The Unconscious God
The Unconscious God (German: Der Unbewußte Gott) is a book by Viktor E. Frankl, the Viennese psychiatrist and founder of Logotherapy. The book was the subject of his dissertation for a Ph.D. in philosophy in 1948.[1]
 Cover of the 1949 German edition | |
| Author | Viktor E. Frankl |
|---|---|
| Original title | Der Unbewußte Gott |
| Language | German |
| Subject | Logotherapy |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
Publication date | 1943 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 161 |
| ISBN | 978-0671220990 |
| Preceded by | The Doctor and the Soul |
The Unconscious God is an examination of the relation of psychology and religion.
Key ideas
The term "the unconscious God" refers to a "hidden relationship with the hidden God".[2]
In his work, Frankl advocates for the use of the Socratic dialogue or "self-discovery discourse" to be used with clients to get in touch with their "Noetic" (or spiritual) unconscious.[3]
Human religiousness is a deeply individual decision, and aligns with the process of discovering meaning in even the most difficult of situations.
In comparing Protestant ministers and parishioners, Frankl contends that a mature involvement with a religious group increases the sense of purpose in life.[4]
Published editions
Frankl's book was originally published as Der Unbewußte Gott[5] by Ehrlich Schmidt in 1943; the English language version was published by Simon & Schuster in 1975 under the title The Unconscious God: Psychotherapy and Theology.
References
- Boeree, George. "Personality Theories: Viktor Frankl." Shippensburg University. Accessed April 18, 2014.
- Fuller, Andrew Reid. Psychology and religion: Eight points of view. Rowman & Littlefield, 1994.
- Lantz, James E. "Family logotherapy." Contemporary Family Therapy 8, no. 2 (1986): 124-135.
- Weinstein, Lawrence, and Charalambos C. Cleanthous. "A comparison of protestant ministers and parishioners on expressed purpose in life and intrinsic religious motivation." Psychology: A Journal of Human Behavior (1996).
- Moore, Hallie E. "The Unconscious God: Psychotherapy and Theology." American Journal of Psychiatry 134, no. 11 (1977): 1317-b.
