ANGUISH AND FREEDOM IN "THE THIRD MARGIN OF THE RIVER"

Abstract

To explore a perspective that stands apart from the hegemonic trend that apprehends existence objectively, we delve into the theme of anguish as understood by Kierkegaard. To elucidate the meaning, we attribute to the "margin," we employ the metaphorical imagery found in Guimarães Rosa's short story titled "The Third Bank of the River." Through philosophical reflections and literary description, our aim is to establish an approach within psychological clinical practice where anguish permeates the very foundation of this discipline. By analyzing the works of the philosopher and the literary figure, we strive to pave a path in clinical psychology that moves beyond abstract concepts to connect with the essence of life. We emphasize the significance of decision-making as the rupture occurring within the atmosphere of anguish, where something erupts as freedom. This involves interpreting anguish as the reality of freedom—a possibility for possibility, as defined by Kierkegaard and appropriated by psychological clinical practice from a phenomenological-existential perspective. The apprehension of anguish in psychological clinical practice relates to the experience sought by scholars of existential clinical understanding through studies rooted in Kierkegaard's conception. The clinical psychologist, embracing the understanding that anguish, as an affective tone, opens the existing being to a direct relationship with freedom as a possibility for possibility. When this moment - this opportune moment - occurs, the potential for appropriation in the path of individualization bursts forth.