The Fundamental Principles That Confirm The Importance Of Frankl 's Existential Theory And Logotherapy

However, we are only human, and we are all vulnerable to death anxiety. Unfortunately, we are all going to experience “death” one-way or another, no matter how prepared you are, or how you look at it (Murdock, 2013). Freedom is viewed as the undeniably constructive concept, and is referred to as the nonexistence of the outside structure. The concept of “existential isolation” is the third definitive distress, however, no matter how we look at this notion there is always an existential battle and pressure between each other, and our awareness (Murdock, 2013). “Meaninglessness” is the fourth ultimate concern in the givens of existence; however, we must all invent, pull together, and find meaning in our own lives, in order to live life to the fullest (Murdock, 2013). Logotherapy is based on seeking meaning to life and existential frustration; however, Existentialism can be referred to the being, the meaning of existence, and finding meaning in existence of one’s self (Schulenberg, Hutzell, Nassif & Rogina,

This will to meaning is the culmination of our developmental process. To cultivate an individual’s capacity to find meaning in their life is the greatest goal, and the source of mankind’s anxiety and neuroses. We all wish to find the meaning within our life, and are unfulfilled when we miss the mark. But according to Frankl, there is always meaning in life, in every single moment, from one to the next we all are capable of making a choice about ourselves, and beyond that, have a responsibility to do so. Even with the transitory nature of our existence and hopelessness in the face of certain death, there is still meaning to be found, there is still freedom to be earned.

A PAPER SUBMITTED TO DR. JAMES D. GIBSON FULFILLMENT OF REQUIREMENTS FOR CO 5740 INTRODUCTION TO MARRIAGE AND FAMILY COUNSELING

As humans, we strongly want to believe that our lives have meaning, because we are creatures who need meaning, but we're abandoned in a universe full of meaninglessness; so we cry into the wilderness, getting no response, but we keep crying anyways. Moreover, the answer to our cries for meaning might come in the form of religion, being a good person, or just enjoying yourself. However, to existentialists, there is no answer. We must create our own meaning. The main idea of existentialism is that no human was born with a predetermined

Bitterness came upon their return to their former lives, former hometowns, and former atmosphere. Disillusionment elicited from realizing that even after reaching the absolute limit of all possible suffering, there still was a life to look forward to (Frankl 92). They became humans again. Frankl connects these accounts and thoughts to develop a profound theory of the logotherapy, which is discussed in the next section, titled “Logotherapy in a Nutshell”. Frankl introduces logotherapy by explaining that it focuses toward finding the meaning of life thus the prefix “logo”, which means “meaning” in Greek (Frankl 98). In parallel to Frankl’s idea, everyone has a purpose to live because “man’s search for meaning is the primary motivation in his life and not a “secondary realization” of instinctual drives” (Frankl 99). One needs to have his own will to meaning to achieve significance and satisfy one’s specific goals in mind. Also, Frankl articulates his thought by saying that “love is the only way to grasp another human being in the innermost

Corey, G. (2017). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage.

The therapist attempted to take an Existential approach with the client. The therapist aimed to make the client aware of her anxiety that she described as worry or being a

Existential therapists view themselves as companions; not someone who is going teach and lead the individual to change because they view therapy as a journey client and therapist go through together. Each learning from one another and each having the same room and opportunity for growth. Van Deurzen explains “these practitioners prefer description, understanding, and exploration of the client’s subjective reality, as opposed to diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis” (as cited in Cory, 2013, p. 157). Meaning therapy is one example of an existential technique that incorporates evidence-based practices. Meaning therapy equips therapists with principles that help them empower clients to face their personal struggles, seek meaning in their life, and the tools to overcome those blocks preventing them from true happiness (Wong, 2010, p. 92). Even though therapists may borrow techniques from other models it is not a technique-oriented approach which is the complete opposite of CBT; “this is an active, directive, time-limited, present-centered, psychoeducational, structured therapy” (Cory, 2013, p. 485).

Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning is a very popular script and has great renown in the world of psychology. It has been said that the book should be a mandatory reading for all up and coming psychology students and professors alike. The book supplies valuable insight into logotherapy as well as Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis and is inspirational to all those who read it. It has been said that the riveting tale will “make a difference in your life”. The book and Frankl’s ideas debate that people are not driven by desires but by the meaning that they discover and place on their own lives and the task of fulfilling that meaning. In Man’s Search for Meaning Frankl outlines three phases or versions of meaning that all people must go through. The following report will summarize the story of Viktor Frankl as well as analyze the three main points of the book.

The primary goal of existential therapy is to help clients discover themselves and reflect on their lives (Corey, 2013). This form of therapy is an invitation for the individual to search for ways that they may not be living a full and authentic life. There is a large emphasis on the choices humans have, the freedom to make those choices, and the responsibility that go along with the choices that are made. Therapists are more concerned with the nature of the client, not the techniques that are used in the process of the therapy. Existential therapy invites the individual to question and think about their existence and what it

Throughout this article it was shown how life exists within meaning. “Man is basically striving to find and fulfill meaning and purpose in life,” (Frankl, 1967, p.140). When an individual is healthy and content with life, they experience meaning every day. However, once the meaning is lost Frankl called it “existential vacuum,” (Frankl, 1967, p.140). On top of this person having lost all sense of meaning, this individual is also unsure as how to act accordingly. Thus, causing the individual to conform, behaving in similar ways others do (Frankl, 1967). This article continued to then talk about how a therapist can handle situations like these. In this case, “meaning and purpose in life cannot be prescribed like a drug,” (Frankl, 1967, p.141). This shows how the therapist must guide the individual to help them realize the answer to existence. Similarly, this answer must found by the individual himself as each person exists with a different purpose or meaning to their life. These ideas fully support Frankl’s theory of logotherapy as he describe anxiety as result of losing the meaning to life. His theory also describes how, “therapy often emphasizes the freedom to choose and develop a lifestyle that reduces feelings of emptiness…,” (Burger, 2015, p.300). Since within the article he described how a therapist can only guide an individual as meaning stems from within each person. This statement also shows how each person is different and the meaning for one person may not reduce the anxiety for

Throughout the fall semester, I have been exposed to a multitude of therapeutic modalities and felt overwhelmed with the idea of choosing one of these approaches to utilize during encounters with future clients. Also, I harbored anxiety over envisioning myself as an art therapist and picking a specific population to work with. However, I feel that I have come along way since my first class at Adler and feel more confident about my decision to enter the field of art therapy. Although I expect my approach to art therapy to grow and develop though out my career as a student and practioner, I have started to define certain aspects that I hope to implement once I start providing therapy in the outside world.

“Existential therapy is a process of searching for the value and meaning in life” “(Corey, p. 131) with a focus on central concerns of the person’s existence; Such as death, freedom, existential isolation and meaningless. “Existential therapy can best be described as a philosophical approach that influences a counselor’s therapeutic practice” (Corey, p. 131). Founders of Existential Therapy include Soren Kagarra, Fredrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger and Martin Buber. They employed the humanistic approach. The contributing

Frankl wrote “Man’s Search for Meaning”, a book that explains life in the prison camps, but also describing the human state of mind when put under such stress and pressure. He then helped create logotherapy. The word logotherapy derives from the Greek word ‘Logos’ which translates to ‘meaning’. His theory of human psychology was that, “Man’s primary motivational force is his search for meaning.” Through Dr. Frankl’s autobiography, “Man’s Search for Meaning”

The world we live in is an odd one; some cope with its absurdities through intensive faith, others through utter disregard of all its meaning. Existentialism, however, leads us down a peculiar path that blurs these concepts into one unique belief system. While we might be faced with situations beyond our complete control, we do have the power to control how we handle said situations and whether or not we choose to cultivate significance from them. The search for significance is very primitive and so are the answers that have accompanied it throughout human history. Obviously, life doesn’t have a clearly stated purpose to it; it is up to each individual to create their own relative purpose and find their own happiness in a life of suffering. This is exactly what Existentialism proposes, that it is not possible to know the truth, so it is up to the individual to create his or her own, and then create their own purpose. Merriam-Webster defines the philosophy theory of Existentialism as a “…philosophical movement embracing diverse doctrines but centering on analysis of individual existence in an unfathomable universe and the plight of the individual who must assume ultimate responsibility for acts of free will without any certain knowledge of what is right or wrong or good or bad.” But Existentialism is not a concept that can simply be defined in one fell swoop. Throughout our studies of philosophy, I found there to be two main concepts that act as the foundation for the basic