Viktor Frankl and Logotherapy

Study Notes

Viktor Frankl and Logotherapy

Viktor Frankl was a leading European psychiatrist and modern thinker who developed Logotherapy, a revolutionary approach to psychotherapy.
Logotherapy focuses on helping patients find personal meaning in life, despite their circumstances.
Frankl believed that man's primary motivational force is the search for meaning.

Franklian Philosophy

The belief in a healthy core is the basis of Franklian Psychotherapy.
The goal is to help individuals become aware of their healthy core and utilize its resources.
Life offers meaning, purposeful work, love, and courage in the face of difficulty.

Basic Concepts of Franklian Psychology

Life has meaning under all circumstances.
The main motivation for living is the will to find meaning in life.
Freedom to find meaning is essential.

Assumptions of Franklian Psychology

The human being consists of body, mind, and spirit.
Life has meaning under all circumstances, even in miserable conditions.
People have a will to meaning and the freedom to find it.
Life has a demand quality that requires a response to make decisions meaningful.
Each individual is unique.

Concepts of Soul and Spirit

The idea of a soul permeates human consciousness, with evidence of its concept dating back to pre-historic times.
In ancient Greece, Socrates and Plato believed the soul survives the death of the body and is the real self.
Different ethnic groups in the Philippines have their own concepts of soul, such as Aminism, which believes souls are quasi-physical and can exist outside the body.

Babaylan and Spiritual Self

Babaylan women serve as intermediaries between spiritual and material worlds in their communities.
An individual's spiritual belief and practice create a pattern in their lives and set the standard for morality.
The strength of the spiritual self is determined by the depth of that person's belief.

Christianity and Buddhism/Hinduism

For Christians, the spiritual self is tied to the belief in God as the all-knowing, all-good, Alpha and Omega.
Buddhists and Hindus aim to reach Nirvana, the removal of desires and sufferings.

Description

Learn about Viktor Frankl, a leading psychiatrist who developed the revolutionary approach to psychotherapy known as Logotherapy. Explore how his experience in concentration camps shaped his belief in the search for meaning as the primary motivational force in humans.