Viktor Frankl’s Logotherapy: Theory And Techniques
Logotherapy was developed by Viktor Frankl, one of the main representatives of existential analysis. In these interventions, which aim to achieve vital meaning, existentialist philosophy had a great influence.
In this article we will describe the basic principles and techniques of logotherapy, as well as the types of neuroses that exist according to Viktor Frankl. Among them, the most important is the noogenic neurosis, which was the focus of interest of this author.
Viktor Emil Frankl (1905-1997) was a neurologist and psychiatrist Austrian who was born into a Jewish family. In 1944 he, his wife, his parents and his brother were sent to concentration camps; When the war ended Frankl was the only one still alive.
Frankl developed his psychological theory and therapy from his experiences as a prisoner, although he had already begun to create them earlier. In 1959 he published his key book, “Man’s Search for Meaning,” where he described his model: logotherapy.
Logotherapy is framed in existential analysis, a type of therapy with a marked philosophical character that focuses on the search for vital meaning in the face of existential emptiness, which causes psychological, emotional and physical symptoms. The influence of Kierkegaard, Heidegger and Husserl is notable in Frankl’s work.
According to Frankl, people we can always give meaning to our lives, regardless of the circumstances in which we find ourselves; This search for meaning constitutes the main motivation in life. Furthermore, we always have a certain degree of freedom, since we can at least decide what attitude we adopt in the face of adversity.
Frankl considered that human experience has three dimensions: the somatic or physical, the mental and the spiritual. According to this author, the origin of psychological alterations is the lack of strength of the spiritual dimension as well as meaning in life.
He described three types of values that led to meaning and, therefore, happiness: creation values, related to work and contribution to society, experience values (interaction with people and experiencing sensations) and attitude values. , which have to do with overcoming suffering.
For Frankl The cause of mental disorders is the meaning we give to suffering, and not the discomfort itself. This basic approach opposed the reductionism of behaviorism of the time and anticipated cognitivist approaches.
Types of neuroses according to Frankl
Frankl described various types of neuroses depending on the causes that provoke them. Among them, the noogenic neurosis stands out, the focus of interest in logotherapy.
1. Noogen
Logotherapy is specific for noogenic neurosis, which arises as a consequence of the existential void, of the non-satisfaction of the human spiritual dimension. When a person cannot give meaning to their suffering, they feel hopelessness and a sense of loss of vital meaning; Frankl calls this situation noogenic neurosis.
2. Collective
Neuroses of this type affect a large number of people who share the same culture and/or were born at a certain time. He defined four attitudes as collective neuroses: fatalism (believing that everything has external causes), fanaticism (idealizing one’s own beliefs and not tolerating the rest), lack of attention to the future and conformity or “collectivist thinking.”
Many people try to give meaning to their lives through work and the frenetic pace of the week. When the weekend, vacation or retirement arrive and you have free time, they appear feelings of apathy, boredom and existential emptiness ; In Frankl’s theory this is known as Sunday neurosis and is considered a type of depression.
4. Unemployment
The unemployment neurosis is similar to the Sunday neurosis, but it lasts longer. When a person does not have an occupation or job, he tends to experience a state of apathy and feelings of uselessness due to lack of vital goals.
5. Psychogenic, reactive, somatogenic and psychosomatic
This classification refers to the factors that cause the alteration. Psychogenic neuroses have psychological causes, such as attitudes, while reactive neuroses are due to an intense response of the organism to the presence of somatic or psychological symptoms.
Somatogenic neuroses are due to biological dysfunctions, such as hyperthyroidism or excessive reactivity of the nervous system. Finally, Frankl called the physical symptoms triggered by psychological factors “psychosomatic neuroses”; In this category he included asthma.
Logotherapy techniques
The goal of logotherapy is to help the client give meaning to their life. To do this, according to Frankl, the logotherapist must use the following techniques.
1. Socratic dialogue
Socratic dialogues involve challenging the client’s interpretations of different events (i.e., their belief system) through logic-based questions. The Socratic dialogue was adopted by cognitively oriented psychotherapists like Aaron Beck, and constitutes one of the fundamental pillars of cognitive restructuring.
2. Dereflection
Some people lend a excessive attention to your goals or problems, which generates anxiety and interferes with life; Frankl called the first case “hyperintention” and the second “hyperreflection.” The dereflection technique consists of redirecting this attention in an appropriate and functional way.
Confrontation is a basic technique of psychotherapy in general. Is about make the client see the inconsistencies and the inappropriateness of certain behaviors and attitudes so that you can be aware of them and modify them.
4. Paradoxical intention
Frankl called “paradoxical intention” a technique of making the client intensify his symptoms in new contexts, promoting the symptom to lose its functionality. In other words, the client is intended to intentionally provoke what he fears, so that a logical contradiction is generated, often humorous.
Currently, paradoxical intention is considered an effective technique to manage different problems, for example sleep insomnia. It works because, when the person begins to wish for an event to occur that normally causes anxiety or other negative emotions, such associated consequences do not occur.
