Publication details
The possibility of use of logotherapy in social work
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2005 |
| Type | Article in Proceedings |
| Conference | Actual issues of social work |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Psychology |
| Keywords | logotherapy; existential analysis; social work |
| Description | The following article is discussing the use of logotherapy, developed by V. E. Frankl as a humanistic and existentialist branch of psychotherapy in social work. Logotherapy is generally used in psychotherapy to heal the so called noogene neurosis first described by V. E. Frankl in unemployed young people at the beginning of the 20th century. Logotherapists see a connection between the occurance of the noogene neurosis and the free time, a new phenomenon in the 20. century, connected to changes in society and work conditions of people. The underlying thesis of this article is that, through using prismatic spectacles of social ecological theory, logotherapy can be used in social work. I would like to show that logotherapy has a potential for being used not only by psychotherapists, but also in social work. The main body of thus defined social work is understood as a person in environment in H. Bartletts tradition and social ecological theory in social work, see C. Germain). By definition of logotherapy I will show how the basic principles of logotherapy are topical and useful for application by a social worker (specialist) in todays society. After Bartlett, the concept of life situation, looks like this: person interaction environment demands and expectation. This concept is actually a complex of all individual and collective factors which cause that a person is or is not capable of social functioning. Social functioning means living more or less independently in an environment as e.g. a member of a minority, as an unemployed person, as a mother with children, as a drug-addicted young person and so on. After Bartlett is the theory is concerned with 1.problems connected to developmental cycles of a man (see f. e. E. Erikson); 2.problems connected to the use and influence of environment (relations in a broader family, unemployment process); 3.problems among family members or another group which is no more able to cope with the demands of the environment. The ecological model means focus on interactions and contacts of individuals or an environment, which means biological, sociological, psychological and spiritual dimension. The mutual dynamics of contacts, reciprocity and transformation is assumed, but so are conflicts. The key concept is the social position. Within this, mutual contacts of an individual and environment, possible sanctions, etc. are defined. |