Logotherapy and the Theology of Hope
Unpublished. Written for BTh 1st Year TS39 – Logotherapy and Spiritual Existentialism: Viktor Frankl, Hekima College, 29 March 2012. (6406 words)
Logotherapy is a form of psychotherapy proposed by the Austrian neurologist, psychiatrist, and holocaust-survivor, Dr... more Logotherapy is a form of psychotherapy proposed by the Austrian neurologist, psychiatrist, and holocaust-survivor, Dr Viktor E. Frankl. It is often referred to as the “Third Viennese School” (after Siegmund Freud's psychoanalysis and Alfred Adler's individual psychology), and is often grouped as a form of the more general type of therapy known as cognitive therapy. This essay will examine how Logotherapy, and specifically the meaning that is sought through Logotherapy, is related to hope in general but more specifically, this paper will examine how Logotherapy is related to theological hope. The paper will begin with a critical overview of Frankl’s Logotherapy theory and the views of supporters and opponents of his theory will be explained. Viktor Frankl, being an existentialist, will draw a lot of his theory from his own life experience. This too must therefore be examined, though I will show that a distinction can easily be made – and may need to be made – between the theory and the theorist. There is of course a risk in researching any form of literature that has to do with one of the darkest and most shameful moments of our history. In the course of this essay I have tried to be aware of taking only as sources literature that is respectful of the horror of the Holocaust and a faithful to the scientific method so that the conclusions about Logotherapy may be consonant with the method of Psychology and Psychotherapy as a whole, and not influenced by any radical or Holocaust-denying type of literature that does exist and can inform certain readings about Frankl’s life and his theory of Logotherapy. After describing Logotherapy and isolating the role of meaning within it, I will go on to consider the role of Hope within Theology. I consider hope from two perspectives. The first being a general perspective, in how it is linked with faith; the second a more particular perspective in line with Jürgen Moltmann’s Theology of Hope and other eschatological thinkers. I shall then conclude this paper by highlighting the link, which by this stage I hope will have been satisfactorily identified and demonstrated, between meaning, hope and the eschaton and freedom and show how Logotherapy is useful in this regard. Finally, I will end the paper with a consideration from my own experience in South Africa of how meaning and hope are related and exemplified in the life of Nelson Mandela.
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Download (.pdf) Response: Limits to responsibility and care?
Ryan, Christopher James. 2011. Response: Limits to responsibility and care? Journal of Bioethical Inquiry 8: 103-104.
On close inspection, apparent ethical dilemmas are very often clinical dilemmas misclassified. In this case, we are... more On close inspection, apparent ethical dilemmas are very often clinical dilemmas misclassified. In this case, we are supposed, no doubt, to ask ourselves ethical questions about the limits of Anne’s responsibility as it pertains to the possibility of her preventing Ron’s suicide. Has she a duty to increase the frequency of her sessions, despite not wanting to? Actually though, we should be asking clinical questions about Anne’s assessment of Ron’s problems and her current management of Ron’s dilemma. Even the apparent ethical question dissolves when we view it with a clinically informed eye.
Developing Markers for Initiation
by Robert Winer
Psychological Perspectives, 50: 52–78, 2007
Initiation is a universal experience of crucial importance for both indigenous cultures and individual personality... more Initiation is a universal experience of crucial importance for both indigenous cultures and individual personality growth. Although outer ritual has largely faded from Western life, inner initiation images are a common occurrence. This article confronts the problem of deciding whether such modern images represent authentic inner initiation experiences. Using examples from one of Jung’s medical lectures, the importance of establishing valid markers for initiation is discussed. Jung’s physician–healer model of balancing the right method (effective treatments derived through experience and by identifying valid markers of normal and pathological psychic development) with being the right person is followed. This article explores well-established aspects of initiation, such as rites of passage, with application to life stages common in Western society. A comprehensive exploration of the psychological, philological, and anthropological aspects of initiation is presented. Special reference is made to the shamanic experience of initiation. The article proposes three markers for gauging the authenticity of the initiation experience: submission, holding the tension between the collective and the individual, and numinosity.
