Before we dive into logotherapy, it’s worth noting that the figure of Viktor Frankl and his journey to finding meaning in extreme circumstances has already been covered on this blog in another article. If you want to get to know Frankl’s story and his struggles in the concentration camps better, I invite you to read my post in the “Inspiring Souls” category: Viktor Frankl: Finding Meaning in Chaos – Lessons from the Concentration Camps.
Today, I want to go a step further and take a deep dive into the approach that not only helped Frankl survive but has also become a gift to humanity: logotherapy—his groundbreaking therapeutic method and life philosophy.
We live in a time when we often have everything we need to live, but we lack a reason to live for. If you’ve ever felt an emptiness despite your successes or wondered about the deeper purpose of your daily struggles, this article is for you. We’ll look at what logotherapy is, what principles it’s built on, and how you can apply its wisdom right here, right now.
What is Logotherapy?
The term logotherapy comes from the Greek word logos, which means “meaning.” In its simplest form, it’s a therapy focused on meaning. As a psychiatrist and neurologist, Viktor Frankl created an approach that was fundamentally different from the dominant theories of his time.
While Sigmund Freud believed that the primary driving force in humans is the pursuit of pleasure (the pleasure principle), and Alfred Adler pointed to the will to power and superiority, Frankl saw it differently. He argued that our deepest, most primal need is the will to meaning.
This isn’t just an academic theory. Frankl tested it in the most challenging laboratory imaginable—Auschwitz. There, he noticed that prisoners who had a purpose—whether it was to reunite with a loved one or to finish a piece of scientific work—had a much greater chance of survival than those who had lost hope. As he wrote himself: “Life never ceases to have meaning, even in the face of suffering and death.”
The Three Pillars of Logotherapy
The system Frankl created rests on three core pillars. Understanding them allows you to look at your own life from a completely new perspective.
1. Freedom of Will
Frankl argued that humans are not fully determined by their instincts, genes, or environment. Of course, we are subject to certain biological or social limitations, but we always—in every situation—have the freedom to choose our attitude. You may not have control over getting sick or losing your job, but you have absolute freedom in deciding how you will respond. It is in this space between stimulus and response that our human dignity is born.
2. The Will to Meaning
This is the primary motivation for a human being. It’s not about abstract philosophical musings but a concrete drive to find a purpose in one’s unique life. When this will is blocked, it leads to existential frustration, which can result in neuroses, depression, or addiction. Frankl believed that mental health depends on a certain degree of tension between who we are now and who we should become—or the goal we have yet to realize.
3. Meaning in Life
Logotherapy assumes that meaning in life is an objective reality that we must discover, not create. Furthermore, this meaning changes over time—there isn’t one universal meaning for everyone that lasts a lifetime. We find meaning in specific moments and situations. What was meaningful yesterday may be irrelevant today, as life presents us with a new challenge.
How Does the Logotherapeutic Process Work?
In a therapy session, logotherapy doesn’t involve endlessly analyzing your childhood. It is a future-oriented therapy. The therapist helps the client broaden their field of vision so they can see the potential meaning that awaits realization.
A technique called dereflection is often used. Instead of focusing on oneself and one’s symptoms (which often intensifies them—a mechanism known as hyper-reflection), the client is encouraged to look beyond themselves—toward the world, toward tasks, toward other people.
The key question that logotherapy poses is: What is life asking of me right now? This marks a radical shift in perspective. Instead of making demands on fate (“Why did this happen to me?”), we step into responsibility (“What can I do about this?”).
Imagine someone going through a painful divorce who feels their life has fallen apart. A logotherapist won’t just analyze the pain. They will help the person see that this new, difficult situation is a call to something new—perhaps to rebuild a relationship with themselves, to devote time to a passion they previously neglected, or to become a source of support for their children in a different, deeper way. The pain remains, but it ceases to be destructive once it gains meaning.
Let me share something personal here, because I find myself right in the middle of this process as I write. Not long ago, my wife moved out, leaving me with our three kids and the reality of an approaching divorce. It’s been painful and disorienting—there were moments when it felt like my whole life had collapsed. But in the midst of this upheaval, I started to rebuild my relationship with myself. I returned to the passions I’d set aside—writing, web design, sports—and found new energy in inspiring and helping my kids grow their own interests. The pain is still there, but now it serves a purpose. I can see this chapter not just as an ending, but as a chance for growth—for both me and my children.
Why Is Logotherapy So Important Today?
As early as the mid-20th century, Frankl wrote about the “existential vacuum.” Today, this phenomenon has reached epidemic proportions. We have smartphones, high-speed internet, comfortable homes, and endless entertainment, yet therapists’ offices are overflowing.
We suffer from a lack of purpose. We get caught up in consumerism or workaholism, trying to drown out the inner silence. Logotherapy is the antidote. It reminds us that we are not machines for satisfying drives, but spiritual beings who need a “why” to endure almost any “how.”
Just as in the concentration camps, today’s information chaos and uncertain future require us to find an inner compass. Logotherapy gives us the tools to calibrate that compass.
Practical Application: Where to Find Meaning?
Frankl identified three main paths on which we can find meaning in our daily lives. You don’t have to be a hero or experience great dramas to use them.
1. Creativity and Action (Creative Values)
This is the most straightforward path. We find meaning in what we give to the world. It could be your professional work if you do it with dedication. But it could also be raising children, tending a garden, writing a blog, volunteering, or helping a neighbor. It’s about leaving a mark—the act of creation.
2. Experience and Love (Experiential Values)
Meaning can be found not only in doing, but also in receiving from the world. Awe at the beauty of nature, listening to music, contemplating art—all these things give life depth. The highest form of this path is love. Frankl wrote that love is the only way to truly grasp another human being in the innermost core of their personality. Loving someone allows us to see their potential, which in turn helps that person realize it.
3. Attitude Toward Suffering (Attitudinal Values)
This is the most difficult but also the most profound path. If we cannot change a situation that causes us pain (an incurable illness, the death of a loved one, an irreversible loss), we are challenged to change ourselves. Suffering ceases to be suffering the moment it finds a meaning—such as the meaning of a sacrifice, spiritual growth, or a lesson for others. Here, the greatest human freedom is revealed.
An Exercise for You:
Take a moment and grab a piece of paper.
- Write down three things (they can be small!) that give you a sense that your life is valuable.
- Think about a difficulty you’re currently facing. Ask yourself: “What can this situation teach me? What kind of attitude is it calling for from me?”
Logotherapy and Other Approaches
Logotherapy doesn’t contradict other forms of therapy; it complements them. While cognitive-behavioral therapy is excellent for changing thought patterns and psychoanalysis is great for uncovering unconscious conflicts, logotherapy adds a spiritual dimension (not to be confused with a religious one).
It treats the human being as a whole—a bio-psycho-spiritual unity. What sets it apart is that it does not pathologize human suffering. Sadness, guilt, or fear of death are not always symptoms of a disease. Often, they are healthy responses of the human spirit demanding answers to fundamental questions.
“Man is not merely a unity of instincts and drives. He is a being capable of transcendence”—these words from Frankl remind us that we are more than our biology and psychology.
Conclusion
Logotherapy is not a magic wand that will remove pain from your life. It is a flashlight that helps you walk through the darkness. It teaches us that meaning is not something you “have,” but something you discover—again and again—each day. Sometimes in great deeds, and sometimes in a simple smile shared with someone on a hard day.
I leave you with this question: What task is life setting before you right at this moment?
If this topic moved you, I encourage you to revisit my previous article on Viktor Frankl’s biography to better understand the context in which this extraordinary philosophy was born.
And please, share in the comments—what gives you strength and a sense of meaning when daily life gets tough?
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