The perceived usefulness of existential concepts in everyday life

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to explore the perceived usefulness of existential concepts in everyday life. The aim was to find out how people view and talk about issues of existence. A focus group consisting of six participants was used to gather the data, and thematic analysis was used to analyse it. Six major themes were identified: freedom and responsibility within a society, emotional isolation, meaning and vitality, different forms of death, and the consequences of thinking about and discussing existential concepts. Existential concepts were perceived to be useful, but the reasons for the perceived usefulness varied, providing valuable insight into the subjective inner world of people’s existential outlook.