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Article Excerpt
This paper examines some ways that logotherapy (Frankl, 1984) can be used with older adolescents struggling with depression. The focus of treatment is on the adolescent's initiating and sustaining a search for meaning.
According to Erikson (1968), the major crisis of adolescence is a search for a consistent identity that includes identification of and adherence to the values and behaviors associated with that identity. Developing this identity is difficult, as youth are often faced with environmental struggles such as poor education, poverty, parental abuse, and conflicting demands from their caregivers and peers. While attempting to cope, adolescents often vent their frustrations by acting out or, conversely, they try to maintain a semblance of personal control by holding their emotions in check. To handle conflicting demands, teenagers often distance themselves from caregivers and conform to the demands of their peer group (Pellebon & Anderson, 1999). Typically, when referred for counseling, adolescents initially display defiance, hostility, or other resistant behavior (Hanna, Hanna, & Keys, 1999). Nonetheless, despite the facade of resistance and being in control, adolescents often feel confused and conflicted about what they should be doing and whom they can trust.
The feeling of being lost among conflicting demands is especially true among youth who have not yet developed a clear sense of their own identities. These youth recurrently conform to the values of their peers, even when these values are in opposition to their own personal beliefs (Pellebon & Anderson, 1999). As a consequence of acting outside of their own value system, even when they are not fully aware of what that value system entails, these youth often feel in conflict with themselves and frequently manifest symptoms of depression or other mental health problems However, as they are given the opportunity to discuss and clarify their values and goals, they gain self-awareness and a clearer sense of identity. As their identity develops, they are better able to resist peer pressure by identifying and adhering to a personal value system, with the result being that their depressive symptoms lessen (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 1997).
Because of the seriousness of adolescent depression, Kutcher (1997) posits that "it is important that effective treatment be delivered quickly and efficiently to those teenagers suffering from a major depressive disorder" (p. 755). The situation is complicated, however, because adolescent depression may have a number of distinct causes such as a chemical imbalance, environmental pressures, interpersonal problems, intrapersonal problems, lack of meaning in one's life, or a combination of these causes (Allen-Meares, 1995). Therefore, in addressing adolescent depression, one would likely hypothesize that no one theory is applicable to all causes of adolescent depression.
In this article I examine the principles of one existential theory, logotherapy, which has the potential of addressing depression among some older adolescents who perceive that their lives are devoid of meaning or are facing difficult challenges and trying to make sense of those challenges. The discussion includes case examples illustrating how some of the major principles of logotherapy can be applied.
EXISTENTIAL THEORY
According to Krill (1996), there are four recurrent themes in existential theory: (a) individual freedom and the uniqueness of each individual, (b) the recognition of suffering as a necessary part of the human experience, (c) an emphasis on the here and now to discover one's identity and the current meaning of one's life, and (d) a sense of commitment to discover and develop one's talents. It is a "philosophy of practice that centers on the existing person as he or she is emerging and becoming in terms of the self" (Brown & Romanchuk, 1994, p. 50). However, existential theory has only a limited number of techniques for bringing about change; therefore, when employing an existential theory, mental health counselors (MHCs) are free to borrow techniques from other approaches, provided they are consistent with the therapeutic encounter and redirect the client's suffering into constructive channels (Rugala & Waldo, 1998).
LOGOTHERAPY
One of the complaints against many existential theories is that they include terminology and methods that seem foreign to the average practitioner; conversely, logotherapy is one of the more practical existential theories and includes terminology and methods that are more readily understood (Krill, 1996). Additionally, it is one of the more optimistic and popular models of existential theory: viewing individuals as having the potential to transcend their environments and the freedom and responsibility to make choices that are conducive to growth despite their circumstances. Logotherapy posits the following: (a) the primary and basically subconscious motivation in human existence is a "will to meaning," and (b) depression and other pathology often results when individuals are unable to identify and pursue a worthy meaning (Brown & Romanchuk, 1994; Frankl, 1967; Guttmann, 1996; Lantz, & Alford, 1995). According to Frankl, the author of logotherapy, each person is responsible for the "accomplishment of concrete, personal tasks and demands, the realization of that unique and individual meaning which every one of us has to fulfill" (p. 126).
Logotherapy emphasizes that meaning exists in all circumstances; however, it is hidden and waiting to be discovered. According to Frankl (1967), "We do not just attach and attribute meanings to things, but rather find them; we do not invent them, we detect them" (p. 31). Additionally, this theory underscores the distinct nature of the individual; therefore, individuals need to search carefully for a purpose in various circumstances in order to discover what it means for them.
LOGOTHERAPY: APPLICATION TO ADOLESCENTS
In addressing the modern era and still true in the 21st century, Frankl (1967) notes that the pervasive crisis people face is the feeling, among many, that life is devoid of meaning. He labels this crisis an existential vacuum. Concurring, Guttmann (1996) states that an "existential vacuum characterized by apathy, boredom, and lack of motivation for achievements in life ... is increasingly common in our times, and encompasses large segments of younger and older generations" (p. 14). Feeling existentially empty, individuals search for ways to fill the void and quickly become vulnerable...
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