The Unconscious God () is a 1949 book by Viktor E. Frankl, the Viennese psychiatrist and founder of Logotherapy. The book was the subject of his dissertation for a Ph.D. in philosophy in 1948.Boeree, George. "Personality Theories: Viktor Frankl." Shippensburg University. Accessed April 18, 2014.
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.Lantz, James E. "Family logotherapy." Contemporary Family Therapy 8, no. 2 (1986): 124-135.
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.Weinstein, Lawrence, and Charalambos C. Cleanthous. "A comparison of protestant ministers and parishioners on expressed purpose in life and intrinsic religious motivation." Psychology: A Journal of Human Behavior (1996).
Published editions Frankl's book was originally published as Der Unbewußte GottMoore, Hallie E. "The Unconscious God: Psychotherapy and Theology." American Journal of Psychiatry 134, no. 11 (1977): 1317-b. by Ehrlich Schmidt in 1949; the English language version was published by Simon & Schuster in 1975 under the title The Unconscious God: Psychotherapy and Theology.
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