WCP 2025

I invite you to a dialogue about the anthropological perspective of Viktor Frankl (1947-1997) and the Brazilian creator of the Direct Approach to the Unconscious, Renate Jost de Moraes (1936-2013). There are already studies on the connections between the two approaches, which I would like to delve into: In the first step, I will historically classify the emergence of Direct Approach to the Unconscious in the context of psychological approaches in Brazil in the 1970s and 1980s. In doing so, I will address the epistemological critique of scientism and determinism, already introduced by Viktor Frankl's logotherapy. In a second step, I will show how Jost de Moraes, although he did not formulate an explicit theory of clinical psychology in her writings, she obtained many insights from her experience and studies that can serve to broaden the understanding of clinical psychology.
The innovative perspective refers not only to the genesis of the various forms of illness and human suffering as linked to the experience of lack of love, but also to the therapeutic environment in which the power of love is incorporated, mobilizing a transformative effect, while at the same time assuming a meaning-filling function. In this sense, it seems sensible to draw a parallel between the approaches of Frankl and Jost de Moraes, since both, based on different approaches, transcend a purely psychophysical view of the human being and postulate a three-dimensional understanding. In this case, love is not reduced to the personal satisfaction of needs, but is seen as a potential for self-transcendence. It is a devotion to the other person without expectations and the discovery of a deeper meaning in life. In this context, the focus is on the question: What innovative aspects can we obtain from the approaches of Frankl and Jost de Moraes for our self-image as psychologists and our clinical work?