The International Forum for Logotherapy

Barbona, N. [Attilio Ambrosini 129, 1-00147 Rome, Italy]. (1997). Logotherapeutic interventions, the course of illness and immunology in HIV patients. Journal des Viktor-Frankl-Institutes, 5(2), 15-31.

-- The effect of self-transcendence on immune system functioning is examined in an HIV-positive population. This 3-year study shows a positive correlation between the development of a sense of meaning through logotherapy and improved immune system performance.

Brabant, S. [Department of Sociology, University of Southwestern Louisiana, Lafayette, LA USA], Forsyth, C., & McFarlain, G. (1997). The impact of the death of a child on meaning and purpose in life. Journal of Personal and Interpersonal Loss , 2, 255-266.

-- The ability of bereaved parents to find meaning and purpose in life through offering help to others, changing value focus, and endurance of suffering is explored. Case studies provide illustrative support for the emergence of these three change-related factors. Discussion centers around Frankl's tenets of meaning and purpose.

Byrd, E. [Department of Counseling and Counseling Psychology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL USA]. (1997). Concepts related to inclusion of the spiritual component in services to persons with disability and chronic illness. Journal of Applied Rehabilitation Counseling, 28(4), 26-29.

-- Existing literature related to the benefits of including constructs such as logotherapy, bibliotherapy, meditation, religion, and spirituality in rehabilitation counseling are reviewed.

Carr, D. [Department of Sociology, The University of Michigan, 3521 LS&A Building, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1382 USA]. (1997). The fulfillment of career dreams at midlife: Does it matter for women's mental health? Journal of Health and Social Behavior , 38, 331-344.

-- This study assesses the presence of depression and the subjective perception of life-purpose in 3,499 middle-aged, females. Those not fulfilling early career goals demonstrate higher levels of depression and lower levels of life-purpose than those attaining their goals. Surpassing previously stated goals does not further enhance mental health.

Courtenay, B. [Department of Adult Education, University of Georgia, Athens, GA USA], & Truluck, J. (1997). The meaning of life and older learners: Addressing the fundamental issue through critical thinking and teaching. Educational Gerontology , 23, 175-195.

-- This article examines the development of educational programs for older adults who are interested in meaning in life issues. Frankl's tenets form a basis for the proposal that within this population, fundamental "meaning making" occurs when it becomes necessary to face experiences that challenge existing assumptions about the world and force the development of new meaning paradigms.

De Vries, M. [The Helen Dowling Institute for Biopsychosocial Medicine, P. O. Box 25309, 3001 HH Rotterdam, The Netherlands], Schilder, J., Mulder, C., Vrancken, A., Remie, M., & Garssen, B. (1997). Phase II study of psychotherapeutic intervention in advanced cancer. Psycho-Oncology, 6, 129-137.

-- This study investigates the effects of a combined experiential-existential counseling on the progression of advanced cancer. PIL scores are found to be the only identifiable change between pre- and post-treatment assessments. Better outcome is, in part, defined as an increase in subjective meaning in life.

Farran, C. [Rush University College of Nursing and Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612 USA]. (1997). Theoretical perspectives concerning positive aspects of caring for elderly persons with dementia: Stress/adaptation and Existentialism. Gerontologist, 37, 250-256.

-- This article suggests that the historic stress/adaptation model does not fully explain how some caregivers manage to do well under difficult circumstances. It proposes the addition of an existential paradigm as a means of extending the scope of the current model. Areas where these two paradigms overlap, areas of difference, and the discovery and creation of meaning through difficult life experiences are examined.

Farran, C. [1743 West Harrison, SSH 301, Chicago, IL 60612 USA], Miller, B., Kaufman, J., & Davis, L. (1997). Race, finding meaning, and caregiver distress. Journal of Aging and Health, 9, 316-333.

-- The constructs of provisional meaning (day to day events that provide sense of purpose) and ultimate meaning (perception of greater purpose associated with a philosophical or spiritual power) are examined with regard to their relationships to race, outcome of depression, and global role-strain under care-giving conditions. The organization of this study, in part, is based upon Frankl's philosophies of choice, values, responsibility, and capacity to find meaning.

Grace, R. [Counseling Center, Blow Memorial Hall, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795 USA], & Hardy, C. (1997). Individual values and the team building process. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 9, 41-60.

-- A value-centered model for team building is presented. Central features of the model include: (a) increasing awareness of individual team members' values, (b) increasing understanding of the team's values, (c) identifying factors that affect team cohesion, and (d) developing strategies that improve team respect and cohesion. The Life Values Inventory is the utilized assessment instrument.

Guttmann, D. [School of Social Work, University of Haifa, Mt. Carmel, Israel 31905]. (1997). "Homo elector" and "homo patiens": Fate, choice, suffering, and meaning in the works of Szondi and Frankl. Journal des Viktor-Frankl-Instituts, 5(1), 66-81.

-- The author compares and contrasts the philosophies of Frankl and Szondi with regard to their beliefs about the mechanisms of psychological change.

Guttmann, D. [School of Social Work, University of Haifa, Mt. Carmel, Israel 31905]. (1997). Logotherapeutic and Schicksals-analytic approaches to disability and to change, and their relevance for social work with the disabled. Journal des Viktor-Frankl-Instituts, 5(2), 48-65.

-- The motivational difficulties associated with burnout in the profession of social work are examined. The value of attaining spiritual renewal through the framework of "forced fate" and "selected fate" is illustrated by case histories.

Hutzell, R. [VA Medical Center, Knoxville, IA 50138 USA], Halverson, S., Burke, T., Carpenter, B., Hecke, A., Wooldridge, H., Stanley, C., Chambers, T., & Hooper, R. (1997). A multimodal, second generation, posttraumatic stress disorder rehabilitation program. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 10, 109-116.

-- A PTSD treatment program designed to increase the adaptation skills of Vietnam combat veterans is discussed. Guiding principles for the program are outlined, as are treatment phases and treatment module topics. Focus on the clarification of meaning and purpose in life is one of eight week-long program components.

The International Forum for Logotherapy

Jerotic, V. [Pastoral Psychology, School of Teology, Belgrade]. (1997). The role of religion in rehabilitation of psychiatric patients. Psihijat, 29, 279-285.

-- The value of incorporating a spiritual/religious component in psychiatric rehabilitation programs is discussed. Frankl's construct of will to meaning is viewed as a beneficial addition to traditional rehabilitation frameworks.

Kalmar, S. S. (1997). About guilt and guilt feelings. Journal des Viktor-Frankl-Instituts, 5(1), 1O1-108.

-- This article examines Frankl's definition of guilt and the importance of it being appropriately defined as a logotherapeutic construct. The related views of Freud, Adler, Jung, Erikson, and May are also compared and contrasted to those of Frankl.

Krasko, G. L. [10C Presidential Drive, Greenville, DE 19807-3250 USA]. (1997). Victor Frankl against Sigmund Freud. Journal des Viktor-Frankl-Instituts, 5(1) , 82-100.

-- In this paper, passages from This Unbearable Boredom of Being - A Crisis in American Culture and Education provide a sketch of Frankl's life and capture the essence of many of his philosophies as they relate to the modern-day American lifestyle.

Lantz, J. [The Ohio State University College of Social Work, 1947 College Road, Columbus, OH 43210 USA]. (1997). Poetry in existential psychotherapy with couples and families. Contemporary Family Therapy, 19, 371-381.

-- This article outlines three types of therapeutic poems and suggests ways that poetry can be used to address therapeutic issues and effect positive change. It is suggested that the use of poetry in existential psycho-therapy can facilitate the recognition of meaning potentials in the future, can increase the use of meaning potentials in the present, and can enhance the meaning of actualized events from the past.

Lewis, A. [School of Behavioural and Communication Sciences, University of Ulster at Magee College, Londonderry BT487JL, Northern Ireland], Lanigan, C., Joseph, S., & de Fockert, J. (1997). Religiosity and happiness: No evidence for an association among undergraduates. Personality and Individual Differences , 22, 119-121.

-- Utilizing the Satisfaction with Life Scale and the PIL test (among others), these researchers do not find an association between religiosity and subjective happiness within an undergraduate population.

Marseille, J. [Abtei Konigsmunster, Klostertberg 11, 59872 Meschede, Germany]. (1997). The spiritual dimension in logotherapy: Viktor Frankl's contribution to transpersonal psychology. The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology , 29, 1-12.

-- The similarities and differences between transpersonal psychology and logotherapy are discussed, as are the systems of Frankl, Maslow, and Wilbur.

Newhouse, C. J, (1997). Meaning: An outward search. Journal des Viktor-Frankl-Instituts, 5 (2), 91-105.

-- The author discusses (a) his personal growth within a logotherapy framework, (b) the struggle for meaning in American culture, and (c) the implications of both an inward and an outward search for meaning.

Opoczynska, M. (Uniwersytet Jagiellonski, Zaklad Psychologii Ogolnej, ul. Golebia 13, PL-31-007 Krakau, Poland]. (1997). Identity crisis in schizophrenia and the ways of overcoming it. Journal des Viktor-Frankl-Instituts, 5(2), 81-90.

-- This article examines the difficulties associated with identity formation and identity maintenance in persons suffering from schizophrenia. As a result of reviewing 30 case studies, the author concludes that religious beliefs and the conceptualization of reality are instrumental in both an acceptance of the disease and in its integration into one's "life story."

Prager, E. [Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Israel]. (1997). Sources of personal meaning for older and younger Australian and Israeli women: Profiles and comparisons. Ageing and Society, 17, 167-189.

-- Utilizing the Sources of Meaning Profile, this study identifies life-meanings most (and least) important to 372 Australian and Israeli women. Age-differentiated groups are found to be similar in their attribution of meaning. Age-matched groups are found to be similar across nationalities in their meaning potentials.

Project MATCH Research Group [Scientific Communications Branch, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Willco Building, Suite 409, 6000 Executive Blvd., Bethesda, MD 20892-7003 USA]. (1997). Matching alcoholism treatments to client heterogeneity; Project MATCH posttreatment drinking outcomes. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 58, 7-29.

-- The benefits of matching alcohol dependent clients to treatments consistent with their internal attributes are explored in this study. The PIL and SONG tests are used to assess the construct of meaning-seeking. Clients having higher meaning-seeking attributes are more responsive to a 12-step program during the latter half of their treatment period than to other available treatments.

Van Ranst, N. [Centre for Developmental Psychology, University of Louvain (K. U. Leuven), Tiensestraat 102, 8-3000 Leuven, Belgium], & Marcoen, A. (1997). Meaning in life of young and elderly adults: An examination of the factorial validity and invariance of the Life Regard Index. Personality and Individual Differences , 22, 877-884.

-- In this study, the Life Regard Index is used to assess differences in perceived meaning in life between young and elderly adults. It is found that young adults experience less life-meaning than the elderly. Potential limitations in the use of the LRI are presented.

Shek, D. [Department of Social Work, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong]. (1997). Family environment and adolescent psychological well-being, school adjustment, and problem behavior: A pioneer study in a Chinese context. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 158, 113-128.

-- This study examines the association between family environment (parenting style, family functioning, conflict) and (a) the psychological well-being (purpose in life, life satisfaction, self esteem, hopelessness, psychiatric symptomatology), (b) school performance (academic, conduct), and (c) problem behavior (smoking, drug abuse) of 365 Chinese secondary school students. Findings suggest that family factors are linked to positive perceptions of purpose in life, life satisfaction, hope, and self-esteem.