Logotherapy and Existential Analysis is the comprehensive theory and therapy of Dr. Viktor E. Frankl. Dr. Frankl, a neurologist, psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor, based his approach on the understanding that while the human person is not free from the conditions of life, a person is always free to choose his or her stand toward those conditions.
Dr. Frankl is best known for his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, identified by the Library of Congress as one of the ten most influential books of the Twentieth Century.
Logotherapy and Existential Analysis teaches that the desire to live a life of meaning and purpose is the primary human motivation. Frankl developed his approach as a treatment specifically for persons who are consciously searching for meaning and purpose, or to be combined with other forms of therapy when questions about meaning in life are present but not primary.
Facts about Logotherapy
- Logotherapy has been practiced since 1946.
- Logotherapy makes complex existential ideas easy to apply in therapy.
- Logotherapy is person-centered, strengths-based, and holistic.
- Logotherapy foreshadows many developments in positive psychology.
- Logotherapy can be combined with many other forms of therapy.
- Logotherapy has developed its own unique set of tools and techniques.
- Logotherapy continues to be practiced around the world.
- Logotherapy has a strong empirical research base.
- Interest in logotherapy has grown in recent years.