PRESENTATION OUTLINE
Logotherapy:
A meaning-centered psychological approach designed to help people accomplish what Frankl believes is the primary source of human motivation - finding meaning in life.
Will To Meaning:
This is a primary force in life. Each individual must discover meaning in his life in order for happiness to follow.
Existential Frustration:
Is striving to find a concrete meaning in personal existence, that is to say, the will to meaning. Existential frustration can result in noogenic neuroses.
Noogenic Neuroses:
These are the neuroses resulting from spiritual problems.
Tension:
Frankl believes that some tension is necessary for mental health. He believes there must be a gap between who one is and what one is to become.
Existential Vacuum:
Is a feeling of total meaninglessness in life. It can manifest itself in boredom.
The Statue of Liberty:
Frankl writes that he recommends "that the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast be supplemented by a Statue of
Responsibility on the West Coast" because "logotherapy sees in responsibleness the very essence of human freedom."
Love:
For Frankl, experiencing love is one possible method of finding meaning in life, and it is also "the only way to grasp another human being in the innermost core of his personality."
Suffering:
Frankl writes that the will to meaning is often satisfied through suffering, and that "what matters above all is the attitude we take toward suffering."
Happiness:
Frankl writes that happiness, in itself, should not be pursued. Instead, he argues "it must ensue." He argues that people need to find first a reason to be happy, and happiness follows naturally.
