The Contribution Of Female Existential Philosophers To Psychotherapy

Abstract

Existential philosophy has not lacked for intellectually brilliant women, but they have remained obscured by their male colleagues or partners. This has reduced the application of their existential philosophy in psychotherapy. I believe that it is time to rectify this. I have chosen to focus on three historical figures – Lou Andreas-Salomé, Edith Stein, and Simone de Beauvoir – each of whom address similar themes that are complementary to those that have preoccupied male existential philosophers, including community, ambiguity, and altruism. All of these are relevant to the practice of psychotherapy and it may be timely for psychotherapists to listen more closely to the feminine voice in existential philosophy that has in the past been drowned out by a dominant masculine voice.