Rollo May: Biography Of The Father Of Existential Psychology

Rollo May was an innovator in psychology. It allowed us, among other things, to understand much better the adverse experiences of human beings. He and other figures such as Viktor Frankl endowed psychotherapy with that existential and humanistic approach so necessary from which to favor the person, their strengths, their internal resources and that ability to make better decisions.

May’s best-known works, such as The Meaning of Anxiety, Love and Will or The Courage to Create,  are a valuable and revealing example of her revolutionary mentality. We cannot forget that this psychotherapist came to change and question many of the ideas inherited from Sigmund Freud and psychoanalysis.

Rollo May helped thousands of people find the courage to face their fears and limitations, in addition to opening the way to exercise freedom and fulfill the destiny that each one would like to propose. He knew how to appreciate beauty even in the most adverse situations as well as the intrinsic power of all difficulties. May, with her works and works, offered a new way of seeing ourselves and the world.

Rollo May, a life in search of meaning

Rollo May was born in Ada, Ohio, in 1909. Her childhood was not easy. He was the oldest of six siblings in an unstructured family. Their parents were separated and it was common to see these children spending much of the day alone and taking care of each other. Such a task, in turn, was not easy, since one of his sisters suffered from schizophrenia.

After graduating from high school, Rollo May decided to temporarily leave her surroundings behind. He went to Greece to work, taking advantage of this time to deepen in philosophy and mythology,  but he had to return to take care of his family once again. However, the knowledge acquired and the experiences that surrounded him sowed more doubts than answers, to the point that when he returned to the United States, he decided to study theology in New York.

In his mind there was a need, a very specific goal: to understand the reason for human suffering. And also, the reason for mental illnesses, suicide, fear, anxiety … It was then that he met a figure that marked his life and work: the Protestant theologian and existentialist philosopher Paúl Tillich.

Influences on Rollo May’s psychological approach

In 1939, while studying theology at the University, he wrote his first book  The Art of Counseling . In this work, he addressed for the first time aspects such as empathy, religion, personality problems and mental health. Thus, and after obtaining his graduate degree, he began a new stage by enrolling at Columbia University to study clinical psychology.

During these years his work was interrupted by tuberculosis. It was a difficult time where once again, doubts and that constant need to understand the reason for suffering and daily adversity arrived. He understood that his mission as a researcher and as a therapist should be to help people give meaning to their lives and overcome difficulties by improving their human potential.

May’s theoretical approach is based on a wide range of currents that made it easier for her to build a new vision of psychology. They are as follows:

• The legacy of Otto Rank, psychoanalyst and colleague of Sigmund Freud, was key to his work. He was that less known figure in psychoanalysis. However, it brought a more refreshing existential and humanistic current to psychology.
• Humanistic psychologists like Abraham Maslow were also his great references. Although May is more interested in delving into the difficulties of the human being more than in their needs.
• Finally, another essential figure in his theoretical legacy was Erich Fromm and specifically, his works on self-expression and free will.

The legacy of Rollo May, an existential psychologist

After receiving his doctorate from Columbia University, Rollo May began working as a counselor, as a psychotherapist, and as a professor at the New School for Social Research in New York. He also taught at Harvard, Yale, Princeton … 

Now, if he is known for something, it is for his books.  For those works that had great importance both in the academic community and in the society of the time. Works such as Man’s Search for Himself ,  Love and Will,  The Meaning of Anxiety  and  The Courage to Create  were acclaimed around the world.

The American Psychological Association (APA) honored him for his contribution to clinical psychology. He was a highly regarded figure, capable of helping us understand the existential dilemma of modern man. He spent his last years in Tiburon, in the San Francisco Bay, where he died in October 1994. He was 85 years old.

Rollo May’s contributions to psychology

• Introduced existentialism in psychology. This type of perspective makes use of a positive approach that emphasizes the capacities and aspirations of the human being. At the same time, it recognizes its limitations.
• It helped us understand the underlying mechanisms of human suffering and crisis. He did so by combining existentialism with humanism.
• Rollo May  focused a large part of his work on the study of anxiety. It helped us to see it differently, as a catalyst capable of making us make braver decisions.

In conclusion, Rollo May marked the opening of dialogue-based psychotherapy, where the purpose -more than leading the patient to well-being and happiness- is to provide them with strategies to face life in a safer, more courageous and rational way.