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Mental health is based on a certaindegreeoftension, the tensionbetweenwhat one<br />

has already achieved andwhat one still oughtto accomplish, or the gapbetweenwhat<br />

one is andwhatone should become. This meansthat what man actually needs is not<br />

homeostasis, or a tension-less state,but rather,the strivingand struggling for some<br />

goalworthy ofhim. Noo-dynamics is this call ofpotentialmeaning, waitingto be<br />

fulfilled by man(Frankl 1970:106-107).<br />

6.7 Existential vacuum<br />

The existential vacuum refers to the loss ofthe feeling that life is meaningful, mani­<br />

festing itselfmostly in a state ofboredom. Sometimes the frustrated will to meaning<br />

is compensated, for example, by a will to power, the will to money, or the:willto .<br />

pleasure, like sexualpleasure(Frankl 1970:108-109). Franklwas of the opinion that<br />

this vacuum or "emptiness"is presentin everyman and woman. He has used this<br />

"emptiness" to movepeopleinto a meaningful direction.<br />

6.8 Supra-meaning<br />

This is the ultimate meaning that exceeds and surpassesthe finite intellectual capaci­<br />

ties ofmanbecause logos is deeper than logic. Itis to endurethe meaninglessness of<br />

life,but ratherto bear the incapacity to grasp its unconditional meaningfulness in ra­<br />

tional terms (Frankl 1970:120). Thishas to do with the world beyondthe human<br />

world, with anotherdimension. in additionto the biological, psychological and spiri­<br />

tual dimensions. This other"outer-worldly" dimension is the ultimateor supra­<br />

meaning (Guttmann 1996:36).<br />

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