Introduction to the COVID-19 Second Special Issue

Abstract

This introduction describes an original collection of articles that advance Existential-Humanistic (EH) psychology in a project of collective meaning-making during the COVID-19 pandemic. From contributions that apply terror management theory to political and ideological division, to those that intricately examine concepts of the self and radical emotional dwelling in psychotherapy, this issue spans a wide range of topics relevant to EH scholars and beyond. This special issue also explores phenomenological questions. The articles within not only reconfigure ways to be that align with humanistic commitments, but challenge readers to examine the social systems that shape these possibilities. For this reason, this introduction connects the applications of EH psychology included in this issue to other disciplines that have intimately analyzed subjectivities related to existential reckoning, injustice, and liberation.