The Subject Was Still Alive

Actively assimilating the philosophical ideas of phenomenology and existentialism, Ludwig Binswanger "reconstructed" psychoanalysis and created the theory of existential analysis. The theory emphasizes human's being-in-the-world, showing concerns for human's wholeness. According to existential analysis, the main reason for the patients to get ill is that, they cannot understand their own being-in-the-world. So their "getting ill" is just that their life "is getting ill". It is the reflection of human beings' losing the freedom to choose and refusing to take the responsibility for the choice. It is also because their understanding about the being-in-the-world is blocked by the single confined world-design. Therefore, the main purpose of existential analysis is to lead the patients to form various world-designs, to understand their own being-in-the-world, and to live a authentical life. In Binswanger's opinion, human beings are not only being-in-the-world, but being-beyond-the-world, so that humans can avoid being get into the lair of encompassing "self. Using the methods of phenomenology, existential-anthropology and clinic, existential analysis investigates many topics, such as unconscious, dream, authenticity, inauthenticity, thrownness, anxiety, guilt, death and so on. These topics draw the outline of the holistic theoretical frame of existential analysis concretely for us, which is full of the tinge of "human" and the warmth of "love". There are four basic characteristics in Binswanger's theory of existential analysis, that is, it is against the statement of causality, but for analyzing human beings existentially; against dichotomy, but for understanding human's experience wholly; against mechanism, but for comprehending human's being authentically; against the theory of instinct, but for describing human's being phenomenologically.As the organiger of existential analysis, Binswanger makes great contributions to this approach. He initiates the new researching orientation of existential analysis, gives prominence to positive standpoint about human nature, develops the investigating topics of psychopathology, and enriches the clinical therapeutic means. Obviously, there are four disadvantages in Binswanger's existential analysis. It is lack of theoretical systematization and takes on strong philosophical tinge. Besides, there are contradictions between theoretical basis and clinical practice. Finally, its therapeutic techniques are lack of their own uniqueness. Whereas, existential analysis has had great positive influence upon philosophy, psychology and clinical therapy.To validate the theory's adaptability and validity in the context of Chinese culture, the dissertation puts the basic ideas and methods of Binswanger's existential analysis into our China's campus psychological consultation. The investigation of two cases is successful, which will provide revelation and reference for the native investigation about existential analysis.