International Journal of Existential Positive Psychology

Baseball Fan Loyalty and the Pillars of Existence

C. Daniel Crosby, Doctoral Candidate

Brigham Young University

Abstract

The origins of existentialism are as nebulous as the theory itself, which, unlike most theories of personality, is not a uniform philosophy of human behavior (Rychlak, 1981). Perhaps fittingly, some of the forefathers of this movement have themselves resisted being labeled existentialists. Indeed, the movement in general arose as a reaction to other schools of psychology that fell “into the common error of distorting human beings in the very effort of trying to help them (May & Yalom, 1989, p.363).” Difficulties notwithstanding, I will attempt to give a brief illustration of the history of existentialism, as well as a basic outline of its application to personality theory. This outline will serve as a conceptual framework whereby elements of baseball fan participation can be examined in light of their relevance to existential psychological theory.

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