Therapeutic Agency in the Thought of Viktor Frankl and Its Correspondence with Qurʾānic Teachings

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Corresponding Author, PhD student in Comparative Interpretation, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran:

2 Associate Professor, Department of Quran and Hadith Sciences, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran

3 Associate Professor, Department of Quran and Hadith Sciences, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran:

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to examine and compare the components of "voluntary therapy" in Viktor Frankl's theory, by setting the teachings of the Holy Quran as a criterion and extracting the Quranic transcendental model.
Method: The present study, using a descriptive-analytical method and a comparative approach, extracted the five key components of Frankl's voluntary therapy (voluntary action, responsibility, morality, happiness, and negation of absolute determinism) and then evaluated and measured them by directly citing verses of the Holy Quran and authoritative interpretations.
Findings: The findings show that the Holy Quran, while confirming some commonalities such as free will and negation of absolute determinism, introduces fundamental criticisms of Frankl's anthropological reductionism. The Quran, by proposing the concept of "form", accepts the non-deterministic influence of environmental and hereditary factors, while Frankl considers free will to be absolute. The Quran also considers responsibility as "accountability before God", the axis of morality as "divine satisfaction", the source of happiness as "God's grace", and defines human agency within the framework of "the matter between the two", while Frankl's approach is world-centered and based on human autonomy.
Conclusion: Finally, this study shows that the Holy Quran, by providing a God-centered, comprehensive, and transcendent model, not only complements the weaknesses of existential psychotherapy, but also has the capacity to provide stronger theoretical foundations for meaning-making and agency therapy based on a monotheistic worldview

Keywords

References

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بررسی تطبیقی اختیار درمانی از دیدگاه قرآن کریم و ویکتور فرانکل | معصومه نوازی و همکاران 39
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History

  • Receive Date: 06 September 2025
  • Revise Date: 04 November 2025
  • Accept Date: 02 December 2025

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