scholarly journals The meaning of life and death in the eyes of Frankl: Archetypal and terror management perspectives

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 164-175
Author(s):  
Claude-Hélène Mayer ◽  
Nataliya Krasovska ◽  
Paul J. P. Fouché

This article aims to uncover the meaning of life and death across the lifespan of the extraordinary person, Viktor E. Frankl (1905–1997). Frankl was purposively sampled due to his international acclaim as an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist, who later became famous as a holocaust survivor and the founder of logotherapy. Through his approach of “healing through meaning,” he became the founder of the meaning-centred school of psychotherapy and published many books on existential and humanistic psychology. The study describes the meaning of life and death through two theoretical approaches: the archetypal analysis based on C.G. Jung’s and C.S. Pearson’s work and a terror management approach based on the melancholic existentialist work of Ernest Becker. The methodology of psychobiography is used to conduct the psycho-historical analysis of the interplay of archetypes and death annihilation anxiety throughout Frankl’s lifespan. The article evaluates how archetypes and death anxiety interacts and how they built meaning in different stages of Frankl’s lifespan. The theories are discussed and illustrated in the light of Viktor E. Frankl’s life.

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Siti Murtiyani ◽  
Hery Sasono ◽  
Dwi Condro Triono ◽  
Hanifah Zahra

This study aims to analyze and critically evaluate the implementation of the management of public ownership (Milkiyah 'ammah) and State ownership (Milkiyah Daulah) in Indonesia. This study descriptively describes the implementation of both ownerships that are currently practicing in Indonesia. Theoretical approaches used is the Islamic Economic System Madzhab Hamfara (Hadza Min fadzli Rabbi) who critically evaluate the implementation of the public wealth management and state wealth in Indonesia. This research used secondary data that was obtained from Madzhab Hamfara books, literature, journal and information relating to the Indonesian State assets management system. A comparative analysis was conducted to understand the difference between the public wealth management and state wealth management in Indonesia. Findings show that the management of both, public and state ownership are not in accordance to the ownership management approach of Madzhab Hamfara Islamic Economic System. The evidence suggests that both public and state ownership are not fully managed by the Government of Indonesia. The fact shows that public ownership in the form of water, fire and pastures are managed by individuals and institutions as well as foreign parties who have fund to privatize the public ownership. Consequently, it has the impact on unequal distribution of income that cause poverty in Indonesia. This research suggest that government should implement Islamic Economic System Madzhab Hamfara in managing public and state ownership in Indonesia. =========================================== Kajian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis dan mengevaluasi secara kritis penerapan pengelolaan kepemilikan umum (Milkiyah 'Ammah) dan kepemilikan negara (Milkiyah Daulah) di Indonesia. Studi ini menjelaskan secara deskriptif tentang implementasi pengelolaan kedua kepemilikan tersebut yang sekarang dipraktikkan di Indonesia. Teori yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah Sistem Ekonomi Islam Madzhab Hamfara (Hadza Min fadzli Rabbi) yang secara kritis mengevaluasi implementasi pengelolaan kepemilikan umum dan negara di Indonesia. Kajian ini menggunakan data sekunder yang berasal buku-buku madzhab Hamfara, literatur, artikel jurnal dan informasi lainnya yang terkait dengan pengelolaan aset di Indonesia. Analisis perbandingan juga dilakukan untuk memahami perbedaan pengelolaan kepemilikan umum dan kepemilikan negara. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahwa pengelolaan kepemilikan, baik kepemilikan umum maupun negara di Indonesia, tidak dijalankan sesuai dengan sistem ekonomi Islam Madzhab Hamfara. Bukti-bukti menunjukkan bahwa pengelolaan kepemilikan publik dan negara tidak sepenuhnya dilakukan oleh negara. Fakta juga menunjukkan bahwa kepemilikan tersebut lebih banyak diserahkan kepada lembaga-lembaga privat bahkan lembaga-lembaga asing. Akibatnya, kesenjangan pendapatan yang menjadi pemicu kemiskinan terus terjadi. Kajian ini menyarankan agar pemerintah mengimplementasikan sistem ekonomi Islam Madzhab Hamfara dalam pengelolaan kepemilikan umum dan negara di Indonesia.


2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Itumeleng D. Mothoagae

Setswana proverbs point to the rich oral history of the Batswana people, their cosmology, morality, indigenous knowledge system, rituals, drama, sayings and memo scripts which are deeply embedded in memory. They emerged from reflections on existential experiences and animal behaviour. In her analysis of Proverbs 31:10�31 found in the Hebrew text, Masenya rereads this text in conjugation with her Northern Sotho proverbs regarding women from a bosadi [womanhood] approach. It is in this approach that she attempts to engage structures of �patriarchy� and the marginalisation of women�s identities. In so doing, the approach grapples with issues such as the mythological thinking of male dominance, cultural subjugation, gender equality, political marginalisation and economic transaction. The decolonial turn as a theoretical framework acknowledges the particularity and universality of cultures and knowledge. Whilst there is particularity among African cultures, there is also universality. In this article I will refer to Setswana proverbs in the context of marriage to engage the bosadi approach. It is the intention of this article to argue that proverbs such as lebitla la mosadi ke bogadi need to be contextualised within their historical location as well as within the context of the institution of lenyalo that is anchored in the practice of bogadi. Furthermore, there is a need to critically engage with terms such as patriarchy, oppression, structure and hierarchy. The paper will use the decolonial turn as a theoretical framework. A conclusion will be drawn from the discussion above.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article has an interdisciplinary approach, it touches on Historical analysis of Setswana Proverbs, the missionary era and the transition between �Setswana traditional� worldview and �Euro-Christian� worldview. Furthermore, it pertains to the understanding of the Proverbs within the custom of Lenyalo (marriage), boarders between anthropological, sociological and African philosophy approaches. The fundamental theoretical approaches used in this article is translational theory and decolonial turn, which is social sciences.


Adam alemi ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 90 (4) ◽  
pp. 43-52
Author(s):  
N. Sarsenbekov ◽  

This article analyzes existential concepts in the work of Ahmet Yassawi “Diwani hikmet”, which forms the Sufi direction of the deeply rooted Turkic civilization, using comparative research methods. In this context, the article collected and investigated the following metaphysical problems, such as the unity and struggle of time and being, disinterested attachment to the Creator, as well as the phenomenon of life and death. The content of the Hikmet is an existential representation of a religious preaching orientation, filled with the principles of a nomadic civilization developed in the Kazakh steppe. Although the main goal of the Hikmet is religious, there are often such existentials as the existence of the Creator and the problems of human existence, life and death, morality, justice, responsibility, conscience. The main position of the Hikmets is to point out a direct path to the Islamic world and suggest ways to form a “True Muslim”. The concepts of the book of wisdom are a way of revealing transcendental contradictions for those who are in an existential crisis. For those who cannot understand the meaning of life and are in existential stagnation, we decided to use the hikmet of Ahmet Yassawi to explain the meaning of real life.


Author(s):  
Jason Hawreliak

Winston Churchill famously asserted that “there is nothing more exhilarating than to be shot at without result.” Whether or not this is accurate, it is indicative of an ancient and persistent myth which depicts combat as the locus of glory, virtue, and sublime exhilaration. Drawing on the works of Ernest Becker, Gregory Nagy, and Ian Bogost, this chapter traces the combat myth from Homer to Call of Duty, situating it within a rhetoric of heroism and ultimately, immortality. Given the immense popularity of the First Person Shooter (FPS) and Action Role Playing Game (ARPG) genres, which employ combat as their dominant motif, the myth appears to be alive and well. The chapter concludes with a discussion of terror management theory and its application to videogame analysis and design.


2020 ◽  
Vol 68 (6) ◽  
pp. 1179-1195
Author(s):  
Zophia Edwards

The dominant theoretical approaches that aim to explain the origins and subsequent global diffusion of modern norms, practices, and institutions have reached an impasse. World polity theory and ‘coercion’ perspectives describe a process in which norms originate in the Global North and spread to the rest of the world. For the former, diffusion occurs via the willful imitation of shared values; for the latter, it occurs due to economic/political pressure and/or force. However, both approaches are unable to account for norms that emerge in the Global South and get adopted globally. This article argues that postcolonial sociology can help overcome the common pitfalls of the existing theories and provide a theoretical framework for analyzing global diffusion through its analytical focus on subaltern agency, ‘relationalism,’ and colonial contours of power. The utility of postcolonial sociology is demonstrated using archival data and an historical analysis of the 1938 Trade Disputes (Arbitration and Inquiry) Ordinance, which emerged in Trinidad and Tobago and was subsequently adopted by a number of colonies across the British empire.


Author(s):  
Tzvi Abusch

This chapter presents the background situation that gave rise to Mesopotamian religious concepts, as well as the forms of the gods and their service in the classical theology of Mesopotamia. The chapter examines both the temple cult, that is, the public dimension of the religion, and the cult of the individual. It studies several supernatural beings, some active in the state pantheon, others in the sphere of family life, and discusses several literary works of religious significance. The chapter concludes its reflections on Mesopotamian religion with a short piece about the Epic of Gilgamesh, a profound Mesopotamian reflection on the meaning of life and death.


Eureka ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-66
Author(s):  
Sayeed Devraj-Kizuk

Terror Management theory is a refinement on Psychoanalytic theory that places the knowledge and resulting fear of mortality as the primary motivating factor in human behaviour. Based largely on the work of cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker, the theory seeks to examine human nature from an existential standpoint, and use psychoanalytic observation to create a comprehensive theory of the subconcious factors that comprise human behaviour. This paper seeks to provide an introduction and general explanation of the essential premise of Terror Management Theory, and explain in detail one of the most integral aspects of the theory, the projection of death-anxiety from an individual onto a person, object, or abstraction, known in TMT as transference. The ideas developed in the first part of the paper are then used to develop an existentialist psychoanalytic rationale behind the extremist behaviour of the radical Islamic terrorist organisation Al Qa'ida. The paper concludes by conducting a brief review of the scientific research studies that have in the past few decades succeeded in providing solid experimental data that supports the predictions made by Terror Managment Theory.


2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-17
Author(s):  
Audrey Berger Cardany

Based on the ideas of social-anthropologist Ernest Becker, Terror Management Theory (TMT) explains human behavior as being motivated by conscious and unconscious mortality salience. This article examines the role of music in the denial of death and catalogues related literature in the music and social psychology fields. Categories include: TMT and art, music used as control condition in TMT research, and songs and TMT. A brief description of Becker’s theory and TMT and a discussion of the functions of music in culture precede the literature review. Analysis of the literature suggests that (a) music provides a safe window frame through which to examine death, (b) music created for community purposes may buffer death anxiety more readily than that created for individual purposes, and (c) songs prompt mortality salience and simultaneously buffer death anxiety depending on individual music preferences, cultural worldviews, and perceptions of famous others. The review further identifies limitations in TMT studies regarding music and terror management and highlights the need for additional empirical research to untangle the complexity of music’s role in mitigating death anxiety growing out of mortality salience.


2020 ◽  

‘Trolls for Trump’, virtual rape, fake news — social media discourse, including forms of virtual and real violence, has become a formidable, yet elusive, political force. What characterizes online vitriol? How do we understand the narratives generated, and also address their real-world — even life-and-death— impact? How can hatred, bullying, and dehumanization on social media platforms be addressed and countered in a post-truth world? Violence and Trolling on Social Media: History, Affect, and Effects of Online Vitriol unpacks discourses, metaphors, dynamics, and framing on social media, in order to begin to answer these questions. Written for and by cultural and media studies scholars, journalists, political philosophers, digital communication professionals, activists and advocates, this book connects theoretical approaches from cultural and media studies with practical challenges and experiences ‘from the field’, providing insight into a rough media landscape.


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