ABSTRACT
Existential philosophy offers a great deal to the coach who can effectively pick and choose among the many views subsumed under the title of existentialism. This is no easy task, as the existential literature is varied and often complex, meaning different things to different people. The parable of the blind men comes to mind, as they describe an elephant differently based upon whether they felt the trunk or the ear or the tail or the tusk. More often than not, existential ideas are presented in a fictional form, and authors are unwilling to interpret them for readers. Those who subsequently explain their fiction typically do so in language nearly impossible to decipher. Many of the most influential existential thinkers refused to even embrace the label existential, as there is very little agreement among them and they tended to be independent in the extreme. Most wrote in revolt or rejection of the ideas of those who preceded them. Whereas classical philosophers advocate reason, existentialists call for passion. One can find numerous books and essays with titles such as “What Is Existentialism?” but one would be hard-pressed to come up with a single tome that adequately captures and digests it all. Existentialism is less an -ism than a way of approaching things, a stance or a “posture.” In spite of the fact that existentialism does not lend itself to easy application, existential philosophy has had a powerful impact on psychotherapy theory and practice, and it has enormously useful potential for the executive coach.
