Rollo May facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Rollo May
May speaking in 1977
Born	(1909-04-21)April 21, 1909 Ada, Ohio, U.S.
Died	October 22, 1994(1994-10-22) (aged 85) Tiburon, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Education	Teachers College, Columbia University (PhD, clinical psychology) Union Theological Seminary (BD) Oberlin College Michigan State University
Occupation	Psychologist Author
Known for	Love and Will (1969)

Rollo Reece May (born April 21, 1909 – died October 22, 1994) was an American psychologist and author. He is famous for his ideas about existential psychology, which looks at big questions about life, freedom, and responsibility. He wrote a very important book called Love and Will in 1969. Rollo May is often linked to humanistic psychology and existentialist philosophy. He was a key person, along with Viktor Frankl, in making existential psychotherapy well-known. A close friend and thinker named Paul Tillich greatly influenced his work.

Besides Love and Will, May also wrote The Meaning of Anxiety (1950) and The Courage to Create (1975).

Rollo May's Life and Career

Rollo May was born in Ada, Ohio, on April 21, 1909. He had a tough childhood. His parents divorced, and his older sister had a serious mental illness. As the first son in a family of six children, he often had to take care of himself and his siblings.

He first went to Michigan State University to study English. However, he was asked to leave because he was involved with a student magazine that was considered too radical. He then went to Oberlin College and earned a degree in English.

After college, May spent three years teaching in Greece at Anatolia College. While there, he learned from a doctor and psychotherapist named Alfred Adler. Adler's ideas later influenced May's own work.

When he returned to the United States, May became a minister. But after a few years, he left the ministry to study psychology. In 1942, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis and spent 18 months recovering in a special hospital. He later earned a degree in divinity from Union Theological Seminary in 1938. Finally, he earned his PhD in clinical psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University in 1949. May also helped start Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center in San Francisco.

He spent his last years in Tiburon, California, near San Francisco Bay. Rollo May passed away from heart failure at age 85. His wife, Georgia, and friends were with him.

Rollo May's Important Books

Early Writings (1940s-1950s)

When Rollo May started writing, his books often focused on practical advice for people and their mental health. His first book, The Art of Counseling (1939), shared his experiences as a counselor. He wrote about topics like understanding others (empathy), religion, and dealing with personality problems. He also gave advice on how counselors could handle these issues.

His next book, The Springs of Creative Living: A Study of Human Nature and God (1940), explored his ideas about personality. He looked at the work of other famous thinkers like Freud and Adler. May believed that personality was deeper than they had described.

His writing slowed down in the 1940s because he was sick with tuberculosis and working on his PhD.

In the 1950s, his books focused more on mental health. The Meaning of Anxiety (1950) looked at what anxiety is and how it affects us. May believed that facing anxiety could help people grow and develop a healthy personality.

In Man’s Search for Himself (1953), May wrote about common problems his patients faced, like feeling lonely or empty. He explored how people need to feel valued. He also discussed how life can sometimes feel overwhelming and offered ways to deal with these feelings.

May's last book in the 1950s, Existence (1958), was partly written by him. In it, he explored the beginnings of existential psychology. He explained why this way of thinking is important for understanding people. He also discussed existential psychotherapy and its helpful ideas.

Psychology and the Human Dilemma (1967)

In this book, May shared his thoughts on his own ideas and those of other thinkers. He also discussed some current ideas of his time. May expanded on his earlier views about anxiety and how people sometimes feel unimportant.

Love and Will (1969)

This is one of May's most famous books. He shared his views on love and a concept he called the "Daimonic." He saw the Daimonic as a natural part of human nature. He also discussed depression and creativity. Many of the ideas in this book are what Rollo May is best known for.

The Courage to Create (1975)

May believed that our creative courage comes from listening to our ideas and helping to shape our world. In this book, he encouraged people to try new things in their lives. He wanted them to face their fears to reach their full potential.

Freedom and Destiny (1981)

As the title suggests, this book focuses on freedom and destiny. May explored what freedom can offer us. He also looked at how destiny sets limits, but also how freedom and destiny depend on each other. May used examples from artists and poets to explain his points.

The Discovery of Being: Writings in Existential Psychology (1983)

In this book, May looked at the ideas of others, including Freud, to explain existential psychotherapy in more detail. He also explored how psychoanalysis and existentialism might have come from similar ways of thinking. He paid attention to finding stability when dealing with strong feelings of anxiety.

The Cry for Myth (1991)

In this book, May argued that myths can help people understand their lives. He used examples from his patients' stories. May explained how myths can be especially helpful for those who need direction in a confusing world.

Rollo May's Achievements

In 1970, his most popular book, Love and Will (1969), won the Ralph Waldo Emerson Award. It also became a best-seller.
In 1971, May received an award from the American Psychological Association for his important contributions to clinical psychology.
In 1972, he won the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Award for his book Power and Innocence (1972).
In 1987, he received the American Psychological Foundation Gold Medal Award for his lifelong work in professional psychology.

Who Influenced Rollo May?

May was influenced by humanistic ideas from North America. He wanted to connect existential psychology with other ways of thinking, especially those of Sigmund Freud.

May believed that Otto Rank (1884–1939) was a very important person who came before existential therapy. May called Rank "the great unacknowledged genius in Freud's circle."

May is often grouped with humanistic thinkers like Abraham Maslow. Maslow's ideas provided a good starting point for May's studies. However, May explored the serious parts of human life more deeply than Maslow did.

Erich Fromm also had many ideas that May agreed with, especially about existential concepts. Fromm studied how people avoid anxiety by simply following what society expects, instead of doing what they truly want. Fromm also focused on self-expression and free will, which were key ideas in May's own studies.

Stages of Development

Like Freud, Rollo May described different "stages" of development. These stages are not as strict as Freud's. Instead, they show a series of important issues that people face in life:

Innocence – This is like the stage of a baby. An innocent person only does what they need to do. They have a basic drive to meet their needs.
Rebellion – A rebellious person wants freedom. But they don't yet fully understand the responsibility that comes with it.
Ordinary – This is the stage of a normal adult. They have learned responsibility but find it too demanding. So, they often follow what everyone else does and traditional values.
Creative – This is the stage of a truly authentic adult. They are self-actualizing, meaning they are becoming their best self. They move beyond just thinking about themselves.

It's important to know that these stages are not fixed. Both children and adults can show qualities from these stages at different times in their lives.

Aspects of the World

May's ideas about different aspects of the world influenced his theories on development. He described three main aspects:

Umwelt – This means "the world around us." It describes the biological or genetic influences on a person. These influences are not conscious. So, Umwelt helps us understand ideas like fate and destiny.
Mitwelt – This means "the world with us." It includes the social world where we find meaning from our relationships with others. This aspect starts to affect us as children when we learn to interact with people and understand responsibility.
Eigenwelt – This means our "own world." It refers to our inner psychological world. This is where we explore ourselves, get to know ourselves, reflect, and create our identity. This aspect is conscious and helps us become self-aware.

All these aspects work together to shape how each person sees the world and their surroundings.

Key Ideas from Rollo May

Understanding Anxiety

In his book The Meaning of Anxiety, Rollo May defined anxiety as "the worry caused by a threat to something a person believes is essential to their existence." He also quoted Søren Kierkegaard, saying: "Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom." May became interested in anxiety that comes from feeling alone when he was in a hospital for tuberculosis. He saw patients who felt fear and anxiety linked to feeling cut off from others.

From this experience, May concluded that anxiety is important for personal growth. He believed we cannot escape anxiety. So, we must use it to develop our humanity and live a life with dignity.

He thought that feelings of threat and powerlessness from anxiety pushed people to be brave. It made them choose freedom instead of just going along with what was easy. May believed anxiety gave people a chance to live life to the fullest. He also suggested that turning anxiety into a specific fear could help reduce overall anxiety. This is because fear makes us want to avoid or remove the thing we are afraid of.

Understanding Guilt

According to May, guilt happens when people don't use their full potential. It also happens when they don't see what others need or don't realize how much they depend on the world. Both anxiety and guilt are about a person's existence in the world. May called them ontological, meaning they relate to the nature of being, not just feelings from certain situations.

May described three types of guilt, each linked to one of the three world aspects:

Umwelt guilt comes from not being aware of our place in the natural world. May thought this happens more as the world becomes more focused on technology, and people feel less connected to nature.
Mitwelt guilt comes from not being able to see things from other people's points of view. Because we can't fully understand what others need, we might feel like we're not good enough in our relationships.
Eigenwelt guilt is about denying our own potential or failing to achieve it. This guilt is about our relationship with ourselves. This type of guilt is common because no one can fully reach all their potential.

Rollo May's Thoughts on Modern Therapy

May believed that towards the end of the 20th century, many therapists were moving away from the ideas of important thinkers like Jung and Freud. He thought they were creating their own "gimmicks" or quick fixes. This, he felt, was causing problems in the world of therapy.

He said these "gimmicks" focused too much on the "self." Instead, May believed the real focus should be on "man in the world." To fix this, May pushed for therapists to use existential therapy. He thought it was better than individual, made-up techniques.

May believed that modern therapy was treating small problems instead of deeper psychological issues. He thought this gave patients only short-term fixes and distracted them from their real problems. May also thought that therapists might get bored treating these small issues and then create more "gimmicks."

Because of this, May believed that existential therapy was the way forward. Existential therapy aimed to help people understand their deeper experiences. It focused on natural ideas like death, love, and fear. This helped people understand how they fit into the world around them.

What Rollo May Thought Could Harm Existential Psychology

In 1961, Rollo May shared his worries about the growing field of existential psychology. He pointed out things he thought would hurt its development. He called these "unconstructive trends." May identified five such trends:

The idea that existential psychology could only be for a specific group.
Thinking that existential psychology was just a type of therapy.
Confusing existential psychology with Zen Buddhism.
A tendency to be against science in existential psychiatry.
Too many different, unorganized therapy methods ("wild eclecticism").

First, May didn't like the idea that existential psychology could be limited to one group, like the Ontoanalytic Society. He believed this group's attempt to define what it meant to be human would harm existential psychology. He thought it was wrong to try and measure something so complex. He also felt it removed the humble side of human experience.

Second, May stressed that existential psychology is not just a type of therapy. Instead, it is a way of looking at human beings. It tries to understand how people are built and what their experiences mean.

Third, May believed that linking existential psychology with Zen Buddhism was wrong. He felt it ignored the big differences between them. Existential psychology helps us face problems like anxiety, sadness, guilt, and evil. May thought trying to avoid these problems with Zen Buddhist methods would make people lose their sense of self and their belief in free will. He believed that facing problems directly, using existential psychology, helps us make peace with them and find meaning.

Fourth, May strongly disliked the anti-science ideas of some psychologists. He argued that science is a part of the universe, so we must accept it.

Finally, May thought that too many different therapy methods ("wild eclecticism") would ruin therapy. He believed that these methods focused too much on quick fixes. May, however, supported therapy methods as long as they had clear goals and were used in an open-minded way. He believed therapy should be objective.

What Rollo May Thought Could Help Existential Psychology

May also looked at what he believed would help existential psychology grow. He found five "constructive trends":

Science's new way of studying people.
The important role of making decisions in human life.
The idea of the "ego."
How our senses connect us to the world.
The idea of normal anxiety and normal guilt.

First, May liked how science was starting to study people in a new way. He wanted existentialists to focus on the whole person and their experiences. He hoped this would help them better understand anxiety, despair, and other big human problems.

Second, May valued the central role of decision-making. He saw making decisions as a key part of being a centered person. Decisions need consciousness, which creates the feeling of freedom to choose. The act of giving value to things was a unique human trait.

Third, May looked at the idea of the "ego." He explained that the existential ego was different from the psychoanalytical ego. May thought the existential ego worked with two other parts of a person: the self (our inner bias shaped by experience) and the person (our social side that relates to others). The ego was our personal view of how the self connects to the person.

May's last two positive trends were less detailed. He agreed with two changing ideas in psychology. First, he liked how Dr. Erwin Straus showed that our senses connect us to the world. Before this, many Western ideas said that senses separated us from nature. Second, May praised the acceptance of normal anxiety in psychology. He also stressed the need to accept normal guilt. May believed that normal guilt greatly contributed to feelings of worthlessness. If not dealt with, it could lead to neurotic guilt.