Publisher's Synopsis
The author has taken as his object of study the processes whereby a human being copes with critical situations in life. It investigates, from the psychologist's viewpoint, just what a person does when there is nothing to be done, when he or she is in a situation that renders impossible the realization of his or her needs. In order to fix this subject matter within a theoretical framework, the author introduces what may be thought of as a new category into the conceptual framework - the category of experiencing. Experience is not seen as reflection of a state in a person's consciousness, but as a particular form of activity directed towards the restoration of mental equilibrium, of the lost meaningfulness of existence.;The book contends that the activity of experiencing, a working over of the person within the world, confirms the self's place with the world, serves as a riposte to epistemologies of disjunctiveness, and suggests ways in which private individuals may heal their private hurts.
