WHY? This three-letter word lays the very foundation of human existence. The search for the meaning of life lingers in all our minds, all the time. Our fears and insecurities on this subject grow with each passing day in our subconscious mind. But the question remains the same – what is the meaning of life?
Fascinated with this concept, an Austrian psychologist, Viktor Frankl introduced a new term called ‘logotherapy.’ Viktor created this theory after he survived in Nazi concentration camps back in the 1940s. Being a Holocaust survivor, he experienced gruesome and heart-wrenching situations in the camp. He used his experience and came up with the idea of a new form of psychotherapy.
What is Logotherapy?
“Logos” is a Greek word for “meaning,” and this therapy relates to the discovery of the personal meaning of life to find solutions to problems. Defined by an idea, this decades-old psychotherapeutic approach is unlike any other. The therapy is based on the fact that human beings are motivated by the ‘will to meaning.’ Viktor claims that one can away a person’s freedom – the ability to choose one’s attitude and approach in a given set of circumstances.
Looking at the benefits patients have derived from logotherapy over the years, it has been recognized as the third school of Viennese therapy after Sigmund Freud’s Psychoanalysis and Alfred Adler’s Individual Psychology.
How his experience in camps shaped this theory?
It’s a subject of debate whether Viktor’s therapy was “justified” by his camp experience or “took shape” in the camps. In 1942, Viktor was deported to a Nazi concentration camp along with his family members. He spent three years from 1942 to 1945 in four camps, including Auschwitz. He was the only member of his family who survived.
He returned to Vienna in 1945, recollected his thoughts and published a book based on his theories. “Man’s Search for Meaning” is the landmark Holocaust testimony of Viktor’s observations during the time he spent in the camps. Withstanding the atrocities of the Nazi camp, he inspired people to develop the desire or primary motivation to live with enthusiasm even in the most miserable circumstances. The basic tenet of logotherapy was to create a tragic optimism to endure stoic suffering. He wanted people to understand that nevertheless-say-yes-to-life attitude is more important than the ‘will to achieve power and pleasure.’
How does this theory work?
Logotherapy states that life has a meaning in all conditions, good or bad. Here’s an example of how Frankl helped an elderly practitioner overcome depression, resulting from the loss of his wife. Frankl used logotherapy by making him realize that his purpose had been to spare his wife the pain of losing him first. Changing the perception is all you need to fight problems.
Techniques:
1. De-reflections – Based on self-transcendence, this technique aims at helping people in becoming less self-absorbed and redirecting the attention to more meaningful things in life.
2. Paradoxical intention – A technique where a patient deals with the things they fear the most by using humor or ridicule. It is the best way to tackle your greatest fears with tidbits of humor.
3. Socratic dialogue – A tool that helps the patient through the process of self-discovery using his/her own words. The therapist marks the patterns of words and stimulates the client to find the meaning in them.
Why Frankl’s theory was ever questioned?
His theory was challenged by a psychologist named Rollo May, the founder of the existential movement in the United States. He argued that “logotherapy hovers close to authoritarianism.” He criticized Frankl’s idea because he believed that logotherapy had the fundamental issue of diminishing the patient’s responsibility of finding solutions to problems, as Frankl was said to be arrogant in his manner of talking to the patients. In his defense, Frankl replied that logotherapy educated the patient to take responsibility and become a participant, not just a mere recipient of the process.
Logotherapy does wonders in people’s life. If you find yourself locked up in the circle of predicaments like serious mental illness, addiction issues, anxiety, and depression, logotherapy can help you bounce back with zeal.