Viktor Frankl, the founder of logotherapy, was once asked by an American physician what the difference between psychoanalysis and logotherapy was – in a single sentence. Realizing how impossible it was to answer such a complex question in one sentence, Frankl replied that he would tell him, but only if the doctor first told him, in one sentence, what the essence of psychoanalysis was. The doctor then replied: “During psychoanalysis, the patient has to lie on a couch and tell you things that are sometimes very unpleasant to say.” Viktor Frankl’s reply was: “You see, in logotherapy a person may remain seated, but must hear things that are sometimes very unpleasant to hear.” Frankl then continues:
“Logotherapy departs from psychoanalysis to the extent that it regards the human being as a creature whose primary concern consists rather in the fulfillment of meaning than in the mere gratification and satisfaction of drives and instincts, or in the reconciliation of the conflicting demands of the id, ego, and superego, or in adaptation and adjustment to society and the environment.”
— Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning
For people who are not professionally engaged in psychotherapy, the quotations above may not make much sense, but for me they mean a great deal. Perhaps it may also be important for you to know that different psychotherapies can view human nature so differently, and that from these different views follow entirely different methods of treatment. And perhaps, like me, you may come to find that what is more important than adaptation to the outer world is precisely the opposite – to find your meaning in life and to try to realize it, even if this is exactly the opposite of adaptation to society and in conflict with the satisfaction of some of your needs.
This is the advantage of knowing what our primary concern is – in the case of an inner conflict between our different desires, we will be able to resolve it more easily.
Kameliya
