The International Forum for Logotherapy, 2006, 29, 122-127.
RECENT
PUBLICATIONS OF INTEREST TO LOGOTHERAPISTS
Kwoneathia
R. Hill
Amanda M. A.
Melton
Arman, M. [Centralvagen 5, S-153 71 Holo, Sweden],
Rehnsfeldt, A., Lindholm, L., & Hamrin, E. (2002). The face of suffering among women with breast cancer –
Being in a field of forces. Cancer Nursing, 25,
96-103.
-- A
qualitative study of the suffering experiences of 17 women with breast cancer
and 16 of their significant others suggested one overarching theme and five subthemes. The overarching theme was that suffering
includes the phases of insight, growing, power, emptiness, changes, and
adjustments. With regard to suffering subthemes,
several examples were noted, including the idea that
suffering may facilitate questions about meaning and foster a search for
answers and meaning in suffering.
Boeije,
H. R. [Department of Methodology and Statistics, Faculty of Social Sciences,
Utrecht University, P. O. Box 80140, 3508 TC Utrecht, Netherlands], Duijnstee, M. S. H., Grypdonck,
M. H. F., & Pool, A. (2002). Encountering the downward
phase: Biographical work in people with multiple sclerosis living at home.
Social Science and Medicine, 55, 881-893.
-- A
qualitative study of how 22 people in later stages of multiple sclerosis
adjusted to their lives suggested that individuals who
accepted the illness as a part of their lives, but not as a dictator of their
lives, were able to find new meaning in life and seemed to have the will to
continue with life. People who did not accept the illness, or people who denied
the illness, were not able to find direction for their lives.
Bonnin,
R. [University of
-- In
light of immigrants in
Bowes, D. E.
[Queen Elizabeth Health Sciences Centre, Post RN Programs, Rm. 235 Bethune
Building, 1278 Tower Road, Halifax, NS, B3H 2Y9], Tamlyn,
D., & Butler, L. J. (2002). Women living with ovarian cancer: Dealing
with an early death. Health Care for Women International, 23,
135-148.
--
As part of a study that interviewed nine women with ovarian cancer, it was
found that the women addressed their health concerns by finding life meaning,
which consisted of self-reflecting, life re-evaluation, and the establishment
of short-term goals. Women who had hope and a sense of physical wellness (e.g.,
ability to do daily living activities, having relief or control of physical
symptoms of chemotherapy or cancer) found it easier to discover meaning.
Physical wellness gave them energy and a sense that they were defeating cancer.
Strategies used to find meaning included sharing their stories with others with
ovarian cancer, depending on family support, expressing emotions (crying,
laughing), and for some, turning toward religion. Despair results when meaning
is not found, whereas personally perceived life satisfaction is the outcome
when meaning is found.
Durbin, P.
G. [
-- The
author suggests that Alfred Adler’s counseling techniques and concepts of
inferiority feeling, organ inferiority, inferiority
complex, superiority complex, personality, mirror technique, fictional
fatalism, and family constellation are useful to hypnotherapists.
For example, Adler’s mirror technique can be utilized to help people change
their views on life. Similarly, the author suggests that Viktor Frankl’s counseling techniques and concepts of meaning of
life, freedom of will, will to meaning, anticipatory anxiety, and paradoxical
intention are useful to hypnotherapists. For example,
Frankl’s influence is reflected in hypnotherapy in
that hypnosis can involve individuals searching within themselves (via hypnotic
trance) to find a way to deal with traumatic situations. Additionally, Frankl’s paradoxical intention is used by hypnotherapists but is called desensitisation
and circle therapy.
Edmands,
M. S. [University of Massachusetts – Lowell, Department of Nursing, 3
Solomont Way, Suite 2, Lowell, MA 01854-5126, USA] ,
& Marcellino-Boisvert, D. (2002). Reflections
on a rose: A story of loss and longing. Issues in Mental Health Nursing,
23, 107-119.
-- A
case study of a woman presenting to therapy with anxiety and depression is described . Through the course of therapy, she
confronts the issue of her father’s death. He died of a ruptured appendix. Living with
extended family at the time, s he did not have the opportunity to say goodbye
to her father . Burdened with unresolved grief, she
dated a series of men who, one way or another , abandoned
her. Therapy stressed the importance of grieving and finding meaning, which she
did by writing poetry, and becoming a director of AIDS care services and coordinator
of Volunteers for Project AIDS.
Gallagher,
E. B. [Department of Behavioral Science, College of Medicine Office
Building, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536-0086 , USA] ,
Wadsworth, A. L., & Stratton, T. D. (2002). Commentary: Religion, spirituality,
and mental health. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 190,
697-704.
--
Religion and spirituality are motivating forces that the authors suggest should
be used in psychotherapy.Four platforms for doing
this are offered: 1) Meaning in Life, 2) Neurotheology,
3) Spiritual Healing, and 4) the Seriously Ill Patient in a Clinical Setting.With regard to Meaning in Life, the
authors make a distinction between psychosocial/sociocultural
spirituality and existential spirituality : while the former indicates a
search for identity, the latter suggests the client is searching for ultimate
meaning. Neurotheology refers to the study of brain
changes following religious or spiritual activities .
Spiritual Healing emphasizes the natural resources of the
client and the healer to form a collaborative healing alliance. Finally,
m any debates are considered with regard to the role of religiosity and
spirituality in a medical setting.
Gill,
J. J. [deceased]. (2002). Looking for meaning in
suffering. Human Development, 23, 3-4.
-- The
author states it is important for pastoral counselors, spiritual directors,
educators, and parents to impart to their parishioners, clients, students, and
children the wisdom contained in an apostolic letter entitled “On the Christian
Meaning of Human Suffering” by Pope John Paul II. This is considered in
relation to the human loss and suffering endured on
Halama,
P. [
-- A
three-component theory of meaning in life is discussed: one proposed by Reker and Wong (1988) that includes cognitive,
motivational, and affective components. A variety of logotherapy-relevant measures were used to tap the three
components. Structural equation modeling using maximum likelihood
estimation was conducted on responses from 168 university students in
Hodges, S.
[Department of Counseling, Niagara University, P. O. Box 2042, New York, NY
14109-2042, USA]. (2002). Mental health, depression, and
dimensions of spirituality and religion. Journal of Adult
Development, 9, 109-115.
--
Spirituality, especially participation in a faith community, is discussed with
respect to its ability to help manage depression. The first section of the
article clarifies what is meant by “spirituality,” “religion,” and “spiritual
well-being.” Westgate’s (1996) model of spiritual well-being (including meaning
in life, intrinsic values, transcendence, and the community of shared values
and community support) is used as a framework from which to compare
spirituality to well-being and depression in the second section. Mental
health and educational considerations are offered. Spiritually active people who
find meaning in life , have transcendent goals , and
are actively involved in their communities are considered to be emotionally
healthy.
Johnson, P.
[Department of Breast Medical Oncology, University of
--
As part of a descriptive pilot study involving nine cancer survivors, it was
suggested that humor helped them to search for meaning, and also helped them
recognize that they needed to have purpose to survive. One thing that brought
the survivors a great sense of purpose and meaning in their lives was to help
others.
Kahana,
E. [Department of Sociology, 226 Mather Memorial
Building, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH
44106-9823, USA], Lawrence, R. H., Kahana, B., Kercher, K., Wisniewski, A., Stoller,
E., et al. (2002). Long-term impact of preventive proactivity on quality of life of the old-old. Psychosomatic
Medicine, 64, 382-394.
--
This study reported on the effects of healthy behaviors on quality of life at
eighth year follow-up using data from an ongoing longitudinal study on the
aging of 1000 older adults from retirement communities. A subsample
of 357 Caucasian older adults was examined. Significant increases in negative
affect and decreases in positive affect from baseline (year 1) to the eighth
year follow-up (year 9) were found. More exercise was significantly related to
more positive affect and a greater sense of life goals, even after controlling
for baseline health conditions. Significant relationships were found between
more exercise and a greater sense of life meaning, and between older adults who
once smoked and greater negative affect; however, these two relationships did
not remain significant after controlling for baseline health conditions.
Kissman,
K. [Norfolk State University, School of Social Work, 700 Park Avenue, Norfolk,
VA 23504, USA], & Maurer, L. (2002). East meets west: Therapeutic
aspects of spirituality in health, mental health and addiction recovery. International
Social Work, 45, 35-43.
--
In addition to religion and religious beliefs, spirituality refers to personal
experiences and beliefs. This literature review suggested that spirituality can
promote healing (e.g., recovery from physical health and mental health
problems). The spiritual aspects of healing include connecting with a higher
power and/or connecting with others (e.g., support groups, prayer, meditation). Other spiritual aspects of healing include
increasing spiritual awareness, having faith, and finding meaning in life’s
experiences.
Kulik,
A. [Department
of Clinical Psychology of Children and Youth, Catholic University of Lublin, Al. Raclawickie
14, 20-950, Lublin, Poland] ,
& Szewczyk, L. (2002). Sense
of meaning of life and the emotional reaction among young people pursuing
different types of meditation. Studia
Psychologica, 44, 155-166.
--
Groups of adolescents utilizing two different types of meditation (Christian
and Oriental) were compared on several measures, including the Purpose in Life
test, the Hostility-Guilt Inventory, the Hopelessness Scale, and the IPAT
Anxiety Scale. Christian meditation consisted mainly of prayer. Oriental meditation
was comprised of persons who attended the
Lawler,
K. A. [
--
As part of a study on the effects of religion and spirituality (as a means of
life purpose and meaning) on the psychological and physical health of a
community sample of 80 adult participants, higher spirituality was generally
related to lower diastolic blood pressure (DBP), lower mean arterial pressure
(MAP), fewer symptoms of illness, less use of medications (e.g.,
anti-depressants, pain medication), less negative mood, and less stress and
greater recovery from stress. Spirituality was positively associated with
religious affiliation and frequent worship. Individuals with religious
affiliations had lower MAP at rest, and individuals who frequently worshipped
had lower DBP and MAP at rest.
Lukas,
E. [South German Institute of Logotherapy,
-- Logotherapy as theory and technique is reviewed. The basic
assumptions of logotherapy include: 1)
Freedom of the will (one chooses one’s reactions to situations), 2) Will to
meaning (people are motivated to find meaning), and 3) Meaning
in life (life has meaning under all circumstances). The history
of logotherapy is discussed , with
additional emphasis on the contributions of prominent logotherapists. The theoretical foundations of logotherapy
are outlined (humans are comprised of somatic, psychological, and
spiritual dimensions ).Focus is
also placed on applications and techniques, such as Socratic
dialogue, attitudinal change, paradoxical intention ,
and dereflection.
MacDonald,
D. A. [Department of Psychology, University of Detroit Mercy , P.O.
Box 19900, 8200 West Outer Drive, Detroit, MI 48219-0900 , USA] , &
Holland, D. (2002). Spirituality and boredom proneness.
Personality and Individual Differences, 32, 1113-1119.
--
Standard regression analyses were conducted separately on responses of male and
female undergraduate students ( 214 women; 82 m en
) to
the Expressions of Spirituality Inventory (ESI) and the Boredom Proneness Scale
(BPS). Overall, the five ESI dimensions of Cognitive Orientation Towards
Spirituality, Experiential/Phenomenological, Existential Well-Being, Paranormal
Beliefs, and Religiousness significantly predicted BPS scores [F(5,76) = 9.60, p < 0.01
for men; F(5,208) = 22.20, p < 0.01 for women]. S cores on the ESI Existential Well-Being dimension
accounted for the majority of the variance in this relationship for both genders .
KWONEATHIA
R. HILL [khill1@olemiss.edu] and AMANDA M. A. MELTON
[amadamso@olemiss.edu] are graduate student s in the
Clinical Psychology Training Program in the Department of Psychology at The