6.4. V. Frankl's Existential Vacuum

The existential vacuum is a concept first introduced by the Austrian neuropsychiatrist and philosopher Viktor Frankl, the founder of logotherapy. This term describes a state in which a person feels an absence of meaning, purpose, and direction in life. The existential vacuum can arise in various situations and periods of life, and it is often associated with psychological problems and mental distress.

Here are some features of the existential vacuum:

1. A sense of meaninglessness: At the heart of the existential vacuum lies the feeling that life is devoid of meaning and value. A person may feel that his actions and efforts do not matter and lead nowhere.

2. The search for meaning: The existential vacuum may result from the search for the meaning of life. A person may begin to ask questions about the meaning and purpose of his existence, and this can give rise to a feeling of loss or bewilderment.

3. Psychological problems: The existential vacuum may be associated with psychological problems such as depression, anxiety, or loss of motivation. A person may feel oppressed and hopeless.

4. Sociocultural factors: Contemporary society and culture can also contribute to the emergence of the existential vacuum. Materialism, consumer culture, and the absence of clearly defined values can contribute to a loss of meaning.

5. Finding meaning and treatment: To overcome the existential vacuum, Frankl proposed finding meaning in life through the search for one's own values and goals, as well as through acts of creation, service to others, and the acceptance of suffering. Logotherapy, developed by Frankl, is aimed at helping people find meaning and values in their lives.

6. Individual experience: It is important to understand that the existential vacuum is an individual experience, and what triggers it in one person may not affect another. It is important to reflect on one's own experience and to strive to find a meaning that accords with one's own beliefs and values.

The absence of meaning gives rise in a person to a state that V. Frankl calls the existential vacuum. It is precisely the existential vacuum that is the cause underlying, on a broad scale, specific “noogenic neuroses.” A necessary condition for mental health is a certain level of tension arising between the person, on the one hand, and, on the other, an objective meaning localized in the outer world that he is called upon to fulfill. People deprived of tension tend to create it, and this may take either healthy or unhealthy forms. The etiology of the existential vacuum is determined by two factors: first, unlike an animal, a person is told by no drives or instincts what he needs to do; second, in contrast to earlier times, no conventions, traditions, or values tell him what he ought to do; third, he often does not even know what he essentially wants to do. The chief manifestations of the existential vacuum are boredom and apathy. According to P. Tillich's classification, we live in an age of threat to spiritual self-affirmation, in which the existential anxieties of emptiness and loss of meaning have been pushed to the forefront of human existence.

To be human, in essence, means to stand in relation to something and to be directed toward something other than oneself. Genuine communication-as-encounter is a mode of co-existence open to the logos, one that gives the partners the possibility of transcending themselves toward the logos, even fostering such mutual self-transcendence.

The existential vacuum is a serious problem for many people, and psychological help, such as logotherapy or psychotherapy, can be useful for those who are confronted with this condition.