Frankl's Logotherapy: Basic Principles

The twentieth century was a period of study of man. Literally over a hundred years, many scientific disciplines have emerged and developed, the purpose of which was to reveal the secrets of human existence. The weakening of the influence of the church on the minds of the population, connected with technological progress, aroused great interest in the human soul and the methods of self-knowledge. This was the impetus for the development of psychology and psychotherapy. One of its directions is called logotherapy. Frankl, the author of the technique, has managed to create a unique scientific theory, with the help of which it is possible to cure a wide range of psychoses of a different nature and to conduct effective self-analysis. Today's article is devoted to this method and its basic principles.

Victor Emil Frankl: the creator of logotherapy

Frankl is a well-known figure in psychotherapy. He was a talented neurologist, psychiatrist and psychologist. The whole life of this man was devoted to science, and in recent years his mind was completely occupied by logotherapy.

Frankl was born in the early twentieth century in Vienna. He very early showed interest in psychiatry, specialized in the field of depression and suicide. Prior to World War II, Frankl headed a major medical center in Vienna for the prevention of suicide. Even then, he began to depart from the worldviews of Freud and Adler, who had a great influence on him at the beginning of his career.

In 1942, the entire Frankl family, because of Jewish roots, entered a concentration camp. Here he spent three years of his life and lost almost all relatives except his sister. But it was during these years that logotherapy was born and tested. Frankl was a member of a secret society that provided psychological support to prisoners. He worked with the state of the first shock, suicidal tendencies, hysterics and people suffering from epilepsy. This help saved many lives and supported Frankl himself, who felt necessary and necessary.

In the postwar years, the life of a psychiatrist was more than successful. He remarried, did his favorite thing. For several years, psychotherapy has experienced a significant leap in development, and the reason was precisely Frankl. He outlined the basic concepts of logotherapy in several scientific books and successfully applied it in practice. The talented doctor died twenty years ago at the age of ninety-two.

Frankl's Logotherapy: briefly

The technique of the Austrian psychiatrist is a kind of psychotherapy. Frankl's theory of logotherapy becomes more understandable when one considers that the Greek word "logos" is used here in the sense of "meaning." Other interpretations of the translation will only be confused and will not convey the true value of the method.

The fact is that Frankl considered human life an endless search for meaning. He was sure that the lack of meaning leads people to the brink of insanity and suicide, because they begin to experience a psychological vacuum. Logoterapiya does not try to give the patient answers to questions and impose his vision of the situation. She only directs the person and allows him to determine his own meaning, for which it is worth living and moving forward.

Basics of Logotherapy

Even before the war, a book was published on a new method of psychoanalysis, authored by Frankl. The basics of logotherapy were laid out in it for the first time, but they produced the effect of a bomb exploding in the scientific community of Vienna. The name of Victor Frankl became quite famous, and his works are in demand.

The psychotherapist believed that all his life a person is looking for his purpose or meaning, designed to move him forward. In these long searches, he very often compares himself with other people and their life-meaning, during these moments a rather complex analysis is conducted in the subconscious, which can result in both depression and spiritual euphoria from the newfound understanding of his individual meaning.

Frankl represented the personality as a certain three-dimensional magnitude. In one plane lie the physical and mental principle, not intersecting with each other. Perpendicular to them is the spiritual component, which is the totality of certain processes, radically distinguishing people from animals. All these three values ideally constitute a healthy personality, they can not be separated from each other without harming the individual.

Frankl separated the spiritual vertical from the religious one, he clearly isolated these concepts, recognizing precisely in the spiritual beginning all motives, forces and aspirations that push a person to achieve the desired. The therapist believed that the spiritual vertical creates a kind of tension between what the person has already achieved and what he wants to achieve in the future. This tension is the guarantee of a harmonious personality. As soon as a person achieves the desired and the tension disappears, a new goal immediately arises and the process continues. The absence of this tension on the spiritual vertical leads to psychoses, various disorders and a vacuum, a way out of which many see in suicide.

The objectives of logotherapy

Frankl's psychoanalysis is based on the method of immersion in oneself. Many call this self-interest, but it is this approach that gives you the opportunity to fully immerse yourself in your life and analyze all situations. Sometimes the answer to the question is almost on the surface, but it can only be found after all the stages of introspection.

Together with the therapist the patient discusses all important events in his life, he analyzes disappointments, joys and sorrows. Each event and emotion gradually leads to an understanding of its meaning of life. After all, life consists of a mass of different interrelated moments, which in the final analysis make up the path by which important decisions can be reached.

If we consider the human essence as seeking to know and gain meaning, then any neurosis and depression can be cured with the help of logotherapy. After all, it gives the patient the opportunity to find himself and find meaning in any situation. Frankl argued that in different life situations there is a meaning. In addition, he wrote in his writings that there is always a common sense, leading personality in its path and being its destination. But in various vicissitudes do not forget about the many senses that allow you to survive and move forward. Finding them allows you to overcome any difficulty and return to your main life journey.

Frankl's Logotherapy: Basic Principles

Frankl claimed in his works that man is a free creature. Nothing can limit it, it moves along its spiritual vertical and within it is capable of making absolutely any decisions. Working with mental disorders of varying severity, the therapist believed that within the person there always remains a part or a foundation that can not be broken. It remains free even in case of serious illnesses, when it seems that the patient is completely inadequate. It is up to this foundation to "reach out" to the logotherapist, it is always a static magnitude.

In this connection Frankl singled out three basic principles of his scientific theory:

1. Freedom of will.

In any given conditions, a person has the opportunity to choose and make his own decisions. Moreover, the person enjoys this freedom in internal decisions, conditioned by upbringing, temperament and experience. And also in external or social, when certain conditions are offered by the society and the situation.

This freedom allows patients to get out of various diseases, because a person comes to the understanding that health and illness are also her own free choice. This fact fills the lives of many patients with a new meaning.

2. Will to meaning.

Freedom itself does not matter, but it is only necessary to understand that it is given for some purpose, as everything falls into place. Self-realization, that is, the desire to achieve one's goal, is the most important vital meaning of personality. Any obstacles in this way, which clearly or subconsciously interfere with the fulfillment of the assigned tasks, lead to psychological problems of varying severity.

The Logotherapist enables the patient to see and realize these obstacles in order to eliminate them and return to their original path. And this work should be done by the patient himself only with the help of a psychotherapist.

3. The meaning of life.

Logotherapy explains the existence of man not just by the search for meaning, but also by the totality of certain transformations resulting from this activity. Every individual must do better than himself and the world around him, but this does not at all mean some kind of common sense. Each person has his own and can change, depending on the circumstances. This is due to the first two principles of logotherapy.

Frankl's Meaning Systems

In the process of its development, several semantic systems have formed in humanity, on which logootherapy emphasizes. Frankl singled out three value-semantic settings:

• creation;
• Experiences;
• relations.

The values of creativity include what creates the personality and gives it to the world. These creations always cause a lot of emotions and give meaning to certain categories of individuals. The surrounding world gives value to experiences, they grow into experience and become part of the personality, fuse with it. The value of a relationship is the most contradictory value. After all, it is expressed not only in personal relationships, but also in terms of its fate and communication with the surrounding world.

The psychiatrist paid special attention to conscience. Frankl's methods of logo therapy singled her out as a special soul organ, which is an integral part of the personality's existence. Conscience functions as a certain system, the coordinates of which are aimed at finding a common meaning, one can say the universal. He directs the person and coordinates his actions regardless of the evaluation of individual individuals and society.

Logotherapy Techniques

Frankl's logotherapy uses very effective techniques. Most often they are used in working with patients who suffer from various neuroses and anxiety syndromes. Frankl proved that phobias and anxiety are treated with logotherapy. But each of the methods is very deep and brings efficiency only when the doctor and the patient work together. Frankl's logotherapy of the main techniques is represented by the following three methods:

• Paradoxical intention;
• Dereflection;
• Loganalysis.

Each technology deserves close attention.

Paradoxical intention

This method has proven effective in combating fears and neuroses. They are characterized by the introduction of the patient into a vicious circle. The patient is afraid of certain situations and tries to avoid them, but this activity, in turn, generates anxiety and new fears. As a result, neurosis increases, and the disease begins to progress and move to a new level.

Paradoxical intention plunges a person into the problem and gives him the opportunity to meet his fears. This interrupts the vicious circle, which, in turn, relieves the patient of anxiety and neurotic symptoms. The person himself changes his attitude to the situation, and consequently, behavioral stereotypes.

Dereflexion

This technique works well in cases where an increased level of self-control and attention does not allow the patient to achieve the desired. Most often this is due to various intimate problems, such as male impotence and female anorgasmia, which have no physical basis. With the help of dereflexia, the patient is distracted from his person and completely switches to his partner. As a result, the problem of compliance with expectations and strengthened self-control disappears.

Loganalysis

With the help of log analysis, the therapist gets an opportunity to study the patient's value scale. It stimulates the creative principle and allows you to analyze all life in the shortest possible time to determine the individual meaning.

In this regard, the person lost a sense of meaninglessness and emptiness. As a consequence, neuroses, anxiety and depression disappear.

Conclusion

Logotherapy has already found its application in many areas of psychology. It is very effective in dealing with various psychological problems, which are solved with the help of logo analysis and therapy. This direction is equally effective in the treatment of people with severe forms of psychosis, including schizophrenia. After all, logotherapy makes it possible to realize the meaning of its existence in absolutely any situation, and, therefore, helps to move towards the set goal.