In This Moment, We Are All Dr. Rieux: COVID-19, Existential Anxiety, and the Absurd Hero

Abstract

<jats:p> With the COVID-19 pandemic, clients and therapists alike are apt to experience an increase in existential anxiety. Irvin Yalom formulates existential anxiety as the result of a confrontation with the givens of death, freedom, isolation, and meaninglessness. As a formulation for COVID-19 pandemic anxiety, Yalom’s formulation provides a means to grasp the existential crisis facing the individual wherein the ability to cope with anxiety and despair is overwhelmed. As a prophylactic for the paralyzing existential terror and despair faced through the existential threat of COVID-19, Albert Camus’ concepts of the absurd and the absurd hero are developed as a means to embrace the absurd and tragic character of the COVID-19 pandemic. The absurd and tragic heroes Sisyphus and Dr. Bernard Rieux become role models for the pandemic therapist. </jats:p>

COVID-19 Pandemisine Varoluşçu Bir Yaklaşım

“…Bilinmeyen ve ölümcül bir tehlike yaratan COVID-19, insanı en derin varoluşsal kaygılarıyla yüz yüze getirmiştir. İnsanlar ölecekleri, kendilerini bu noktaya getiren eylemlerden sorumlu oldukları, sonunda bununla tek başına yüzleşmeleri gerektiği ve bu tehdit karşısında hayatlarının hiçbir anlamı olamayabileceği gerçeğiyle baş başa kalmıştır 25 . Bu durum insanları bir anlam bulma çabasına, yaşamlarındaki anlamı sorgulamaya ve hatta yeniden yapılandırmaya yönlendirmiştir.…”

“…Bunun temel sebeplerinden biri pandemi gibi büyük çaplı krizlerin insanı rutininin dışına çıkararak normalde kabul ettikleri şeyler üzerinde bile düşünmeye sevk etmesidir 31 . Bir diğer sebep ise, bireylerin daha önce sözü edildiği üzere nihai kaygılara yoğun şekilde maruz kalmasıdır 25 . Bireyler zorlayıcı koşullarla başa çıkabilmek için bir anlam bulmaya ihtiyaç duyarlar.…”

An existential–spiritual model for coping during and after COVID-19.

“…Individuals construct meaning through confronting the four “givens of existence” (Yalom, 1980). Farr (2021) elaborated on Yalow’s approach, stating that such ultimate concerns, and the conflict between fundamental truths (givens of existence) and the desire for its opposite, provoke existential anxiety. These existentially driven conflicts include: (a) the awareness of death versus the hope for immortality; (b) a sense of groundlessness versus the desire for structure to provide safety, predictability, and security; (c) the awareness of the meaninglessness of life versus the drive to create and find meaning; and (d) feelings of loneliness, separation, and isolation versus the need for closeness and connection with others (Farr, 2021).…”

Meaning in Life, Death Anxiety, and Spirituality in the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Community: A Scoping Review

“…Existential dilemmas pose problems related to death, freedom, isolation, and meaninglessness, putting people in intrapersonal, interpersonal, and transpersonal conflicts (Farr, 2021). Using the Existential Positive Psychology Model of Suffering (EPPMS) as a guide (Van Tongeren & Showalter Van Tongeren, 2021), we subscribe to the idea that any form of suffering prompts existential issues among people and that the primary way to address them is through meaning-making amidst challenges.…”