Volume 4 Issue 1 Spring 2018

2 8 S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 4 - 1 S p r i n g 2 0 1 8 specifically human, spiritual dimensions interwoven with one another. The somatic dimension of the human being involves all of the bodily phenomena. It comprises the biological and physiological bodily functions including the physical and chemical processes. The psychological dimension is the realm of consciousness, instinctual feelings, instincts, affects, and desires. It also encompasses emotions and cognition, intellectual abilities of man, acquired patterns of behavior and social interactions. The spiritual dimension encompasses a free attitude towards the physical being and existence, independent willful decisions (intentionality), artistic interests, creativity, religion and moral feeling (conscience), understanding one’s values and love (Lukas 2009, chap. 1). Logotheory emphasizes the spiritual dimension and thus broadens the understanding of the personality structure. Literary sources on psychology (Frankl 1999, 2006) refers to this specifically human dimension as to a “noetic or noological dimension” or a dimension invoking human spirit. Frankl operationalized the noetic dimension as that in which man reaches beyond his psychophysical being, responds to his psychosomatic conditions, and exercises some degree of freedom from his determination by external and internal conditions. It is a dimension (Popielski 2005, chap. 2), which defines the existential being, becoming and functioning of a human being, sources of motivation and subjective-personal dynamics of existence. The essence of the noetic dimension is in realization of values and orientation toward the meaning presented in diversity, self-distancing, self-transcendence, freedom, and responsibility. Underdevelopment of noetic dimension results in existential frustration or a vacuum, which then leads to various forms of pathological behavior, with bullying being one of them. Researches (Dědová 2010) showed that aggressors present a lower level of noodynamics, which is closely related to the ability of being in control of one’s own thinking, experience, and behavior. Aggressors with lower levels of noodynamics did not express enough interest in others and were unable to express emotional closeness. According to Popielski (2005, chap. 2), persons with undeveloped noodynamics are less spontaneous in their relationship with others; they are less open towards other people and are unable to cooperate. These individuals tend to break the rules and behaviors and do as they please. Psychoanalysis perceives man as a being driven by the will to pleasure. Adlerian psychotherapy focuses on man driven by the will to power. Logotherapy, however, perceives man as a being driven by the will to meaning. Psychotherapy has come a long way since the time of Freud, characterized by two stages: the first led from the automaticity of existence towards the existence itself, the second one from the autonomy to transcendence. On one hand, the human existence does not disperse itself in the sheer image of a bundle of instincts or an automaton of reflexes; while on the other hand, the image of the human being steps beyond the horizon of immanence. The logotheoretical approach does not agree with seeing aggression as some kind of energy that drives a person to look for someone else to vent his anger. In logotheoretical approach, we let the aggression transform. On a human level, aggression is aimed either on something or on someone one hates. Love and hatred are human and intentional phenomena that explain the reasons behind one’s behavior (Frankl 2006). If man is led to believe that there is no reason for hatred, the hatred itself becomes absurd. On the contrary, however, when man is being convinced that he is endowed with a potential aggression, which he must somehow let out, we only create the delusion that violence and hatred are one’s inescapable fate. Man, however, has no fate because he is a co-creator of everything in his specifically human dimension. He is not left at the mercy of aggression. Man resorts to aggression when he is constantly reminded that he is not a creator of his own life, but a victim of innate biological or societal conditions. Logotheory draws attention to existentially more profound sources of aggressive behavior that contribute to onset of reactive, instrumental aggression. These sources are also behind the aggression per se, that type of aimless aggression with hostile intent and manifestation of recurrent power over others (Aluede et al. 2008; Arseneault, Bowes and Shakoor 2010) that is typical for bullying. 2 Undeveloped Capacity of Self-Detachment and Self-Transcendence in the Act of Bullying One of the possible explanations of bullying behavior is the characteristic of aggressors involved in bullying. Their behavior is dominated by selfishness and self-centeredness. Bullies think that the world revolves around them and they adjust the rules to suit their own needs. They are only concerned with themselves and are insensitive to what their behavior causes others (Kolář 2011, chap. 4). Aggressors have a strong need to dominate and behave aggressively (Olweus 1995; Rigby 2002); they display a low level of empathy (Gajdošová and Herényiová 2002, chap. 9). They have no conscious feelings of guilt; they are not bothered by the fact that they have hurt someone. They lack the ability to identify their behavior

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