The International Forum for Logotherapy, 2002, 25/1, 68-70.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS OF INTEREST
TO LOGOTHERAPISTS
D. J. Matchinsky
Brown, J. M. [Department of Psychology, University of Arkansas, USA], Ashcroft, F. G., & Miller, W. R. (1998). Purpose in life among alcoholics: A comparison of three ethnic groups. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 16(3), 1-11.
-- In this study of alcohol dependent male inpatients from three ethnic backgrounds, American Indians endorsed significantly higher levels on the PIL than either Caucasians or Hispanics. Ethnicity continued to be a strong predictor of PIL when controlling for four alcohol severity covariates.
Coward, D. D. [University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing, Austin, TX USA]. (1998). Facilitation of self-transcendence in a breast cancer support group. Oncology Nursing Forum, 25, 75-84.
-- This pilot study examines the feasibility and patterns of effectiveness of a breast cancer support group designed to facilitate transcendence in order to enhance emotional and physical well-being. The theoretical basis of the support group incorporates Frankl’s description of self-transcendence.
Doerries, L. E. [Department of Psychology, Christopher Newport University, Newport News, Virginia 23606 USA], & Ridley, D. R. (1998). Time sensitivity and purpose in life: Contrasting theoretical perspectives of Myers-Briggs and Victor Frankl. Psychological Reports, 83, 67-71.
-- The relationship between the PIL and time sensitivity as measured by both watch wearing and the Judgers-Perceivers dimension of the Myers-Briggs was examined. Watch-wearing was predictive of PIL scores, but having a specific temperament did not convey added value or meaning to one's life.
Fabry, J. (1998). Common truths with eastern religions. Logotherapy and Existential Analysis, 6(2), 69-75.
-- A brief comparison between pertinent concepts of logotherapy and eastern religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism) is made with the intent of stimulating future research.
Gelman, M. [The Alfred Healthcare Group, Psychiatric Services, Melbourne, Australia]. (1998). On Victor Frankl’s legacy. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 32, 307-308.
-- A brief reflection on the life and work of Frankl is offered with the conclusion that his perspective of addressing, without prescribing, meaning is neglected by the academic psychiatric world.
Gerwood, J. B. [4818 Tamworth Road, Sylvania, OH 43560 USA]. (1998). The legacy of Viktor Frankl: An appreciation upon his death. Psychological Reports, 82, 673-674.
-- Viktor Frankl is eulogized through a description of the assumptions and beliefs that form the basis of logotherapy. The author concludes that Frankl's own life was an example of his philosophy put into action.
Gerwood, J. B. [4818 Tamworth Road, Sylvania, OH 43560 USA]. (1998). The existential vacuum in treating substance related disorders. Psychological Reports, 83, 1394.
-- A brief example of applying Frankl’s concept of the existential vacuum is provided. The author offers ideas for assisting clients with substance related disorders to recognize the need to fill their voids with meaningful activities in place of alcohol and other drugs.
Gerwood, J. B. [4818 Tamworth Road, Sylvania, OH 43560 USA], LeBlanc, M., & Piazza, N. (1998). The Purpose-in-Life Test and religious denomination: Protestant and Catholic scores in an elderly population. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 54, 49-53.
-- In this study of 118 elderly persons, no differences were found between Protestants and Catholics on the PIL. A positive correlation was found between the PIL and an index of spirituality.
Guttmann, D. (1998). [School of Social Work, The University of Haifa, Mt. Carmel, Haifa, Israel]. On wit and humor in logotherapy. Logotherapy and Existential Analysis, 6(2), 9-22.
-- Freud and Frankl’s attitudes and approaches toward humor are explored. The role and responsibility of the therapist in the process of Paradoxical Intention is emphasized using two case examples.
Hassett, A. [North Western Aged Persons Mental Health Program, Sunshine Campus, 176-190 Furlong Road, St. Albans, Victoria 3021, Australia]. (1998). A patient who changed my practice: The lady with a plumber in her roof. International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice, 2, 309-311.
-- The case of a 74-year old female who resisted treatment because her delusional beliefs gave her life some purpose and meaning is presented. The author suggests that psychotic symptoms can serve an adaptive function and their removal may leave a void that patients find difficult to tolerate.
Hudspeth, D., Canada, R. M. [College of Education, Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, Texas 78412 USA], Lim, M. G., & Jennings, G. H. (1998). Purpose in life and teenage pregnancy. Family Therapy, 25, 51-59.
-- In this study no significant differences were found between pregnant and nonpregnant teenagers on the PIL. However, pregnant teens reported fewer life goals.
Lantz, J. [OSU, College of Social Work, 1947 College Road, Columbus, OH 43210 USA]. (1998). Dream reflection in logotherapy: Facilitating the psychotherapeutic process and case studies. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 28, 81-89.
-- Case material is presented to illustrate the use of dream reflection to facilitate the logotherapeutic process of helping a client notice, actualize, and honor the meaning and meaning potentials in his or her life.
Lantz, J. [Ohio State University, College of Social Work, 1947 College Road, Columbus, OH 43210 USA]. (1998). Recollection in existential psychotherapy with older adults. Journal of Clinical Geropsychology, 4, 45-53.
-- This article describes the logotherapeutic process and potential benefits of recollection. Case examples of older adults are used to illustrate the use of art, poetry, dream reflection, and photographs to help clients remember and honor meanings they have previously actualized and deposited in the past.
Lantz, J. [Ohio State University, College of Social Work, 1947 College Road, Columbus, OH 43210 USA]. (1998). Viktor Frankl's existential unconscious in marital and family psychotherapy. Journal of Family Psychotherapy, 9(4), 33-44.
-- An argument is presented for the importance of awareness and insight in creating family change. Family Existenzanalyse involves the awareness dynamics of noticing, actualizing, and honoring, which are facilitated by the treatment elements of human meeting, dynamic Socratic reflection, and existential Socratic reflection.
The International Forum for Logotherapy, 2002, 25/2, 126-128.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS OF INTEREST
TO LOGOTHERAPISTS
D. J. Matchinsky
Lantz, J. [Ohio State University, College of Social Work, 1947 College Road, Columbus, OH 43210 USA], & Ahern, R. (1998). Re-collection in existential psychotherapy with couples and families dealing with death. Contemporary Family Therapy: An International Journal, 20, 47-57.
-- Case material is used to illustrate and describe the existential therapy process of re-collection with families who are dealing with the death of a loved one. The family is helped to remember and honor meanings that family members have previously actualized and deposited in the past, "shrinking" the family meaning vacuum.
Lieban-Kalmar, V. (1998). Logotherapy: A way to help the learning disabled help themselves. Logotherapy and Existential Analysis, 6(2), 57-63.
-- The four-step logotherapeutic process [1) gaining distance from symptoms, 2) changing attitudes, 3) reducing symptoms, and 4) searching for meaning] is reviewed for teaching learning disabled adolescents.
Mickley, J. R. [375 Henderson Hall, School of Nursing, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242-0001 USA], Pargament, K. I., Brant, C. R., & Hipp, K. M. (1998). God and the search for meaning among hospice caregivers. Hospice Journal, 13(4), 1-17.
-- In this article, religious and nonreligious appraisals of caregiving for hospice patients and the relationship between these appraisals with situational outcomes, mental health outcomes, and spiritual health outcomes in the caregivers are examined.
Ososkie, J. N. [Department of Human Services, Gunter Hall, Room #1250, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO 80639 USA]. (1998). Existential perspectives in rehabilitation counseling. Rehabilitation Education, 12, 217-222.
-- This article explores the applicability of logotherapeutic processes to rehabilitation counseling. A discussion of existential rehabilitation counselor supervision is also presented.
Pickett, M., Cooley, M. E., & Gordon, D. B. [University of Pennsylvania school of Nursing, 420 Guardian Dr., Philadelphia, PA 19194-6096 USA]. (1998). Palliative care: Past, present, and future perspectives. Seminars in Oncology Nursing, 14(2), 86-94.
-- Spirituality is recognized as an important dimension of the quality of life model proposed for palliative care. The PIL is listed as a possible quality of life measure.
Scherler, H. R. [Levent Manolyali sok. 24, 80620 Istanbul, Turkey], Lajunen, T., & Gulgoz, S. (1998). A comparison study of Finish and Turkish university students on the Existential Scale. Logotherapy and Existential Analysis, 6(2), 30-43.
-- Existential Scale scores correlated positively with the Self Esteem Scale and negatively with the Neuroticism Scale for both Finnish and Turkish university students. Cross-cultural differences were found on the factor structure of the Existential Scale.
Sink, C. A [Seattle Pacific University, School of Education, Seattle, WA 98119 USA], vanKeppel, J., & Purcell, M. (1998). Reliability estimates of the Purpose in Life and Seeking Noetic Goals tests with rural and metropolitan-area adolescents. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 86, 362.
-- The PIL and Seeking Noetic Goals tests were administered to 198 rural and 659 urban high school students. Test-retest and internal consistency results were adequate and consistent with past studies using adult clinical samples.
Washburn, E. R. [El Dorado Pediatric Medial Group, Inc., Placerville, CA USA]. (1998, July-August). The physician leader as logotherapist. The Physician Executive, 34-39.
-- The emptiness of postmodernism and its hold on American medicine is described. The author explores Frankl’s logotherapy and argues for the need for physicians to discover the Will to Meaning in their lives and profession.
Wurm, C. S. E. (1998). [Sera House, 33 Dequetteville Terrace, Kent Town, SA 5067, Australia]. Empirical research and the noetic dimension. Logotherapy and Existential Analysis, 6(2), 23-29.
--The author argues that spiritual/existential variables should be indirectly measured through tools like the PIL and the Existential Scale. The uses and limits of empirical research and the importance of considering philosophy are examined. It is concluded that psychotherapists consider the origins of their roles and reflect on the parallels with philosophy and ministry.
Young, J. S. [Department of Counselor Education and Educational Psychology, P.O. Box 9227, Mississippi State, MS 39762 USA], Cashwell, C. S., Woolington, V. J. (1998). The relationship of spirituality to cognitive and moral development and purpose in life: An exploratory investigation. Counseling and Values, 43, 63-69.
-- This study explores the relationships among spirituality, cognitive and moral development, and existential sense of meaning among undergraduates. No relationship was found between spirituality and cognitive development, but spirituality was positively related to both the PIL and moral development.