ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses existential, humanistic, and social constructionist theories and build on the symbolic interactional perspective of the self—one that arises from interaction with others. Self-transcendence expands the assumptions of the social basis of the self, discussing theories that provide an understanding of how people gain a higher sense of consciousness about their inner selves. Transpersonal theories are used to reconnect clients with their significant others and to foster their sense of community and spirituality. Existential theorists suggested that people develop the capacity for self-awareness, experience freedom of action, take responsibility for themselves, construct their personal identities, establish intimate relationships, and search for meaning in life in response to feelings of anxiety and despair. Existentialists and humanists both believe in the worth of the individual, the right to self-determination, and the human capacity to self-actualize. Social construction theory views the person–environment as the creation and re-creation of meaning through discourse in a specific cultural tradition.
