Logotherapy is a philosophical-psychotherapeutic approach founded by Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist Viktor E. Frankl. Frankl developed logotherapy based on his experiences of the horrors of concentration camps during World War II. Logotherapy is based on the assumption that people have an inherent need to find meaning and purpose in their lives.
| Theory to be learned: | Logotherapy |
|---|---|
| Field of Science: | Psychology, Logotherapy |
| Prerequisites: | Basic Psychology and Personal Existential Experiences. |
| Relations to Super* Theory: | Life Purpose and purpose values |
| Level of Difficulty |
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Summary
In logotherapy, existential questions of the individual are addressed, helping them find deeper meaning in their experiences and suffering. Logotherapy provides tools to find meaning in life and overcome life's challenges through strengthening one's spiritual resources. It does not aim to eliminate suffering but helps people find meaning and purpose amid difficulties.
Logotherapy is fundamentally linked to the concepts of the spiritual and psychic dimensions, arranged hierarchically such that the spiritual dimension can affect the psychic dimension, but not vice versa. The spiritual dimension enables rising above suffering and difficulties, even in inhumane conditions where basic needs are unmet.
The psychic dimension includes mental functions and their disorders, i.e., mental health problems. For Frankl, the spiritual dimension is the realm of becoming human, where free will plays a significant role, and it can only be approached through philosophical inquiry. The spiritual dimension cannot become ill in the same way as the psychic dimension, but the experience of meaning, which belongs to the spiritual dimension, can be disturbed in four different ways: (Distortions in the experience of meaning were developed by Anne Niiles-Mäki.)
- The purpose is lost or missing, leading to experiencing one's life as meaningless, for example, due to the loss of a loved one or health, divorce, unemployment, or loss of autonomy.
- There has never been a purpose because one has never had personal goals, an example being the so-called existential anxiety, life angst, or learned helplessness of young people or young adults, as well as egoistic anonymity.
- The purpose has become so distorted that the individual no longer recognizes it as their own, for example, workaholism, top-level sports, or their ideological or religious beliefs.
- The purpose is intentionally distorted, leaving the individual confused because the adopted purpose conflicts with their unconscious spiritual self, for example, in restrictive religious communities, political or ideological environments, or deprivation.
Frankl also introduced three categories of values (creative or achievement values, experiential values, and attitudinal values), through which an individual can find meaning. These values can be called purpose values because they serve as routes for individuals to seek meaning and realize universal values in their lives and live ethically.
Assisting materials
References
Wikipedia contributors. (2024, July 13). Logotherapy. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logotherapy
Niiles-Mäki Anne. (2021). Logoterapia filosofisena terapiamuotona: Filosofinen tausta, käyttöalue, menetelmät, häiriöiden kaksivaiheinen erotusdiagnostiikka (Doctoral dissertation, University of Jyväskylä). Retrieved from https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/78040
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