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principles were buildt into existential family treatmentprograms. It is believed that
logotherapy can help family members find meaningin their existenceas a group.
According to Jim Lantz (1993:8),in logotherapeutic-existential family treatmentthe
family process is normally facilitated in four primaryways: (i) by using paradoxical
intention to helpfamily members control symptoms that cloud the discovery of
meaning, (ii) by usingdereflection to help them control symptoms that cloud mean­
ings, (iii) by using Socraticdialogueto stimulate members to searchfor meaning
within the family's dailylife, and (iv) by using provocativecommentsofthe thera­
pist to stimulate a change in family interactional patterns that are inhibiting the fami­
ly's search for meaning.
Paradoxical intention is used in family logotherapyto break the vicious circles that
have developed as a result ofanticipatory anxiety,while dereflectionis used when
client/patient·symptoms result from hyperreflection or hyperintention (Lantz 1993:
8-10). Dereflection in the family settingwould mean in praxis that the family mem­
bers are helped in sucha way that their attention is directed to somethingelse. This
new focus wouldthen decrease hyperref1ection and hyperintention. This is inter alia
done by guiding, for exampleschizophrenic families, to develop activities and inte­
rests not connectedwith this problem and to start enjoying and findingmeaning in a
varietyofnew outlets (Lantz 1993:10-13).
The Socratic dialogue or self-discovery discourse is directed to help family members
get in touch with theirnoetic unconscious. Questions are asked to make members
more aware oftheir own spiritualdimensions, their strengths, their hopes and their
achievements. Lantz (1993:14-15)pointed out that this dialogue is used with both
the Milan systemic approach and the Franklianapproach to family treatment. In the
Milan approach, ifLantz is interpreted correctly, questions are asked ofeach family
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