Logotherapy and Why Older Adults Should Know About It

Logotherapy can help you find the meaning of life. Here's how

What is the meaning of life? Human beings have tried to find an answer to this question for a very long time. But human beings are the only creatures who can question their own existence. Studies have shown that having a sense of meaning is not just for philosophical or theoretical purposes but has a positive impact on our health-protecting us against Alzheimer’s, disabilities, cardiovascular problems and impairment.

A recent study by researchers at the University of California San Diego medicine found that those who had meaning in their lives were healthier and happier which also contributed to better physical and mental well being. Over the last three decades, the meaning of life has emerged as an important question in medical research too, especially in the context of an ageing population. The medical community has recognised that meaning in life is a clinically relevant and potentially modifiable factor that could be targeted to enhance the well-being and functioning of patients.

The study also says that there are two kinds of people. One in which a person considers the path to searching for meaning as the path to meaning itself and the second is the one who desperately tries to find meaning but gives it up out of despair.

In order to help people find meaning in life, Viktor Frankl, who was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist created the Logotherapy concept. ‘Logo’ is a word that comes from the Greek word ‘logos’ which means meaning. The second part of the work ‘therapy’ refers to treating an illness, condition or maladjustment.

Logotherapy is based on the principle that the main motivational force of human beings is to find purpose or meaning in life. Frankl’s experience of life inside the Nazi concentration made him believe that man has the capability of resisting and braving the most terrible conditions.

In 1942, Frankl, his parents, pregnant wife and brother were all arrested and sent to the concentration. They were made to do laborious work and had to undergo untold and severe torture suffering to such an extent that Dir. Frankl almost killed his father by giving him morphine with the intention of relieving his suffering. All of his family members had died by the time he was freed from the concentration camp. He was totally devastated and wanted to give up on his life, but he realized that he had a purpose to live which was to spread awareness about logotherapy. In a matter of nine successive days, Frankl wrote the manuscript for the book which became one of the most influential books of the 20th century called ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’. One major question that Frankl tried to find the answer for was why did some prisoners give up and die while some were able to deal with the inhuman conditions in the camp? He found that those prisoners who had something to live for survived and those who did not have anything to look forward to in the future gave up their lives.

Some of the principles of logotherapy have great importance at an older age. Here we list some of these:

1. One of them is that every situation, however dreadful has some meaning in life. This meaning needs to be discovered by the individual through developing a conscience and understanding our own values. Frankl immediately had decided after he entered the camp that he was not going to die by suicide like others. Because he had a purpose to live, he upheld the dignity of his own life. For Frankl value is something that a person chooses of his own volition and meaning is the actual choices that a person has made.

  2.    He says that meaning could be found in our day to day lives through doing what gives our life meaning and fulfilment. We don’t need anything or anyone to do something special for our lives to have meaning. It can be seen that in old age, seniors suffer from depression, anxiety and a feeling of despair as there is no reason or purpose to live. But as Frankl says finding meaning is up to us and no one can do that for us. For example, Abid Surti took it upon himself to save water by repairing leaking faucets of every home in Mira Road.  

3. Frankl tells us that we need to go beyond ourselves and follow activities beyond the self which is an important message for seniors. Sometimes, we see that seniors are engulfed in their own physical issues about what they are not able to do, rather than what they can do.

4. Frankl thinks how we respond to suffering is up to us. During one of the marches in the concentration camp in the bitter cold with German soldiers beating them at the slightest mistake, a friend mentions to Frankl that he wished their wives could see them. Frankl immediately starts thinking of his wife, the good times they have had together, his love for his wife and his longingness to see her. Through thinking about these things, he completely shuts himself off from the painful situation that he is in. He says that those who have inner riches or a rich intellectual life can retreat from their terrible surroundings and turn their attention towards something deeper which holds meaning for them, and not the camp influences alone.

5. Despite all the pain and suffering that Frankl and other prisoners had to go through, the kind of person they became was the result of an inner decision. Am I going to be bitterly ruminating about difficult times I have had or am I going to reflect on my situation to see what I could learn from it?

Frankl’s theory developed from his own practice and hence logotherapy is something he lived himself. Giving meaning to one’s suffering enables us to not only reflect on it but also can make us compassionate towards other beings.

What are your views on Logotherapy? Do you agree/disagree? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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