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technique is based on questions asked by the therapist, similarto the question-answer
method used by Socrates.
The questions bring intoconsciousness the unconscious decisions ofthe seekers, their
hidden hopes and expectations. They also help in gettingto know themselvesbetter.
For seekers are asked to take a real good look at themselvesand'to discover who they
really are. Seekers are helped to recall instances in which they felt their lives to be
meaningful, when they were full ofenergy, and to learn from these past events to
gain securityin their own capabilities for dealingwith present difficulties and
problems in living(Guttmann 1996:143-144).
Thisdialogue aims at heightening the self-awareness ofthe seekers, to make them
conscious of their freedom ofchoice. To learn about the seeker's feelings,the helper
asks: What did you do in thatsituation? To learn about the seeker's decision making
concerning values,judgments,and actions, the helper asks: What do you thinkthe
present situation demands from you? The dialogueaids the seeker become aware of
a commitment to being responsible for hisown life and actions. Iturges himto look
deeper than the surface and to discoverwhat is hidden from the eye (Guttmann
1996:144). -
Logotherapists, like social workers, employ empathyin workingwith the seekers.
The logotherapist and seeker form an allianceto search together for exit from the
seeker's state offrustration and emptiness. This alliance resembles the contract used
in social work practice, but it aims, as in all Socratic dialogues, toward discovering
a new meaning in life by the seeker. The logotherapist does not shy away from con­
frontation with the seeker, ifnecessary. The confrontation ends when the seeker be-
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