Frank

1905-1997, Austrian psychologist and psychiatrist, founder of the third Vienna school of psychotherapy - logotherapy and existential analysis.

Frank's contribution to psychology mainly lies in the logotherapy theory he created based on his own experience. The so-called logotherapy refers to helping patients understand the meaning of their lives from life, so as to change their outlook on life, face reality, live positively and optimistically, and strive to pursue life or the meaning of life.

Logotherapy is essentially an existential analysis method. It is different from psychoanalysis in that it looks at human problems from a broader perspective, explores life in depth, and analyzes life problems through The diagnosis gives the treatment object the meaning of living. The theoretical basis of logotherapy is a philosophy of life, which consists of three interconnected basic beliefs, namely the freedom of the will, the will to pursue meaning and the understanding of the meaning of life.

In terms of treating the meaning of life, Frank gave four key points: concept of human nature, freedom, responsibility and self-transcendence. View of human nature - there are three levels of human existence, namely physical, mental and spiritual, among which the spiritual level is the highest. Freedom - Although people are not free from various biological, psychological or social constraints in life, they still retain the freedom of choice in the face of these restrictions, and they still have the freedom to choose good. Responsibility - Man's first responsibility is his conscience. Man is free, but responsibility is greater than freedom. Man has a responsibility to realize the unique meaning of his or her life, in addition to being responsible for something else, whether it is society, others, or oneself. Self-transcendence - The characteristic of human existence is self-transcendence, not self-realization. The characteristic of human beings is "the pursuit of meaning" rather than "the pursuit of oneself." The true meaning of life must be found in the world and obtained by exploring the meaning itself.

Frank pointed out from the phenomenon analysis of human behavioral experience that the meaning of life will change, and pointed out that ordinary people can obtain the meaning of life by realizing the following three values:

Creation Value - the realization of personal value through a certain type of activity, that is, the path to merit or achievement, that is, the meaning of work. For example: discover the meaning of life through personal work, hobbies, sports, service, self-effort or contribution, relationships established with others, etc. Experiential value - realized through acceptance and feeling of the world, that is, discovering the meaning of life through experiencing something or someone (love). Such as: appreciating works of art, embracing nature, talking to people, experiencing the feeling of love, etc. Attitude value - refers to the attitude an individual decides to adopt when faced with an unchangeable fate (guilt, death or painful persecution). This value is the meaning of suffering and is the highest value of human existence. Such as: personal life beliefs or values, outlook on life, etc.

Frank believes that the most primitive motivational force of human beings is the will to pursue meaning. When a person feels that his life is meaningless, his behavior loses basis and he is subject to the "emptiness of existence". Troubles, this is what logotherapy means by "existential frustrations." People in this situation (referring to people who feel that life is meaningless or have lost the confidence or motivation to live) can find or recover their life goals with the help of logotherapy or self-exploration. After a person has a goal in life, he will feel that life is meaningful, and he himself will be saved.

Regarding life or life, Frank understands it this way:

1. If a person can accept fate and all the pain attached to it, and shoulder his own cross, then even if he is in Even in the harshest environment, there are still ample opportunities to deepen the meaning of his life and retain the qualities of perseverance, dignity, and selflessness. Otherwise, in the cruel struggle to protect himself, he may forget his human dignity and the fundamentals of being a human being, and become no different from an animal.

2. What really matters is not what we expect from life, but what life expects from us. We should not continue to ask about the meaning of life, but should recognize that we are accepting the questioning of life all the time. Faced with this questioning, we cannot answer with words and meditation, but with correct actions and deeds.

In the end, we will eventually discover that the ultimate meaning of life lies in exploring the correct answers to life's questions and completing the mission that life continues to assign to everyone.

3. Man is an individual, a unit of his own, because man cannot be divided. Man is not just an individual, he is a whole.

4. Everyone is an absolutely new individual. Two people exist in the world and can be very close spiritually, but they cannot merge.

5. Human beings are spiritual and dynamic beings. Every moment of human existence presents an opportunity to make a decision, which involves the freedom to make decisions and the corresponding responsibility. People are still self-guided, and their spirituality and dynamics are above the superego. Not all people are driven by instinct, but they are more guided by themselves. Because of this, people can love and be loved by other people, understand and care for each other instead of using and manipulating people like things. Man is still dynamic. He is not always in a balanced and stable state. He always strives from the current situation towards an ideal state.

6. We cannot decide what our conscience tells us. We can only decide how to respond and act on our conscience.

7. People can only understand themselves when they transcend themselves. The reason why people are human is that they can transcend their own limitations and make their existence full of meaning.

In his famous book "Man's Search for Meaning", Frank talked about his personal experience in a concentration camp: he and a group of prisoners were forced by the Nazis to trek to a certain place to lay railroad tracks. One of the prisoners mentioned Not knowing the fate of their wives made him think of his own newlywed wife. At that moment he realized that although he did not know the whereabouts of his wife, she "existed" in his heart.

So he wrote these words: "Human beings can be saved through love. I understand that a person who has nothing in this world can still taste the joy of thinking about the person he loves. Or a feeling of happiness that appears, even if it is a very brief moment. ”