Bryant L. Moore

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Bryant Lee Moore, Psy.D., is a 2025 graduate of the Psy.D. Program in Clinical Psychology at Antioch University, New England

Dissertation Committee:

  • Kathi Borden, PhD, Chairperson
  • Gina Pasquale, PsyD, Committee Member
  • Rachel Chickerella, PhD, Committee Member

Formal Portrain of Dr. Bryant L Moore wearing a checked shirt, standing in front of a grey background

Dr. Bryant L. Moore

Keywords

existential anxiety, existential theory, existential wellbeing, instrument creation, mediation analysis, Unitarian Universalism

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Date

2025

Abstract

According to the theory of existential psychology, all humans experience existential anxiety, a negative feeling that results from the understanding of certain unavoidable truths. If left unchecked, existential anxiety can lead to symptoms of mental illness. Much work has been done to explore and measure existential anxiety, but little has focused on protective factors within existential theory. This dissertation proposes the construct of existential wellbeing, representing protective factors corresponding to different existential domains. To assess this construct, a new instrument, the Measure of Practical Existential Wellbeing (MPEW), was developed, distributed, and analyzed in relation to other established measures. The MPEW was distributed to adult participants (n = 514) from Unitarian Universalist congregations alongside a measure of existential anxiety, symptom screeners for depression and clinical anxiety, and a general wellbeing scale. Utilizing Pearson correlations, existential wellbeing was found to have significant negative correlations with existential anxiety, depressive symptoms, and symptoms of clinical anxiety, as well as a significant positive correlation with general wellbeing. Simple mediation analysis supported the theory that existential wellbeing mediates the role between existential anxiety and depressive symptoms. However, this result was not found for the relationship between existential anxiety and clinical anxiety. This suggests that existential wellbeing may serve to protect against depression, but more research is needed to determine why the same cannot be said regarding clinical anxiety. Factor analysis and reliability analysis demonstrated the general psychometric strength of the Measure of Practical Existential Wellbeing, but there are notable points for revision on one of its subscales. Overall, the MPEW may be a useful new tool for assessing whether people regard themselves as having the resources necessary to combat existential anxiety. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu/) and Ohio Link ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

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ORCID No.: 0009-0005-4060-1163

Bio:

Bryant Moore (he/him/his) is a psychologist based in New Hampshire. Having grown up in Alabama, he moved to New England for graduate school and completed his Internship in Missouri. As a Unitarian Universalist, Moore considers psychology a means of serving humanity, working toward a more just and equitable society by helping each client journey toward a more meaningful life. He lives in the Upper Valley of New Hampshire, a base from which he intends to hike the neighboring mountains.

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