Logotherapy

Logotherapy is a form of psychotherapy based on the premise that all life has meaning and that finding this meaning is the main factor that motivates people. It is sometimes called existential analysis. Psychologists who support this form of therapy believe that meaning can be found even in difficult, uncomfortable, and unpleasant circumstances of life. This therapy originated in the 1930s and has remained popular into the twenty-first century; however, it has been subject to some criticism from those who think it is too authoritative in its approach.

Background

The name logotherapy comes from the Greek word logos, which means "meaning." The therapy was named in 1938 by its originator, Viktor Frankl. Frankl was a Jewish Austrian who survived three years in Nazi concentration camps during World War II, which was fought in Europe and the Pacific region between 1939 and 1945. He built on the work of fellow Austrians Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler. Adler established the individual psychology approach, while Freud is considered the father of psychotherapy.

During his internment in four concentration camps, Frankl had the opportunity to observe how people reacted to the extremely difficult circumstances and how they recovered once the camps were liberated. Upon his release, Frankl continued his work and published Man's Search for Meaning in 1946. The book put forth Frankl's theory that the quest for the meaning of life is the driving force behind human existence. The work also emphasized that the decision to find life's meaning is an individual human decision and that it remains within humankind's ability to make the decision to find meaning even in the harshest circumstances.

Overview

There are three main principles to logotherapy as proposed by Frankl. The first and most important is that there is meaning in all of life's circumstances, even in the very worst of them. The second is that people are wired to look for meaning in life, and meaning is the driving force behind the human will to live. The third is that regardless of the circumstances in which an individual finds themselves, it remains within the individual's power to look for meaning and to choose to act on that meaning.

Although finding meaning in life is sometimes associated with religion and faith practices, Frankl's approach is not directly about faith. Rather, it is about the attitude with which individuals face the challenges and adversities of life, the harsh realities that no humans are spared. Frankl proposed that while a person could not always choose the circumstances of life, one always has the freedom to decide how to act in regard to those circumstances.

Frankl believed that people could find meaning in one of three ways. First, they could create or do something meaningful. Second, they could experience someone or something that brought meaning to their world. Third, they could adopt the mindset that suffering cannot be avoided.

Part of his therapy involved helping individuals take these concepts and find how they related to their own lives. For example, if a person came to him grieving the loss of a loved one, Frankl would likely have asked how the loved one would have felt if things were the other way around. If the response was that the person would be devastated, Frankl would remind his patient of how their current suffering was sparing the other person from that depth of grief. In other words, he would help the person find something meaningful in the suffering—in this case, sparing a loved one that same suffering—and encourage the patient to embrace that meaning.

According to Frankl, the factor that brings people to the depths of despair and sorrow is a lack of meaning. If the effort to find meaning is thwarted or the person feels it is thwarted by circumstances, the person may react in negative ways. Depression, self-harming behavior such as addiction or substance abuse, aggression, and even suicide can result. The logotherapist does not impose a meaning on the patient. Instead, the therapist uses a number of techniques to help the patient find their own meaning. Depending on the challenges being addressed, the therapist might help the person adjust an attitude or exaggerate the circumstances being faced until the person sees things are not as dire as they seem. Helping the person to see the situation from a distance can create a new perspective. Sometimes, the therapist will apply a Socratic approach, named after the Greek philosopher Socrates, and ask questions to help the person draw out their own answers.

Frankl himself claimed that the meaning of his life came from helping others find the meaning in theirs. While many people followed and continue to follow his approach, others have taken some exception to both his approach and his claim about his own life's meaning. Some have found his claims about the meaning of his own life to be overblown and self-serving.

Despite the fact that Frankl's approach was not overtly faith-based, some of his later works did emphasize religious aspects. Much of his support in the United States came from ministers Frankl recruited as pastoral counselors. Some of them went on to draw comparisons between Frankl's approach and the teachings of Jesus Christ in the Christian New Testament. This drew criticism from those who prefer a purely scientific approach to psychotherapy.

Some experts in psychotherapy began to reject Frankl's theories. They accused him of taking the same approach as fundamentalist religions, accusing him of setting himself up as an authority on a person's life circumstances in determining that there was a definite meaning to life. In his own defense, Frankl noted that his approach was no different from a doctor telling a patient they have a good chance for recovery; by assuring the patient there is meaning in life, it encourages them to find meaning and go on living. Despite the criticism, the principles of logotherapy are still used by therapists in the twenty-first century.

Bibliography

Batthyány, Alexander. " Logotherapy and Existential Analysis." Viktor Frankl Institut, www.viktorfrankl.org/logotherapy.html. Accessed 12 Dec. 2024.

Cuncic, Arlin. “What to Know About Logotherapy.” Verywell Mind, 4 Dec. 2024, www.verywellmind.com/an-overview-of-victor-frankl-s-logotherapy-4159308. Accessed 12 Dec. 2024.

DeVoe, Daniel. "Viktor Frankl's Logotherapy: The Search for Purpose and Meaning." Inquiries, 2012, www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/660/2/viktor-frankls-logotherapy-the-search-for-purpose-and-meaning. Accessed 12 Dec. 2024.

Nicholls, Katherine. "Existential Therapy." Counselling Directory, 7 Nov. 2024, www.counselling-directory.org.uk/existential-therapy.html. Accessed 12 Dec. 2024.

Grad, Laurie Burrows. "The Search for Meaning: Logotherapy." HuffPost, 1 Sept. 2017, www.huffingtonpost.com/laurie-burrows-grad/logotherapy‗b‗11675806.html. Accessed 12 Dec. 2024.

Pytell, Timothy. "The Case against Viktor Frankl." Psychology Today, 14 Apr. 2016, www.psychologytoday.com/blog/authoritarian-therapy/201604/the-case-against-viktor-frankl. Accessed 12 Dec. 2024.