Logotherapy

1.1.LOGOTHERAPYIslifeworthliving?ViktorFranklshowsushowtomakelifeworthlivingnomatter
what.mariacristinajsantos.blogspot.comhttp://dlsu.academia.edu/MariaCristinaSantos
2.2.BORN:MARCH26,1905.VIENNAPROFESSOROFNEUROLOGYANDPSYCHIATRYSPENT3
YEARSATACONCENTRATIONCAMPDIED:SEPTEMBER2,1997,VIENNAVIKTORFRANKL
INSTITUTEVIENNAFOUNDED1992(http://logotherapy.univie.ac.at)LIFEANDWORK
3.3.THEDOCTORANDTHESOUL,1955MANSSEARCHFORMEANING.ANINTRODUCTIONTO
LOGOTHERAPY,1963THEUNCONSCIOUSGOD.PSYCHOTHERAPYANDTHEOLOGY,1975MOST
IMPORTANTBOOKS
4.4.ThedevelopmentofLogotherapyandExistentialAnalysisdatesbacktothe1930s.Onthebasisof
SigmundFreud'sPsychoanalysisandAlfredAdler'sIndividualPsychologythepsychiatristandneurologist
ViktorEmilFrankl(19051997)laiddownthefoundationsofanewandoriginalapproachwhichhefirst
publishedin1938.Logotherapy/ExistentialAnalysis,sometimescalledthe"ThirdVienneseSchoolof
Psychotherapy",isaninternationallyacknowledgedandempiricallybasedmeaningcenteredapproachto
psychotherapy.LOGOTHERAPYANDEXISTENTIALANALYSIS
5.5.WILLTOMEANING(FRANKL)LOGOSTHESPIRITUAL,THEMEANINGLOGOTHERAPY
6.6.LOGOTHERAPYPSYCHOTHERAPYINTERMSOFTHEMINDLOGOTHERAPYMUST
SUPPLEMENTPSYCHOTHERAPY,NOTREPLACEIT(OTHERWISEPSYCHOTHERAPYFALLSINTO
THEERROROFPSYCHOLOGISM)FROMPSYCHOTHERAPYTOLOGOTHERAPY

7.7.InLogotherapy/ExistentialAnalysis(LTEA)thesearchforameaninginlifeisidentifiedastheprimary
motivationalforceinhumanbeings.Frankl'sapproachisbasedonthreephilosophicalandpsychological
concepts:FRANKLSBASICCONCEPTS
8.8.humansarenotfullysubjecttoconditionsbutarebasicallyfreetodecideandcapableoftakingtheir
stancetowardsinternal(psychological)andexternal(biologicalandsocial)conditions.Asspiritual
persons,humansarenotjustreactingorganismsbutautonomousbeingscapableofactivelyshaping
theirlives.FREEDOMOFWILL
9.9.Thefreedomofthehumanpersonplaysanimportantroleinpsychotherapy,inthatitprovidesclients
withroomforautonomousactioneveninthefaceofsomaticorpsychologicalillness.Anditjustthat
resourcewhichenablesclients,inthecontextofthetechniquesofParadoxicalIntentionandDereflection,
tocopewiththeirsymptomsandtoregaincontrolandselfdetermination.FREEDOMOFWILL
10.10.Humanbeingsarenotonlyfree,butmostimportantlytheyarefreetosomethingnamely,toachieve
goalsandpurposes.Thesearchformeaningisseenastheprimarymotivationofhumans.Whena
personcannotrealizehisorher"WilltoMeaning"intheirlivestheywillexperienceanabysmalsensation
ofmeaninglessnessandemptiness.Thefrustrationoftheexistentialneedformeaningfulgoalswillgive
risetoaggression,addiction,depressionandsuicidality,anditmayengenderorincreasepsychosomatic
maladiesandneuroticdisorders.WILLTOMEANING
11.11.Logotherapyassistsclientsinperceivingandremovingthosefactorsthathindertheminpursuing
meaningfulgoalsintheirlives.Clientsaresensitizedfortheperceptionofmeaningpotentialities
however,theyarenotofferedspecificmeanings.Rather,theyareguidedandassistedintherealization
ofthosemeaningpossibilitiestheyhavedetectedthemselves.WILLTOMEANING
12.12.AccordingtoLogotherapyhumansarecalledupon,onthegroundsoftheirfreedomand
responsibility,tobringforththepossiblebestinthemselvesandintheworld,byperceivingandrealizing
themeaningofthemomentineachandeverysituation.MEANINGINLIFE
13.13.BYREALIZING:CREATIVEVALUESACHIEVINGTASKSEXPERIENTIALVALUES
EXPERIENCINGTHEGOOD,THETRUE,THEBEAUTIFULOREXPERIENCINGONEHUMANBEINGAS
UNIQUE(LOVINGHIM/HER)ATTITUDINALVALUESFACINGSUFFERINGWITHOUTFLINCHING
THEHIGHESTACHIEVEMENTHOWTOGIVEMEANINGTOOURLIVES?
14.14.EXISTENTIALANALYSISmaybeunderstoodasthephilosophicalandscientificbasisoflogotherapy
aswellasanessentialpartofatherapyproper.Basically,existentialanalysismeansanalysiswithrespect
toexistence,or"explicationofexistence"withconsiderationofaselfresponsible,selfrealizedand
humanelife.EXISTENTIALANALYSIS
15.15.In"generalexistentialanalysis"thepursuitofmeaningisdiscussedandidentifiedasabasic
motivationinhumans,andargumentsareprovidedthatdemonstratethefundamentalpossibilityof
findingmeaninginlife.Onthisbasisthetherapeuticeffectsofasuccessfulsearchformeaningmaybe
explained.GENERALEXISTENTIALANALYSIS
16.16.AFFIRMATIVEATTITUDETOWARDSLIFECRUCIALCONDITIONOFLONGEVITYPLEASURE
PRINCIPLEANARTIFICIALCREATIONOFPSYCHOLOGYPLEASURENOTTHEGOALOFOUR
ASPIRATIONS,BUTACONSEQUENCEOFATTAININGTHEMMEANINGINLIFE
17.17.wearenotheretoenjoyourselveshumanfreedomisnotafreedomfrombutafreedomto
freedomtoacceptresponsibilitythisfreedompredicatesasenseofresponsibilityreverenceforlife(Albert
Schweitzer)lifehasunconditionalvalueconsciousnessofhavingataskinlife,amissionhavingsucha
taskmakesthepersonirreplaceableanduniqueFREEDOMTO

18.18.LACKOFSUCCESSDOESNOTSIGNIFYLACKOFMEANINGLACKOFPLEASUREINLIFEDOES
NOTDETRACTFROMITSMEANINGSUFFERINGHASAMEANINGINITSELFTHEMEANINGOF
SUFFERING
19.19.1.Whateverdoesnotkillyoumakesyoustronger2.Sufferingpurifiesthesoul3.Itmakesyouwiser
4.Itincreasesyourcompassion5.ItteachesyouhowtoprayandwaituponGod6.Itcompelsyoutodo
somethingtomakelifebetterforall7.Itpreparesyouforheroicachievements.7BENEFITSOF
SUFFERING
20.20.WORKACTUALIZINGCREATIVEVALUES,THERESPONSEWITHINTHEACTUALCONDITIONS
OFEVERYDAYLIVING,WITHINTHEAREAOFHUMANRESPONSIBILITYBOTHEMPLOYMENTAND
UNEMPLOYMENTMAYBEMISUSEDASMEANSTOANEUROTICENDTHEMEANINGOFWORK
21.21.LOVEISLIVINGTHEEXPERIENCEOFANOTHERPERSONINALLITSUNIQUENESSAND
SINGULARITYLOVEENORMOUSLYINCREASESRECEPTIVITYTOTHEFULLNESSOFVALUESTHE
MIRACLEOFLOVEACHILDTHEMEANINGOFLOVE
22.22.MEANING:
23.23.Certainattitudesandexpectationsmaybeobstaclestomeaningfulfillment.Theycanalienatea
personfromthemeaningpotentialitiesinhisorherlife,thusaccentuatingneuroticdisorders,oreven
producingthemviarepeatedmaldecisionsandformationofbehaviorpatterns.SOCRATICDIALOGUE/
MODIFICATIONOFATTITUDES
24.24.Itisimportanttonotethatthetherapistorphysicianmustrefrainfromimposinghisorherownvalues
ormeaningperceptions.Rather,clientsareguidedtoperceivetheirunrealisticandcounterproductive
attitudesandtodevelopanewoutlookthatmaybeabetterbasisforafulfilledlife.SOCRATIC
DIALOGUE/MODIFICATIONOFATTITUDES
25.25.Socraticdialogueisaconversationalmethodfrequentlyusedbylogotherapists.Specificquestions
areaimedtoraiseintoconsciousnessthepossibilitytofind,andthefreedomtofulfill,meaninginone's
life.InthephilosophicalsettingthistechniqueofguidingbyquestioningwasintroducedbySocrates,who
characterizeditasasortof"spiritualmidwifery".SOCRATICDIALOGUE/MODIFICATIONOF
ATTITUDES
26.26.Itdoesntmatterwhatweexpectfromlife,butwhatlifeexpectsfromus.Loveistheultimateand
highestgoaltowhichmancanaspire.Hewhohasawhytoliveforcanbearwithalmostanyhow.That
whichdoesnotkillme,makesmeTHOUGHTSFROMFRANKL
27.27.1)Awakentoneedformeaning&purpose2)Believethatlifehasintrinsicmeaning3)Choosetodo
whatisright&kind4)Devoteoneselftolivingaresponsible,virtuousandresilientlife5)Elevate
mundaneactivitiestothetranscendentalrealm,6)Findpositivepotentialsinnegatives7)Gotheextra
mileforothers.7ATTRIBUTESOFMEANINGMINDSET