Rediscovering the Power of Logotherapy in Overcoming Life's Challenges

There is an age-old question that sparks the interests of intellectuals, philosophers, scientists and people of the world – what is the meaning of life? Furthermore, why is the meaning of life important to humans?

In psychology “meaning in life” or “life purpose” are difficult concepts to define although most agree that it contributes to psychological wellbeing. Earlier researchers and psychologists focused on capturing psychological wellbeing as the absence of mental illness, however, several influential figures encouraged people to consider the impact of meaning in life.

Enter Logotherapy - a concept introduced by Viktor Frankl.

Existential Therapy Session

In 1955, Viktor Frankl published his ideas of Logotherapy and his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, which both include themes such as human existence and meaning...in the face of suffering. For instance,  Man’s Search for Meaning is an autobiography of Frankl's time in concentration camps during WWII and his observations and inner thoughts. Frankl (1955) along with Carl Jung (1966) and Irvin Yalom (1980) suggest that meaning is associated with positive well-being. They suggest if an individual is suffering from meaninglessness, this is likely to contribute to mental illness. In his book, Frankl also suggests losing meaning can hasten death if someone's physical health is already compromised (i.e. concentration camps).

Logotherapy arose within existential psychiatry with the alternative name, Existenzanalyse. Frankl describes logotherapy as “healing through meaning” where “logos” is “meaning” and “spirit.” The origin of logotherapy traces back to figures such as Plato, Socrates and Aristotle. Frankl and earlier philosophers suggested that purpose, meaning and virtue produce motivation and wellbeing.

Applying the logotherapy lens, it is suggested that a human’s main motivation in life is the search for meaning and transcendence. Transcendence or self-transcendence refers to reaching something significant (think of a massive life goal) - which is specific to each individual. Within this journey of reaching something significant is the ability modify attitude along the way. For instance, Frankl suggests that “even the negative aspects of human existence such as suffering, guilt, and death (the tragic triad) can still be turned into something positive, provided that they are faced with the right attitude.” While I appreciate this perspective, it's important to understand that such a transformation takes time. Tragedy can eventually lead to growth, but not immediately. Frankl's book particularly focuses on this underlying message.

There are also basic assumptions including “freedom of will” and “will to meaning."  “Freedom of will” suggests that a person needs to discover that they have responsibility and freedom. Frankl (1984) specifically referenced his experience in a Holocaust concentration camp and used this as an example of maintaining a sense of freedom through reactions, despite suffering. What this means is that you can still choose how you behave as a person, even when much of your physical freedom is taken away.

The concept of “will to meaning” is undertaken by engaging in creative acts and relationships or experiences. Furthermore, this includes facing suffering or adversity whilst building fortitude, resilience and experiencing growth. In addition to the two basic assumptions, there are three core principles - paradoxical intention, dereflection and attitude modification.

Paradoxical intention is the process of distancing someone from their difficulties and symptoms by actually going towards them (e.g. someone with insomnia is told to stay awake for as long as possible). Dereflection involves taking an individual’s attention away from symptoms by focusing on other people, activities or diversions to find meaning. Lastly, attitude modification is changing perspective in circumstances that cannot be controlled and to focus on finding meaning despite adversity (Frankl, 1984).

So, what does some research say?

A study with cancer survivors utilised Meaning-Centred Group Psychotherapy (MCGP) (an alternative name and adaption to Logotherapy) to understand the long-term benefits of meaning on psychological wellbeing. The group consisted of approximately 7-10 participants who engaged in weekly two hours sessions for 8 weeks. After two years, although the short-term benefits of personal meaning and psychological wellbeing declined, there were sustained improvements in positive relations with others and personal growth. This indicates that although overarching psychological improvements declined following the MCGP, personal growth and connection was long lasting and contributed to psychological wellbeing and recovery from cancer.

All of these concepts, assumptions and principles are present in some modern therapies. However, finding a psychologist or therapist familiar with Logotherapy is more rare today. With our quickly evolving world and emphasis of finding labels to explain ourselves, I see the importance of revisitng aspects of Logotherapy to help individuals find their meaning and purpose instead. I don't mean the meaning of life or the purpose of life, but each individual's meaning and purpose. Answering the question of "what is the meaning of life?" is not my objective, guiding people to find "what is MY meaning in life?" is more important - to help provide people with direction and to develop who they are.

References and further reading:

Costello, S. J. (2015). The spirit of logotherapy. Religions, 7(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel7010003 

Costin, V., & Vignoles, V. L. (2020). Meaning is about mattering: Evaluating coherence, purpose, and existential mattering as precursors of meaning in life judgments. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 118(4), 864–884. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000225

Debats, D. L. (1996). Meaning in life: Clinical relevance and predictive power. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 35(4), 503-516. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8260.1996.tb01207.x

Dyck, M. J. (1987). Cognitive therapy and logotherapy: Contrasting views on meaning. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 1(3), 155–169.

Frankl, V. E. (1955). The doctor and the soul. An introduction to logotherapy. A. A. Knopf.

Frankl, V. E. (1967). Logotherapy and existentialism. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice, 4(3), 138-142. 

Frankl, V. E. (1975). Paradoxical intention and dereflection. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training 12(3), 226–237. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0086434 

Frankl, V. E. (1984). Man’s search for meaning: An introduction to logotherapy (Rev. ed.). Simon & Schuster. 

Holtmaat, K., van der Spek, N., Lissenberg‐Witte, B., Breitbart, W., Cuijpers, P., & Verdonck‐de Leeuw, I. (2020). Long‐term efficacy of meaning‐centered group psychotherapy for cancer survivors: 2‐Year follow‐up results of a randomized controlled trial. Psycho‐oncology, 29(4), 711-718. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.5326 

Martínez, E. Y., & Flórez, I. A. (2015). Meaning-centered psychotherapy: A socratic clinical practice.  Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 45(1), 37–48. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10879-014-9281-0 

Parker, G. (2022). In search of logotherapy. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 56(7), 742–744. https://doi.org/10.1177/00048674211062830 

Saraswathi, K. N. (2013). Logotherapy. Nursing Journal of India, 104(1), 37–38. https://doi.org/10.48029/NJI.2013.CIV104 

Wong, P. T. (2016). From Viktor Frankl’s logotherapy to the four defining characteristics of self-transcendence (ST). Amsterdam: Positive Psychology.