Karl T. Jaspers and Viktor E. Frankl: Compared Thoughts of Two Psychiatrist

IntroductionThe topic addressed in this article presents both psychological and philosophical concepts. Both Karl Theodor Jaspers and Viktor Emil Frankl have in fact left a legacy of deep thought which can currently also be valid in many respects and some scientific work [1-3] have already compared specific topics which bring them together. Primarily in the case of the writings by Frankl there are diverse similarities with the concepts comprised in the thoughts presented by Jaspers, which accounts for the idea behind our research.Karl. T. Jaspers (1883-1969), was initially a psychiatrist and subsequently a philosophy professor in Heidelberg and in Basel, in his work he claims that man is capable of making decisions about himself. Man is a postulate, but he is able to shape his own life, since, facing the extreme situations with his eyes wide open, he passes continuously from a possible existence to a real existence. A man is in fact much more than he can know about himself.Viktor E. Frankl (1905-1997), a logotherapist and an existential analyst, the founder of the third school of psychotherapy in Vienna, writes on his having found the meaning of life in helping the others to find the meaning of their life. Through his inexhaustible work he is trying to find the way to help man who, yearning for the meaning and pushed by the will to find a meaning, is looking for an answer to fundamental questions in his life to be able to dedicate it to somtehing or someone.We commence by saying that due to the fact that Jaspers and Frankl were mutually aware of each other's opinions, Frankl had been influenced by Jaspers. He confirmed it personally in his first letter to Jaspers. Moreover, he had been influenced also by other philosophers with whom he shares several aspects of his thoughts (most of them being existentialists).We will especially consider the following: explanation of existence and existential analysis, the perception of meaning according to Jaspers and Frankl, the spiritual aspect and the spirit, the limit situations and the tragic triad, the concept of psychotherapy. Towards the end of this article, before presenting the correspondence between Frankl and Jaspers, we will attempt to highlight, in a systematic way, both the common points and the divergences present in the thought of the two authors. Through presentation of their correspondence, we will also present a comment on a letter by Frankl and on a letter by Jaspers, in order to provide a more comprehensive insight into their content, against the backdrop of all the topics addressed in this article.In order to be able to compare Jaspers' thought and Frankl's thought, we primarily focused on the readings of original texts by the two authors and we also considered the secondary sources, especially the book by Anette Suzanne Fintz entitled Die Kunst der Beratung , Jaspers's Philosophie in Sinn-oreintierter Beratung. In some cases the common points and the divergences between Jaspers and Frankl are evident, yet in others a major effort is required to reveal and compare them.Acquaintance Between Viktor E. Frankl and Karl T. JaspersIn addition to the letters by Frankl and Jaspers, the fact that Frankl and his wife visited Jaspers in Basel in spring of 1961 has also been confirmed. Hence, Frankl reminded in a paragraph "When I paid him a visit in Basel, Karl Jaspers stated: "Mr Frankl, I know all your books, yet the one on concentration camps (and he showed it to me in his librar y) is one of the few great books of mankind"[4]. Consequently, Jaspers was acquainted with the books by Frankl which in turn were influenced by Japers' thought, as had been stated by Frankl in his letter.The events that occurred in the life of both Jaspers and Frankl had a huge impact on their thoughts. Both had worked in psychiatric clinics from their youth, where they faced the reality which reached the depths of human experience - pain, guilt, death, etc. …