Logotherapy: Meaning of Life and Frankl Essay

Viktor Frankl was an Austrian man born in 1905. He was the father of Log separateapy which is referred to as the Third Viennese School of Psychotherapy. Frankl followed in the footsteps of other famous psychologists including Sigmund Freud. He pioneered the thought that a person ordure unravel forward in ones bearing after a traumatic or rough experience by dominateing revolutionary signification in sprightliness. Though many of his approximations were derived from Freuds and Adlers previous thoughts, he also took an new approach to processing heap. Thus the beginning of Logotherapy.He was commencement published in the International Journal of Psychoanalysis when he was in high school. He and thusly went to indorsementary school and began works on his degree in psychiatry and Neurology in checkup school. Frankl went to the same school in Viennese as Sigmund Freud. At first Frankl was extremely interested in Freudian psychoanalysis hardly concisely started to disagree with his therapy methods. Frankl thought that Freuds thought processs were to narrow and did not agree with Freuds ideas that sexual impulses could explain the majority of human behavior (Hoffman, 1995).after studying Freudian psychoanalysis, he became interested and centraliseed on environmental and societal factor to explain human behavior, which was Alfred Adlers psychology view (Frankl, Viktor Frankl recollections An autobiography , 1997). mend studying the teachings of Freud and Adler he began forming his avouch very disparate therapy known was logotherapy, which is defined as healing through marrow. After commencement exercise he was promoted in the hospital in Vienna to the head of self-destruction and depression prevention, where he treated over 3,000 women.During this time, he formed his own private practice where he began to utilize logotherapy (Frankl, Viktor Frankl recollections An autobiography, 1997). He so(prenominal) could investigate his customers questio ns about how they were feeling and what was keeping them alive and moving forward in such a low time in their lives. He then noticed because of the question that he was asking mess mootm to be suffering from lack of mean in their lives than the loss of employment (Hoffman, 1995). In 1937 Frankl started to write articles about what he called logotherapy.Then in 1938, Frankl had to give up his private practice and was forced to relocate. He was transferred to the Rothschild hospital where he could hardly treat Jewish patients due to the Nazi control (Hoffman, 1995). The Nazi euthanasia program forced extermination on many clients who were suffering from mind-set injuries and psychological feverishnesses, and Frankl was forced to watch these executions. To try and save the mentally ill personnel he began to falsify documents to attention avoid euthanasia. He would tack their diagnosis so that they would not be transferred for the euthanasia program and could go forward with th eir families.While at the hospital he would get about a dozen of men and women who attempted to commit self-annihilation. Where he tried to help them find gist and disembodied spirit and to continue the fight. He was then unify in 1941 to Tilly Grosser, and a year later Frankls and his family were arrested and brought to concentration camps. While in the concentration camps Frankl knew that he could not change his situation unless could help those around him and himself by counseling in his barracks. During his imprisonment Frankl dig ditches, volunteered at the typhus ward, and also set up a suicide prevention program (Frankl, universes Search for Meaning, 1959).After the colossal hard days of the prisoners world beaten, starved, Frankl would help the prisoners understand that their experiences were helping them collapse strengths for the future (Ivey, Ivey, & Zalaquett, 2010). When Frankl was in Auschwitz he first wrote The Doctor and the Soul and it was then discovered and then the carry was destroyed. In April of 1945 Frankls camp was liberated. Frankl and his babe were the only two who survive during their stay throughout the various concentration camps. His father died from starvation and his mother and wife were murdered by the turgidness chambers.He then reconstructed his book The Doctor and the Soul and it was then published, and nine days following he published a second book which sold over 11 million copies before he died and became known as Mans Search for Meaning. The first title of that book was Saying yes to look in spite of everything. This book describes his experiences throughout his stay in concentration camps and also his theory of logotherapy (Frankl, Mans Search for Meaning, 1959). During this time Frankl met his second wife named Elenore Schwindt and had a mar girl soon after they were wed.Frankl went on to author over 38 books and to speak around the world on his experiences and logotherapy. Frankl lived a long living a nd died on September 2, 1997 when he was 92 years old. Logos is a Greek word that which stands for meaning. hence logotherapy focuses on a persons lookup for meaning, the search relates to finding purpose in ones life or tasks (Frankl, Mans Search for Meaning, 1959). Frankl found that cosmos are more oriented towards meaning and seek meaning in all their dowery (Kimble & Ellor, 2009).The idea of logotherapy began back in 1921 when Frankl was still in high school (Guttmann, 1996). Then while in the concentration camps, the people who had a better chance of survival were those that had hope of being reunited with love ones, ones with faith, or ones that felt as if they had a purpose in life that they had to complete. This is how logotherapy started off by 1960 logotherapy gained worldwide recognition. Logotherapist do not tell their patients what to see but simply corrects their ability to see (Kimble & Ellor, 2009).Logotherapist also help search for positive meaning that underline s behavior, thought and action. Throughout therapy certain techniques are used. inconclusive intention is a technique used to help patients with anxiety, phobias and obsessive compulsions (Guttmann, 1996). It is theatrical role of therapy when you confront your fears, in essence you tell yourself to do the opposite of what you very want, like try not to fall asleep when you are sincerely yours trying to sleep. A specific strategy that logotherapist use is dereflection it is used when clients focus on negatives (Ivey, Ivey, & Zalaquett, 2010).Dereflection is a technique that you shift attention from oneself and onto others, problems often disappear. Frankl tell that the meaning of life is different from person to person and from situation to situation. thitherfore he states that at that place is not a general meaning in life for all humanity (Frankl, Mans Search for Meaning, 1959). There were triplet different basic principles that are composed to make up logotherapy, and help discover meaning. The first basic principle of logotherapy is life has meaning under all circumstances.The second principle is that all people reach a will to achieve meaning in their life. Finally the tierce principle is people have license under all circumstances to activate the will to meaning and to find meaning (Frankl, Mans Search for Meaning, 1959). Throughout a clients therapy the goals concerning the outcome of their treatment consist of the client being equal to(p) to be aware of his/her choices. The goals guide the clients to understand veritable experience, and past experiences and the meaning for the purpose of life.They also recognize factors that block freedom and pot accept freedom and responsibility. The tragic triad is composed of three different elements guilt, death, and unavoidable suffering. Any part of the tragic triad can happen to anyone and it will always be a part of mankind. apiece person reacts differently to each situation. When we are faced wit h one of these elements it is then when we realize we need to improve our lives and begin to act. Situations cannot be changed but your positioning on the situation can be (Guttmann, 1996).But when life has no meaning it becomes empty, is what Frankl calls existential vacuum. The existential vacuum creates a hole, which needs to be filled. People try to fill their hole with superficial things or anything that provides approximately satisfaction such as drugs, eating to an excess or not at all, anger, obsession, or fear. Behaviors such as depression, aggression and addiction were caused by the loss of meaning. There are also two levels of meaning. Ultimate meaning is a meaning that we can never reach.It can be a god or science as the search for truth, nature, and evolution for those who do not believe in god or an ultimate being (Guttmann, 1996). The other level of meaning is meaning in the moment, which is the understanding meaning of each moment by fulfilling the demands that lif e places on us. Frankl points out that there are three ways to find meaning in life and is often referred to as the meaning triangle. The first way to find meaning is through creative works. It is what and how we give to the world through self-expression.The second is by experiencing by what we take or receive from the world through nature, culture, relationships, and interactions with others and with our environment. The one-third way to find meaning is with a change of attitude. Even if we cant change the situation or the circumstances, we can still spot our attitude towards the condition. These are the ways that a client can help find meaning in their life. These attitudinal values as Frankl calls them, is when being confronted with a hopeless situation a person has a way to find meaning (Frankl, Mans Search for Meaning, 1959).Throughout Frankls life he was inspired to help people. While throughout his experiences he was able to develop logotherapy which has become a widely use d therapy process and techniques. His life experiences and trials helped him to form a therapy that not only people with issues should follow but all of us as well. He still helps find people a meaning and purpose in life. References Frankl, V. (1955). The Doctor and the Soul. peeled York ergodic House. Frankl, V. (1959). Mans Search for Meaning. New York Random House.Frankl, V. (1997). Viktor Frankl recollections An autobiography . New York Plenum. Guttmann, D. (1996). Logotherapy for the Helping Professional. New York Springer Publishing Company. Hoffman, E. (1995, March 18). Viktor Frankl at 90 A Voice for Life. America, pp. 17-22. Ivey, A. E. , Ivey, M. B. , & Zalaquett, C. P. (2010). Intentional Intervieing & Counseling. Belmont Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning. Kimble, M. A. , & Ellor, W. J. (2009). Logotherapy An Overview. Journal of ghostlike Gerontology, 113-4, 9-24.