''The Unconscious God'' (german: Der Unbewußte Gott) is a book by Viktor E. Frankl, the Viennese psychiatrist and founder of

Logotherapy Logotherapy was developed by neurologist and psychiatrist Viktor Frankl and is based on the premise that the primary motivational force of an individual is to find a meaning in life. Frankl describes it as "the Third Viennese School of Psychothe ...

. The book was the subject of his dissertation for a Ph.D. in philosophy in 1948. ''The Unconscious God'' is an examination of the relation of psychology and religion.

Key ideas

The term "the unconscious God" refers to a "hidden relationship with the hidden God".Fuller, Andrew Reid. Psychology and religion: Eight points of view. Rowman & Littlefield, 1994. In his work, Frankl advocates for the use of the Socratic dialogue or "self-discovery discourse" to be used with clients to get in touch with their "Noetic" (or spiritual)

unconscious Unconscious may refer to: Physiology * Unconsciousness, the lack of consciousness or responsiveness to people and other environmental stimuli Psychology * Unconscious mind, the mind operating well outside the attention of the conscious mind a ...

. Human religiousness is a deeply individual decision, and aligns with the process of discovering meaning in even the most difficult of situations. In comparing Protestant ministers and parishioners, Frankl contends that a mature involvement with a religious group increases the sense of purpose in life.

Published editions

Frankl's book was originally published as ''Der Unbewußte Gott''Moore, Hallie E. "The Unconscious God: Psychotherapy and Theology." American Journal of Psychiatry 134, no. 11 (1977): 1317-b. by Ehrlich Schmidt in 1943; the English language version was published by Simon & Schuster in 1975 under the title ''The Unconscious God: Psychotherapy and Theology''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Unconscious God Existentialist books Psychology books 1943 non-fiction books Logotherapy