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Self-Care » Understanding Therapy

Viktor Frankl’s
Logotherapy
By Ayesh Perera Updated on July 28, 2023
Reviewed by Saul Mcleod, PhD

Born in 1905, Viktor Frankl grew up learning the

theories of Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler.

Having graduated from the University of Vienna

Medical School in 1930, he became the Director of
the Neurological Department of the Rothschild
Hospital.

In 1942, however, his life abruptly changed when

Frankl and his family were deported to a Nazi
concentration camp.

While struggling to survive in the Nazi camp,

drawing from his experiences and observations, he
developed the theory of logotherapy, which claimed
that through a search for meaning in life,
individuals could endure and overcome suffering.

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Table of Contents

Who Developed Logotherapy?

Logotherapy is a form of psychotherapy developed
by Viktor Frankl, an Austrian psychiatrist and
Holocaust survivor. The word “logos” in
Logotherapy refers to meaning or purpose,
emphasizing the central focus of this therapeutic
approach.

Frankl believed that humans are motivated by

something called a “will to meaning,” which
corresponds to a desire to seek and make meaning
in life.

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“Inasmuch as logotherapy makes him aware

of the hidden logos of his existence, it is an
analytical process” (Frankl, 1984, p. 125).

Viktor Frankl coined the term logotherapy based on

his belief that the search for meaning, even amidst
suffering, can constitute a potential solution to
human suffering.

Logotherapy has been recognized as a scientifically

based school of psychotherapy by the American
Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric
Association, and the American Medical Society
(Schulenberg, Hutzell, Nassif, and Rogina, 2008).

Fundamental Properties

At the heart of Frankl’s philosophy are three

essential properties (Rajeswari, 2015):

1. Every person possesses a healthy core.

2. The main focus is on enlightening a person about

their inner resources and providing them with the
tools to use their internal core.

3. While life offers purpose and meaning, it does not

assure happiness or fulfillment.

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Finding Meaning
Logotherapy holds that finding meaning in life is a
primary motivational force for individuals.

It emphasizes that life can have a purpose even in

the face of suffering and that individuals can find
meaning through their attitudes, choices, and
actions.

The primary goal of Logotherapy is to help

individuals discover and pursue their unique sense
of meaning and purpose in life.

It explores existential questions, such as the search

for meaning, values, and personal responsibility.

Logotherapy holds that human beings are

driven to find purpose and meaning in life.

It offers three distinct ways whereby one can

discover meaning in life (Devoe, 2012):

1. Creative value: By creating a work or

accomplishing a task.

2. Experiential value: Receiving something from

the world through appreciation and gratitude. By
fully experiencing something or loving someone.

3. Attitudinal value: By adopting a certain

attitude toward inevitable suffering.

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Frankl held that life includes suffering and that a

human being’s ultimate freedom lies in his or her
responding correctly to the given circumstances,
including those which have engendered pain.

Furthermore, Frankl believed that one could

discover meaning in one’s existence by finding one’s
unique role in life. An oft-cited incident that further
clarifies Frankl’s approach was an elderly general
practitioner’s encounter with Frankl (Cuncic, 2019).

The elderly man was struggling with depression

following the loss of his wife. After Frankl showed
him how his wife’s death had actually spared her
from losing him, the elderly man saw how his own
experiences had preserved his wife from the same.

The new perspective imbued his suffering with

meaning and significantly relieved his depression.

Logotherapy emphasizes the importance of self-

transcendence, connecting with something greater
than oneself, and finding significance in
relationships and societal contributions.

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“Finding meaning or the will to meaning is the

primary motivation for living….the meaning that an
individual finds is unique to each person and can be
fulfilled only by that one person.

Frankl emphasized that the true meaning of each

person’s life must be discovered by activity in the
world through interaction with others, not solely
through introspection.

Challenging a person with a potential meaning to

fulfill evokes the will to meaning.” (Graber, 2004, p.
65).

Logotherapy Assumptions

As do all forms of psychotherapy, logotherapy

possesses a set of underlying assumptions
which cannot be conclusively proven
(Reitinger, 2015):

1. Body, Mind, and Spirit

Human beings are made up of the body (soma),
mind (psyche), and spirit (noos). Frankl held that
while we have a body and a mind, the spirit is who
we are, our identity and essence.

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While Frankl’s theory was not derived from

theology, his assumption herein departs from
atheistic materialism and shares striking similarities
with certain religious views.

2. Life Has Meaning Even in The Most

Miserable Circumstances
This assumption represents an acknowledgment of a
higher order in the world: an order that transcends
mere human laws. Consequently, even an
objectively terrible situation can offer meaning.

“If there is a meaning in life at all, then there

must be a meaning in suffering. Suffering is
an ineradicable part of life, even as fate and
death. Without suffering and death human life
cannot be complete” (Frankl, 1984, p. 88).

3. Humans Possess a Will to Meaning

Logotherapy proposes that humans have a will to
meaning, which means seeing meaning in pain can
prepare the individual for suffering.

This assumption embodies a significant departure

from one’s will to achieve power and pleasure. It
posits that the discovery of meaning is one’s
primary motive for living.

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The will-to-meaning is “the basic striving of

man to find and meaning and purpose”
(Frankl, 1969, p. 35).

4. Freedom to Find Meaning

Under all circumstances, individuals are free to
activate the will to discover meaning. The salutary
amendment of one’s attitude toward inevitable
suffering can enable one’s will to discover meaning
under any circumstance.

This assumption draws heavily upon Frankl’s own

experiences in the Nazi camps.

5. Meaning of the Moment

An individual’s response determines the
meaningfulness of the individual’s decision. By
heeding the values of society or following one’s
conscience, one can find meaning in one’s decisions.

This assumption is associated with the meaning of

the moment in practical daily living rather than the
ultimate meaning.

6. Individuals Are Unique

In response to the various demands of life, human
beings experience unique situations. Additionally,
they are constantly seeking meaning.

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Logotherapy Techniques

Therapeutic Goals

To awaken the client’s sense of responsibility and

meaning.

To help the client discover their true identity and

place in the world.

To help the client pursue what really matters in

life.

To make life better for self and others.

Three techniques used in logotherapy include

dereflection, paradoxical intention, and
Socratic dialogue.

Dereflection
Dereflection in logotherapy is a technique used to
shift a person’s focus away from their own problems
or symptoms by redirecting their attention towards
meaningful goals or activities, thus reducing self-
preoccupation and facilitating a sense of purpose
and fulfillment.

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Dereflection, based on self-transcendence, seeks to

redirect one’s attention from oneself or one’s own
goals toward others.

This technique posits that when one is self-absorbed

and is struggling with issues in one’s life, one can
significantly improve one’s situation by altering
one’s focus and being concerned about those
around.

For instance, if one is struggling with one’s finances,

the logotherapist might ask the patient to focus
more on the people he or she is working to provide
for rather than constantly thinking of how the
problem is affecting him or herself.

Paradoxical intention
Paradoxical intention in logotherapy is a technique
where a client intentionally engages in or
exaggerates the symptom or behavior they wish to
change, aiming to reduce anxiety or overcome the
issue by confronting it directly.

Paradoxical intention is employed primarily to

overcome fear by anticipating the very object of
one’s fear. For instance, with humor and ridicule,
one may wish for the very thing one is afraid of to
remove fear from one’s intention.

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This practice would likely result in reducing the

symptoms as well.

Socratic dialogue
Socratic dialogue employs a method of self-
discovery to demonstrate to the patient that the
solution to the patient’s problem is actually within
him or her.

The logotherapist herein would use the patient’s

words by listening carefully for patterns to help the
patient discover new meanings in his or her own
words.

In addition to the above three, attitude

modification can be implemented. This technique
primarily focuses on altering one’s attitude toward a
situation rather than amending one’s conduct.

A patient who has suffered a loss might be directed

to adopt a new attitude toward the misfortune to
process the situation better.

Critical Evaluation
Frankl believed in turning tragedy into triumph and
past guilt into life-changing progress. Drawing
primarily from his personal experiences, his
approach aimed at enabling individuals to tap into
their own inner resources to transform adversity.

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By today, however, more than mere anecdotes

testifies to its efficacy. Much theoretical and
empirical research has been conducted on
logotherapy (Schulenberg, Hutzell, Nassif, and
Rogina, 2008).

In 2016, a systematic assessment of evidence related

to logotherapy was conducted, and the following
were among its findings (Thir & Batthyány, 2016):

A tendency of patients with disorders to have a

lower meaning of life.

A Correlation between the search for & the

presence of meaning and satisfaction in life.

A relationship between the search for & the

presence of meaning and resilience.

The effectiveness of logotherapy for depressed

children and early adolescents with cancer.

A Correlation between the presence of meaning

and suicidal thought in individuals suffering from
cancer.

The effectiveness of logotherapy in decreasing job

burnout.

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