Existential motivation refers to the inner drive that emerges from the individual’s confrontation with freedom, responsibility, and the search for meaning. It is grounded in the existentialist belief that human beings are not passive recipients of life’s conditions but active participants in creating meaning through choice and authentic existence. This essay explores the main contributors to existential motivation from both philosophical and psychological perspectives. It begins with foundational thinkers—Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger, and Jean-Paul Sartre—who established the ontological and moral framework for existential motivation. It then examines key figures in existential psychology and psychotherapy, including Viktor Frankl, Rollo May, and Irvin D. Yalom, who adapted these insights to clinical and motivational contexts. Together, these thinkers illuminate how the struggle with meaning, freedom, anxiety, and authenticity constitutes a profound source of human motivation.
IntroductionHuman beings are meaning-seeking creatures who must navigate a world characterized by uncertainty, finitude, and freedom. Within this existential tension lies a unique form of motivation—existential motivation—that drives individuals toward self-actualization, authenticity, and purposeful living. Unlike mechanistic or behaviorist models that reduce motivation to stimulus-response patterns, existential motivation arises from the awareness of choice and the confrontation with the ultimate questions of life: Who am I? Why am I here? What is worth striving for?
The tradition of existential philosophy and psychology has long sought to understand this deeper motivational dimension. Philosophers such as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Sartre laid the groundwork for existential thought by emphasizing freedom, authenticity, and the anxiety of existence. Later, psychologists like Frankl, May, and Yalom extended these ideas into therapeutic and motivational frameworks that address the challenges of modern existence.
This essay examines these main contributors to existential motivation, highlighting how each thinker’s work advances the understanding of human drive, purpose, and responsibility in a world without predetermined meaning.
1. Søren Kierkegaard: The Leap of Faith and the Drive Toward AuthenticitySøren Kierkegaard (1813–1855), often regarded as the father of existentialism, established the notion that the individual’s confrontation with despair, anxiety, and choice forms the essence of human existence. For Kierkegaard, motivation arises not from external rewards but from the inner struggle between aesthetic pleasure, ethical duty, and spiritual transcendence (Kierkegaard, 1849/1980).
1.1. Anxiety and Freedom
In The Concept of Anxiety (1844/1980), Kierkegaard described anxiety (Angest) as “the dizziness of freedom.” He proposed that human beings experience anxiety because they are free to choose among infinite possibilities. This anxiety, rather than being a pathological state, serves as the motivational force that pushes individuals toward authentic selfhood. Existential motivation, in this view, is born out of the tension between possibility and responsibility.
1.2. The Leap of Faith
2. Friedrich Nietzsche: The Will to Power and Self-OvercomingKierkegaard’s concept of the “leap of faith” reflects the ultimate act of existential motivation. Faced with the absurdity and uncertainty of existence, the individual must make a leap beyond rational justification toward subjective commitment (Kierkegaard, 1849/1980). This leap represents the highest expression of human freedom—an affirmation of meaning through personal choice. For Kierkegaard, true motivation is not conformity to social norms but the courage to become a self before God.
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) advanced a radically different but complementary view of existential motivation. Rejecting both religious and moral absolutes, Nietzsche asserted that life’s highest drive is the will to power—the creative impulse to overcome limitations and affirm life in the face of nihilism (Nietzsche, 1883/2006).
2.1. Nihilism and the Death of God
Nietzsche’s declaration that “God is dead” (The Gay Science, 1882/1974) symbolized the collapse of traditional sources of meaning. In the absence of divine or moral order, individuals face the existential vacuum—an emptiness that threatens to extinguish motivation. However, Nietzsche saw this crisis as an opportunity: the death of God opens the space for self-creation and existential affirmation.
2.2. Self-Overcoming and the Übermensch
Nietzsche’s notion of self-overcoming (Selbstüberwindung) represents the core of existential motivation. Through continuous self-transcendence, individuals transform their suffering into creative energy. The Übermensch (“overman” or “beyond-man”) embodies this drive—a figure who generates values autonomously and lives with passionate intensity (Nietzsche, 1883/2006). Motivation, then, is not compliance with an external purpose but the dynamic process of becoming.
2.3. Amor Fati and Life-Affirmation
3. Martin Heidegger: Being, Authenticity, and the Call of ConscienceNietzsche’s philosophy culminates in amor fati, the love of one’s fate. Existential motivation requires affirming life in all its tragedy and uncertainty. By saying “yes” to existence, individuals express the highest form of vitality—the willingness to live creatively within the limits of mortality.
Martin Heidegger (1889–1976) reinterpreted existential themes through the lens of ontology, focusing on the nature of Being itself. In Being and Time (1927/1962), Heidegger analyzed human existence (Dasein) as being-in-the-world—an entity defined by its capacity for understanding and projection. Motivation, in Heidegger’s framework, arises from the call toward authenticity, which emerges through an awareness of finitude and temporality.
3.1. Being-toward-Death
Heidegger introduced the concept of Being-toward-death as a central dimension of existential awareness. The recognition of mortality awakens Dasein from the inauthentic state of “the They” (das Man), in which one lives according to societal expectations. Confronting death reveals the urgency of existence and motivates individuals to live authentically (Heidegger, 1927/1962).
3.2. The Call of Conscience
The “call of conscience” functions as an existential summons to self-understanding. It is not a moral command but an awakening to one’s potentiality-for-being. This call motivates the individual to take ownership of their existence—to act deliberately and meaningfully despite uncertainty (Heidegger, 1927/1962).
Heidegger’s contribution to existential motivation thus lies in identifying authenticity as a mode of being that demands active engagement with one’s possibilities.
4. Jean-Paul Sartre: Freedom, Responsibility, and Bad FaithJean-Paul Sartre (1905–1980) brought existentialism into the modern psychological and political arena. In Being and Nothingness (1943/1992), Sartre developed the idea that human beings are “condemned to be free.” Existential motivation, in his view, stems from the radical freedom that defines consciousness (for-itself).
4.1. Radical Freedom and Responsibility
Sartre argued that because there is no predetermined human essence, individuals must create themselves through their choices. This freedom, however, is accompanied by the “anguish” of responsibility (Sartre, 1943/1992). One cannot escape the burden of defining oneself; even inaction is a choice. Existential motivation thus involves the struggle to act authentically in a world devoid of objective meaning.
4.2. Bad Faith
Sartre’s notion of bad faith (mauvaise foi) describes the tendency to deny freedom by adopting false identities or social roles. The waiter who over-identifies with his job or the lover who insists on predetermined feelings exemplifies self-deception (Sartre, 1943/1992). To live authentically requires the courage to confront the fluidity of existence and to act in accordance with one’s freely chosen values.
4.3. Authentic Action
Motivation for Sartre arises from engagement—committing oneself to projects that affirm freedom. Even in a world without God or inherent meaning, individuals can create significance through intentional action. In this sense, existential motivation becomes the creative act of self-definition.
Viktor E. Frankl (1905–1997), an Austrian psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor, transformed existential philosophy into a therapeutic framework through logotherapy. While Nietzsche emphasized the will to power, Frankl (1946/1984) proposed the will to meaning as the fundamental human drive.
5.1. Meaning as the Core of Motivation
In Man’s Search for Meaning (1946/1984), Frankl recounted his experiences in Nazi concentration camps, illustrating how the search for meaning enabled survival even under extreme suffering. According to Frankl, when individuals perceive meaning in life, they can endure almost any circumstance. Motivation thus arises from the intentional pursuit of significance rather than the avoidance of pain or the pursuit of pleasure.
5.2. Existential Vacuum and Responsibility
Frankl identified the existential vacuum—a sense of inner emptiness resulting from a loss of meaning—as a widespread phenomenon in modern society. To counteract this vacuum, individuals must assume responsibility for discovering meaning through work, love, or suffering (Frankl, 1946/1984). This sense of purpose acts as an enduring source of motivation that transcends transient emotions.
5.3. Freedom of Attitude
Even when external freedom is constrained, Frankl emphasized the freedom to choose one’s attitude. This inner freedom transforms suffering into a source of existential strength and motivation. Thus, Frankl’s contribution lies in integrating existential insight with psychological resilience and therapeutic application.
Rollo May (1909–1994) introduced existential thought to American psychology, emphasizing the human capacity for choice, creativity, and authenticity. Drawing on Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Heidegger, May viewed motivation as the struggle for self-realization amid existential anxiety (May, 1958, 1975).
6.1. The Nature of Anxiety
In The Meaning of Anxiety (1950), May reinterpreted anxiety as a normal and constructive response to existential threat. Instead of being a symptom to eliminate, anxiety is a motivator for growth. It signals the need to make meaningful choices and to confront life’s uncertainties.
6.2. The Courage to Create
In The Courage to Create (1975), May argued that creativity represents the highest form of existential motivation. The act of creation—whether artistic, relational, or ethical—embodies the individual’s attempt to give form to meaning. To create authentically requires courage, since it involves confronting nonbeing and asserting oneself in the face of doubt.
6.3. Existential Freedom and Authenticity
May integrated existential philosophy with humanistic psychology, emphasizing freedom, will, and authenticity as motivational forces. His approach bridged the existential emphasis on meaning with the psychological focus on self-actualization, making existential motivation relevant to both therapy and everyday life.
Irvin D. Yalom (b. 1931) further advanced existential psychotherapy by identifying four ultimate concerns—death, freedom, isolation, and meaninglessness (Yalom, 1980). According to Yalom, existential motivation arises from the confrontation with these realities.
7.1. Death and Motivation
Awareness of mortality can produce paralyzing anxiety but also serves as a profound motivator for living authentically. Yalom (1980) argued that the recognition of death heightens appreciation for life, prompting individuals to act with urgency and purpose.
7.2. Freedom and Responsibility
For Yalom, freedom entails responsibility for shaping one’s life. Existential motivation emerges when individuals accept that they are the authors of their existence. Avoidance of this truth results in existential guilt and stagnation, while acceptance fosters empowerment.
7.3. Isolation and Connection
Yalom noted that although existential isolation is inescapable, genuine relationships can mitigate the despair it causes. The desire to connect authentically becomes a source of motivation, leading to empathy and self-transcendence.
7.4. Meaninglessness and Creation of Purpose
Finally, confronting meaninglessness motivates the individual to create meaning through engagement and contribution. Yalom’s synthesis of existential and therapeutic insights demonstrates how awareness of life’s ultimate concerns drives personal transformation.
Across these thinkers, existential motivation emerges as a multifaceted phenomenon rooted in the confrontation with freedom, finitude, and the need for meaning. While Kierkegaard emphasized faith and inwardness, Nietzsche focused on self-overcoming, Heidegger on authenticity, Sartre on freedom, Frankl on meaning, May on creativity, and Yalom on confrontation with existential givens.
These views converge on several key principles:
- Freedom as Drive – Human motivation is grounded in the capacity to choose. Freedom both liberates and terrifies, creating the anxiety that propels growth.
- Meaning as Goal – Motivation is sustained by the search for significance; when meaning collapses, motivation withers.
- Authenticity as Process – The pursuit of authentic existence requires continual self-examination and responsibility.
- Anxiety as Catalyst – Existential anxiety, far from being pathological, functions as a vital stimulus for transformation.
- Creativity and Self-Transcendence – Existential motivation culminates in acts of creation, love, and commitment that transcend the self.
In this sense, existential motivation unites the philosophical and psychological dimensions of human striving. It is not the desire to escape suffering but the will to find or create meaning within it.
ConclusionThe main contributors to existential motivation—from Kierkegaard’s leap of faith to Yalom’s confrontation with death—share a common recognition: that human beings are free, finite, and responsible for their existence. Existential motivation arises not despite these conditions but because of them. It is the dynamic energy that propels individuals to seek authenticity, to create meaning, and to affirm life in the face of uncertainty.
In the modern world, where external structures of meaning often fail to provide direction, existential motivation offers a framework for understanding the inner sources of purpose and resilience. By integrating the insights of philosophy and psychology, existential thought continues to illuminate the profound motivational potential of human freedom and responsibility." (Source: ChatGPT 2025)
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Heidegger, M. (1962). Being and time (J. Macquarrie & E. Robinson, Trans.). Harper & Row. (Original work published 1927)
Kierkegaard, S. (1980). The concept of anxiety (R. Thomte, Trans.). Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1844)
Kierkegaard, S. (1980). The sickness unto death (H. V. Hong & E. H. Hong, Trans.). Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1849)
May, R. (1950). The meaning of anxiety. Ronald Press.
May, R. (1975). The courage to create. W. W. Norton.
Nietzsche, F. (1974). The gay science (W. Kaufmann, Trans.). Vintage Books. (Original work published 1882)
Nietzsche, F. (2006). Thus spoke Zarathustra (A. Del Caro & R. B. Pippin, Trans.). Cambridge University Press. (Original work published 1883)
Sartre, J.-P. (1992). Being and nothingness (H. E. Barnes, Trans.). Washington Square Press. (Original work published 1943)
Yalom, I. D. (1980). Existential psychotherapy. Basic Books.
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