Contemporary Problems of Social Work Современные проблемы социальной работы academic journal

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a manifestation of will power and was more admired, and some cultural and even impossible 
to imagine without the suicide phenomenon. That raises the serious ethical and philosophical 
question: “Can the person just kill himself, if he wants it?” A social attitude to suicide is 
not only negative and some people say, that suicide is a personal choice of each other and 
cannot be condemned. Someone may convinced, that there is a lot of different situations, and 
in some cases suicide can be justified. On the other hand, most of suicide attempters have 
been in stressful situation and can’t give a sober assessment of their condition. Well-known 
psychological phenomenon – “Tunnel vision”, impede person to see other ways of solving 
problems. As we can see, society opinion about suicide problem rather is ambivalent.
Finding the meaning of life, as a way of prevention of suicide
In modern suicidology loss of the meaning of life is one of the most important factors 
leading to suicide. It is also believed that the worst thing to treat suicidal behavior caused 
by an existential crisis, if person see no reasons to wake up every morning and continue his 
life. Out of the existential crisis may be harder than out of the crisis, which crisis caused by, for 
example, job or property loss.
Finding the meaning of life is the cornerstone of such a direction as an existential psychology, 
emerged from philosophical existentialism. According to representatives of this trend, human 
life is initially empty and meaningless. Each of us creates own meaning of life, which in turn 
allows us to overcome the fear of death and live. Well-known psychotherapist, founder of 
logotherapy, Viktor Frankl, in his books “The Unheard Cry for Meaning” [5], “Psychologist in 
the camp” [6], “Man’s Search for Meaning. An Introduction to Logotherapy” [6] and others 
repeatedly expressed the idea that finding the meaning of life has an effect on an individual’s 
ability to survive. During the Second World War, he was arrested and sent to the concentration 
camp Theresienstadt. While he was in the camp, Viktor Frankl, together with other psychologists 
and social workers assisted the prisoners and helped them to survive in difficult conditions. Also, 
scientists note that people who have a purpose in life (they missing their families, unfinished 
business, and others) showed great will to live and survive in most cases. Viktor Frankl 
considered that has survived only thanks to the fact that he wanted to publish a book about the 
years, which he spent in a concentration camp (his life at that time was full of meaning). In his 
book “Man’s Search for Meaning. An Introduction to Logotherapy” Viktor Frankl directly links 
the increase in the number of suicides among young people with the loss of the meaning of life 
[6]. He explains this by the fact that the younger generation has greater benefits than their 
parents’ generation. They do not need to earn a piece of bread and the worries about lodging 
or clothing.
Modern Austrian psychoanalyst Alfred Langley also links that suicide is phenomenon to the 
lack of meaning in life [12], because of the lack of meaning in life, or its replacement by false 
values such as universal recognition, money, career, etc. the individual is immersed in a state 
of existential vacuum, it becomes lethargic and shows signs of a depressive state, which, in 
turn, without proper treatment leads to suicide. One of the most effective ways of dealing with 
existential vacuum and emotional burnout Langley believes finding the true meaning of life.
Z. Freud, founder of psychoanalytic study, considered, that every person has two unconscious 
instincts: libido and mortido, instincts of life and death, respectively [7]. Libido disposes us 
to procreation, helps people to survive and plays a great role in creative processes. Due to 
consciousness, we can sublimate energy of libido into paintings, books, sports and etc. On the 
over hand, we have a mortido, which responds to our destructive behavior. Everyday life reminds 
us about wars and death. We see it on the streets, in our homes, on TV, at cinema and it does not 
go unnoticed. Freud thought that mortido is a true reason of wars, suicide, homicide, destruction 
of the environment and other negative processes. Death is inseparable part of the human life 
and it’s affects in all directions of human activity. So, in brief, Austrian psychologist held the 
position of determinism. Mortido and libido is common to all people, consequently suicide is 

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common to all people too. Z. Freud considered that suicide is a regular part or human life and 
cannot be a sign of a psychological illness. Also, Freud was sure that suicidal behavior is curable. 
Through psychoanalyst, person can understand the roots of his behavior and overcome it.
The existential psychotherapist Irvin Yalom believes finding the meaning of life one of 
the integral parts of psychotherapy and believes that virtually all mental illness in one way 
or another connected with the loss of the meaning of life [18, 19, 20]. With disappearance of 
the meaning of human life encompasses the fear of death, which is common to all members 
of our family. In the presence of the meaning of life an individual can successfully confront 
this fear and continue to live. The phenomenon of suicide, according to Yalom, also arose from 
the fear of death. Person is afraid that death may overtake him at any time, and tries to use 
suicide establish control over it. In his books “Existential psychotherapy”, “Looking at the sun: 
a life without fear of death”. “Mom and the meaning of life” and others, therapist leads a large 
number of examples where the loss of the meaning of life led to suicide.
Based on the above data it can be concluded that the acquisition of the meaning of life, 
from the standpoint of psychology, exerts a therapeutic effect and is one way of overcoming 
the existential crisis, and can also be used as a method for removing the manifestation of some 
forms of suicidal behavior.
Finding the meaning of life is a fundamental human need, largely determines its entire life. 
The loss of meaning in life, in turn, leads to emotional burnout, depression and other serious 
diseases, even to suicide. Although related to the phenomenon of suicide differed depending on 
cultural traditions, political and economic conditions and other factors still need to recognize 
that suicide is a global problem of humanity, along with environmental pollution, terrorism and 
war. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), every 40 seconds somebody on our 
planet consciously dies, filling the ranks of the many people who have chosen suicide. Despite 
the fact that in our time, developed a large number of effective programs for prevention and 
early prevention of suicide, though further research is needed in this area, to reduce the number 
of suicides and to give the thousands of people across the globe the chance to live a full and 
wonderful life. This can be done, including by means of finding the meaning of life, the absence 
of which, according to many scientists and science leaders often leads to suicide.
The phenomenon of the viability of the individual is directly linked with the reduction 
of existential anxiety. The existential component of resilience is one of the most important 
components of the phenomenon, and, in the opinion of Muddy, is an effective way to combat 
existential crisis.
Based on the analysis of the phenomenon of resilience, as a socio-psychological categories 
and its relationship with the acquisition of the meaning of life, as well as the cultural dimension 
of suicide, you can draw the following conclusions:
1.  The viability is closely linked with the problem of finding the meaning of life and the 
struggle with existential anxiety, which in turn may lead to suicidal tendencies.
2. Individuals with low levels of resilience are at risk and most vulnerable to suicidal 
tendencies.
3.  Training viability may be used as a method for preventing suicide.
References
1.  Alfimova M.V., Golimbet V.E., Russian Version of Short Hardiness Scale. Social and Clinical 
Psychiatry, M., 2012.
2.  Asmus F.V. Antique Phylosophy. M.: High School. 2005.
3.  Asmus F.V. Socrates, M.: Mysl’. 1981.
4.  Debolsky M.G., Matveeva I.A. Psychology and Law. 2013. Suicidal behavior of prisoners and 
suspects in jail. No. 3. http://psyjournals.ru/psyandlaw/2013/n3/63783_full.shtml.
5.  Frankl V.E. The Unheard Cry for Meaning. Psychotherapy and Humanism, Simon & Schuster, 
N.Y. 2011.

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