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therapistswould not ignorethe social context in which a "symbolic experience" has
taken place, they are ofthe opinionthat the humancapacity to transcend puts the im­
portant role ofthe social context aside. Frankl's well known saying, quoted from the
philosopher Nietsche, "He who has a way to live can bear with almost any how",
would be a typical answer to this type ofcriticism.
From a humanistic personologistpoint ofview, the Rogerians emphasisethat the the­
rapist mustnot tell the client/patient what to do, he/she must not interpret their ac­
tions and must not offer solutionsto the patient'slclient's problems (Kendall & Ham­
men 1995:72). These are all matters that are in praxis neglected in the logothera­
peutic setting. In the symbolicgrowth experience the therapist very often "inter­
prets" the past symbolic experiences ofthe client/patientin order to show the "mean-
......
ing" ofthe past experience. This more "directive" approach in the logotherapeutic
symbolic growthexperience, is exchanged, in person-centered therapy, for a nondi­
rective and nonjudgmental approach.
The Maslowian emphasis on detachment, as a characteristic ofself-actualizing per­
sons, where people rely on their own inner resources (Hjelle & Ziegler 1992:475 &
Ras 1998:85), is not emphasized enough in the symbolic growth experience. The im­
portant role ofa patient'slclient's inner resources, in order to cope/to survive/to ac­
tualize, is only weakly reflected in the reliance on the symbolic "experience" itself
Whathumanists like Maslow probably would say, is that there is "more" inside a per­
son, on which he/she can rely in order to find meaning in life, than just one specific
"symbolic" experience which must motivate himlherto get into "action" again. The
Rogerian approach (person-centeredtherapy) is more "peripheral", in the sense that
the therapist is not as much in the center ofthe therapeutic setting as in logotherapy.
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