LOGOTHERAPY AS A UNIFYING
AGENT IN A DIVERSE WORLD
RACHEL BOLAJI ASAGBA, PHD,PGD,BA,RD,CDE,PADEG
SENIOR LECTURER,DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY
FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN
NIGERIA
rbasagba@yahoo.com
rbasagba@gmail.com
rb.asagba@mail.ui.edu.ng
+234-802-316-5957, +234-803-950-3560
Outline
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Introduction
The totality of man or the concept of man
Frankl’s position on his predecessors
Frankl’s lifestyle & coping with life after release
from concentration camp
• Logotherapy as a unifying agent among
academia, nations and religions
• Conclusion
• References
INTRODUCTION
»Man’s uniqueness and diversity
• According to logotherapy, man is a unique
creation whose differences form his individual
identity.
• The airplane vs car analogy described by
Frankl (1967;1986;1988) and Fabry (1987)
explains this:
INTRODUCTION
An airplane and a car can move along the runway
INTRODUCTION
….that does not make the airplane a car!
INTRODUCTION
»Choices and change
• Man has the ability to think rationally and
make choices
• These choices matter because they affect the
one making the choices, as well as other
people around.
• Decisions and choices effect change in every
aspect of life.
• Responsible decisions beget meaningful
changes.
INTRODUCTION
»Meaning of the moment
• The answers given to the life questions that
come to an individual at any moment would
determine that individual’s experiences.
• Graber (2004) defines this using the ‘hour
glass’ as described by Weiter (1987):
INTRODUCTION
The future. The past. The present. THE HOURGLASS
The totality of man or the concept of man
• Frankl’s predecessors, Freud and Adler, only
viewed man in the physical and psychological
dimensions.
• Frankl insisted on adding the third dimension- the
spiritual dimension.
• According to him, man is comprised of the body,
psyche and spirit; different parts of a whole,
which are interwoven.
• The analogy is that of an object having a length, a
breadth as well as a height.
The totality of man or the concept of man
3 dimensional objects each have a length, a breadth as well as a width
FRANKL’S POSITION ON HIS PREDECESSORS
• In spite of his disagreement with his
predecessors, he still respected them, while
holding on to his concept of the spiritual
dimension.
• He still tried to unify the three schools of
Viennese psychotherapy, using 2 analogies:
– Three blind men describing an elephant
– A dwarf sitting on the shoulder of two giants
FRANKL’S POSITION ON HIS PREDECESSORS
Three blind men, each touching a different part of the same elephant, describe it
differently
FRANKL’S LIFESTYLE & COPING WITH LIFE
AFTER RELEASE FROM CONCENTRATION CAMP
• Frankl was able to put his life together after
his harrowing experience at the concentration
camp without complaining.
• Rather than leaving his country, he insisted on
staying back and did not even mind helping
those of opposing views.
• He was a unifying agent and lived as a role
model, inspiring logotherapist to propagate
the same at every level of society.
Viktor Frankl, a very profound man
LOGOTHERAPY AS A UNIFYING AGENT AMONG
ACADEMIA, NATIONS AND RELIGIONS
»Academia
• Thanks to globalization, there are now diverse
areas of specialization in different professions.
• This however tends to make different
professionals compete for supremacy.
• Logotherapy presents each role of any individual
as being complimentary and not competitive.
• Health care providers can use this to choose a
patient centered approach.
LOGOTHERAPY AS A UNIFYING AGENT AMONG
ACADEMIA, NATIONS AND RELIGIONS
»Nations
• There are different languages and divergent
cultures around the world.
• Logotherapy can help to unify nations with its
principles of cooperation and collaboration,
resulting in peace.
• THIS IS POSSIBLE TO ACHIEVE!!!
LOGOTHERAPY AS A UNIFYING AGENT AMONG
ACADEMIA, NATIONS AND RELIGIONS
»Religion
• Logotherapy is by no means restricted to any
religion.
• It is only concerned with the spiritual dimension
of man: the belief system of man; not belief
factions.
• It is compatible with all religions and nonreligions.
• Logotherapy can therefore unify all people
regardless of their belief.
LOGOTHERAPY AS A UNIFYING AGENT AMONG
ACADEMIA, NATIONS AND RELIGIONS
CONCLUSION
• Man is a unique creation with the ability to
make choices that can help others to make life
better.
• Frankl’s lifestyle and Lukas’s views on
reconciliation agents are useful in unifying the
academia, nations, religions and the whole
world at large.
REFERENCES
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Asagba, R.B. (2006/7). Logotherapy and Cultural Development, Ibadan; Spectrum Ltd.
Asagba, R.B. (2009) Logotherapy Issues from an African Perspective. Ibadan: University Press Plc.
Asagba, R.B. (2011a) “Finding Meaning in Life in a Changing World.” A paper presented at the 18th World Congress in
Fostering Spirituality for our World in Distress. 22 – 26 June 2011 at Marriot Hotel, Addison, Dallas, Texas, USA.
Asagba, R.B. [2011b) “Viktor Frankl’s Logotherapy and Life History: Relevance for Managing Psychotrauma, Conflict
Resolution and Reconciliation.” A paper presented at the Fourth Regional Conference & Training on Psychotrauma on the 11 15 July 2011, Nairobi, Kenya.
Fabry, J B [1997] The Pursuit of Meaning,Berkeley; Institute of Logotherapy Press
Frankl, V. E. (1983) The Doctor and the Soul: From Psychotherapy to Logotherapy. New York: Vintage Books
Frankl, V. E. (1986) Man Search For Meaning. Boston: Beacon Press
Frankl, V.E. (2006) Psychotherapy and Existentialism. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Frankl, V.E. (1988) The Will To Meaning: Foundations and Applications of Logotherapy. Expanded Edition. New York and
Scarborough & Ontario: A Meriden Book New American Company.
Grabber DV. (2009). Preparing for life’s ultimate Adventure: The Journey Home Birmingham, Logolife Press.
Grumbaugh, J.C. (1991) “Principles of Psychotherapy and its Relationship to Logotherapy.” The International Forum for
Logotherapy Journal of Search for Meaning. Vol. 14, No. 2; Fall, 1991.
Lukas E. (1989) “From Self –Actualization to Global Responsibility: Search for the Sacred, Necessary and Otherliness in Pursuit
of Meaning; Road to self-Esteem and Social Conscience – The Proceedings of Logotherapy Berkley: Institute of Logoterapy
Pressp 9 – 31.
Lukas, E. (2000). Logotherapy textbook: Meaning Centered Psychology (T Burger Trans) Toronto: Liberty Press (original
published in 1998)
Lukas F. (1986) Meaningful Living: A Logotherapy guide in Health, New York: Grove Press Inc.
Winberly C. (2010). Intervention with an At Risk Student International Forum for Logotherapy Vol. 33 Number 1 Spring pp 10
-17.
Wimberly (2011). Application of Lukas five-step Intervention Model. International forum for Logotherapy Vol. 34 Number 3.
All images used were gotten from google images
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have a meaningful Day !