Finding & Creating

Meaning of Life
Topic 8 Spiritual Self
 Dr. Viktor E. Frankl
 Born on March 26, 1905 in Vienna
Austria, where famous psychiatrist
Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler lived.
 Physician by profession, graduated
from University of Vienna in 1930
 Published a book about Logo therapy.
 Man’s Search for Meaning, The
Doctor and the Soul: an Introduction
to Logotherapy
 Logotherapy
 Logotherapy is a psychotherapy
introduced by Dr. Viktor Frankl, who is
considered the Father of Logotherapy.
 Main goal “ man’s primary
motivational force is search for
meaning”
 It aids in individuals to find personal
meaning of life, whatever life
situation they may be
 Logotherapy
 In logotherapy, meaning can be
discovered by creating a work or
doing a deed, experiencing
something or encountering someone
and the attitude toward unavoidable
suffering.
 They use the philosophy of optimism
in the face of tragedy, where people
are capable of “turning suffering into
human achievement and
 Logotherapy
 Deriving from guilt the oppurtunity to
change oneself for better

 Deriving from life’s transitoriness an

an incentive to take responsible
action
 Basic Concepts of
Franklian Psychology
 Basic Concept of Franklian
Psychology
 Life has meaning under all
circumstances
 Main motivation for living is our will to find
meaning in life

 Freedom to find meaning

 Aims of Franklian Pscyhology
1. Become aware of spiritual resources

2. Make conscious spiritual resources

3. Use “defiant power the human spirit”

4. Stand up against adversity

 Assumptions of
Logotherapy
1. The human being is an entity
consisting of body, mind and spirit
2. Life has meaning under all
circumstances, even the most miserable

3. People have a will to meaning

4. People have freedom under all circumstances
to activate the will to find meaning
 Assumptions of
Logotherapy
5. Life has a demand quality to which people
must respond if decisions are to be meaningful

6. The individual is unique

FRANKL’S SOURCES OF
MEANING
 Purposefu
l work

Courage
in the
face of
Difficulty

Love

Sources of Meaning
 “the ultimate secret on the spiritual
foundation of life is that love is
salvation and joy eternity – Costello
(2015)