoples' valuessystem, I would maintain that these principles are essential to anexistential ethics.

Self awareness is needed to live in accordance with theseprinciples. However, the lack of self awareness is not an acceptableexcuse for a person's behavior.

Freedom & Responsibility in TherapyThe process of change cannot begin until a person acceptsresponsibility. This is one of the difficult challenges of growth. Inorder to grow, a person must accept responsibility for what theyhave done to contribute to where they are at in life. If they have no

responsibility, then they have little ability to change.When applied to therapy, this could be taken to mean that thetherapist must break through the walls of defense in order to helpthe client take responsibility. This is generally not consistent with theexistential approach. Bugental (1987) provides some of the bestillustrations of this. With his profound respect for the client, Bugentalalso shows a respect for the client's defenses. Instead of forcingthrough defenses, they can be used as a guide to help the therapistknow when the client is ready to go deeper into an issue. When thedefenses are strong, the therapist respects the need for the defenseand does not push on that issue at that time. However, when thedefenses are lowered the therapist then can recognize that it is agood time to move deeper.This is not to suggest there is never a time to confront or challengea client's defenses. Rather it recognizes that before this is done thetherapist must recognize the value of the defense. It also suggeststhat defenses can be challenged or confronted in a softer manner. Ilike to use the metaphor of the invitation here. The job of thetherapist is to continuously invite the client to examine the defenses

and the issues which the defenses are protecting, yet alwaysrespect the client's desire to not accept the invitation.

The Will and AgencyThe will and agency are common words used to describe aspects of


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freedom in existential thought. 'Will' is a word that most peoplerecognize, but have difficulty defining. One way of defining the will isto state that it is that aspect of the self which chooses or is free. Instating that people have a free will does not necessitate that theyare entirely free. Rather, it is affirming that people are at leastpartially free. Few, if any, existential thinkers will deny that ourbiology, culture, and environment influence our actions and our will.However, none of these can take away the reality of some degree of

personal freedom.The idea of the will is a important point of divergence from classicalpsychodynamic/psychoanalytic perspectives which generally aremuch more pessimistic about how free a person can be (someapproaches to contemporary or relational psychoanalysis arenotable exceptions). This, in part, is due to conceptions of theunconscious. While both theories generally agree that we have anunconscious which can never be fully known, existential theoriestypically believe that the unconscious can be much more known

than what psychodynamic theorists believe.

Agency is a complex term that many struggle with. In essence, aperson is acting as an agent when they are exercising their will.Human beings sometimes act in a manner that is completelypassive. That is, although they have the potential for will, they do notexercise it. In these instances, they are not acting as free agents;instead, they are merely acting as automatons or products of thoseforces which influence the individual. Therefore, the potential foragency is part of the human condition, but it is a part often notutilized.

ConclusionFreedom and responsibility are discussed first because they arefoundational in understanding the human experience. If we are notfree, then the other existential questions take on a very differentpurpose. It would also require a very different approach to therapy.However, if people are free, then issues of meaning, relationship,and human limitation take on a very different meaning.Click here to continue to the Death, Human Limitation, & Finiteness

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Original Version added 2004. Updated July, 2009.

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Freedom & Responsibility -- An Existential Overview

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