Logotherapy Theory

Viktor Frankl founded the philosophy of logotherapy in the 1930s. In this book, Frankl cites Freud and Adler, the fathers of psychoanalytic counseling and personal psychology, respectively. Logotherapy was thus intended to be an advancement, as the author considered both hypotheses to be limiting, as the study of true human ability involved more than one therapeutic solution (Batthyány 347). This is due to the existence of special human attributes that are unique to each and every individual that allow us to go outside the standard and choose to act in a way that is different from another. . Logotherapy was based on the assumption that one’s primary driving force in life is to find meaning.

Life always has to mean something. This can take the definition that for any given individual at any given time and point life has to mean. Thus, humans are wired to have some sort of instincts that will always lead them to either preserve life, act quickly in dire situations to save lives or go to great lengths for treatments in cases where life may be lost. Hence we see, logotherapy insists on the meaning of life as a reality with its goal being to stimulate one towards meaning. Meaning is however unique and individual at a human level. This is because it varies from one person to another and even for the same person varies from time to time. Thus, one can never completely perceive meaning (Frankl 23). The meaning may also be objective in that is driven by external factors thus setting targets for one. The author believes that absent of challenges one finds that the meaning of the situation they’re in is clearly leading to a definitive action. Therefore, meaning is unique and cannot be defined by someone but can only be left to an individual to derive meaning for his/herself.

The greatest desire of human beings is to find meaning. Finding meaning principle can take into account the many rhetorical questions that have been asked by humans’ time and time again in their day to day lives in an attempt to find substance and meaning to their existence (Frankl 25). Such questions include ‘Why am I here?’ ‘What is my calling?’ among others. Logotherapy in itself doesn’t provide universal answers as it takes heavily into account that humans are unique beings and thus each person has/may have different questions, and only him/her can substantially answer those questions effectively.

The freedom of Choice. Human beings always have the capability of choosing almost every situation thus having the ability to make choices that influence their lives significantly either positively or negatively much further on in time (Frankl 26). Taking the quote ‘Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms- to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's way,’ we see that the author recognized the importance of the power to choose. Even though humans are subject to circumstances in life, they are free to choose the way they think about them and the way they respond to them (Frankl 105). Frankl, the author, underwent many horrors in death camps but in the light of such situations, he realized his true freedom, the power to choose his attitude, and despite all that was taken from him they could not take away his response to them thus headlining the freedom of choice principle in logotherapy.

According to the author, meaning in life can be achieved in 3 different ways. Getting a job or doing good deeds. Without finding meaning in life, humans would feel lost, unwanted, useless. Through getting a job or doing good deeds to someone, one can feel that he/she is relevant to this world and is a contributor to a certain need. Experiencing something/ encountering someone- as the proverbial saying ‘No man is an island’ goes, to obtain meaning from life one has to develop relationships with the people that they meet with or interact with on a daily basis (Batthyány 348).

In a nutshell, Logotherapy gives a different point of view from which to look at hardships that individuals may face in their day to day activities in life. Frankl poses that the emphasis on responsibility can be shown in the imperative that Logotherapy pushes that is ‘Live as if you were living already for the second time and as if you had acted the first time as wrongly as you are about to act now.’ (Frankl 108). From this change of perception, individuals move from seeing their fates as unalterable to seeking the meaning in their suffering.

Logotherapy as a theory has generated lots of research and through evolving and hypothesis testing which has led to the use of logotherapy in modern-day treatment activities such as Treatment of terminally ill patients- As a result of a study conducted by Terry Zuehlke and John Wakins in 1977 it was tested and proven that use of logotherapy can benefit terminally ill patients (Batthyány 352). 2 groups of 10 male volunteers chosen randomly were each given varying treatments with one given eight to forty-five-minute sessions over a 2-week period while the other, serving as a control experiment, received delayed treatment. At the end of the period upon testing of all the volunteers using 5 scales, there was a significant difference between the control and treated groups. This underlines the fact that Logotherapy is a good theory.

Schizophrenia treatment- Frankl knowing that the origin of schizophrenia was physiological dysfunction whereby the affected sees themselves as an object and not a subject was able to advance that schizophrenia could be aided through logotherapy. In this method, the individual was first taught to ignore external/internal voices and also to end persistent self-observation while at the same time observing meaningful activities. This resulted in improvements. Additionally, the theory is applicable in overcoming anxiety. Logotherapy was used later in treating and managing anxiety examples being on airlines where flight attendants making small talk and asking passengers on the purpose of their journey would alleviate any anxiety that had built up among passengers.

Overcoming obsessive-compulsive disorder- As a result of analyzing that individuals suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder lack the sense of completion that many others have through research, Logotherapy has been used by therapists to transform patients minds and help them tend less towards perfection and accept some degrees of uncertainty. This then aids the patient to ignore obsessional thoughts and find meaning in life hence eventually. Logotherapy provides techniques for treating and solving different conditions. (Batthyány 355) Paradoxical intentions- is a technique that is used by therapists when patients experience lots of fear and anxiety. It is used in the treatment of phobias. Utilizes paradox in that by wishing for what we are afraid of we can grow used to it. Deflections is used in the helping of an individual who is too focused or obsessed on a problem (Batthyány 355). As the name suggests, the therapist attempts to draw one’s attention from the lying problem and reflect their attention away from themselves to something else.

Logotherapy, through evolving research, has been able to diversify into meaning therapy which can be defined as a positive approach to counseling and psychotherapy. It uses personal meaning as its modus operandi while combining various branches of psychotherapy to achieve its therapeutic goals. As it originates from logotherapy, it borrows substantially with the aim of equipping clients with skills necessary to tackle negatives faced in day to day lives. This shows the relevance of logotherapy as it has been able to provide the basis for proceeding in a slightly dissimilar field.

Some criticisms that have arisen from logotherapy. Researchers were able to find fault with Frankl’s work arguing that Logotherapy was authoritarian in a patient’s scenario. Therapy would at this moment present a plain solution to all of life’s problems thus undermining human life and its complexity (Batthyány 365). If a patient couldn’t find his/her meaning, the therapist would be able to provide a goal for his or her patient thus influencing the patient’s choices and rendering useless the patients freedom of choice and thereby diminishing the patient. In conclusion, logotherapy by Viktor Frankl is a very good theory because it possesses all the aspects of a good theory. In his book, Frankl attempts to provide life’s meaning by emphasizing on the importance of free will, will to meaning, and meaning of life.

Works Cited

Batthyány, Alexander. Logotherapy and Existential Analysis: Proceedings of the Viktor Frankl Institute Vienna, Volume 1., 2016. Internet resource. 347-365.

Frankl, Viktor E, Harold S. Kushner, and William J. Winslade. Man's Search for Meaning. Boston: Beacon, 2006. Print. 165 pages