In this episode of the ResponsAbility Podcast, we are joined by Prof. Dr. Alfried Längle and Prof. Mag. Dr. Eva Maria Waibel—two leading voices in existential therapy and pedagogy. Alfried Längle, a close collaborator of Viktor Frankl and founder of the International Society for Logotherapy and Existential Analysis, shares his insights into the foundations of existential psychotherapy, focusing on meaning, freedom, and the four fundamental motivations that guide human life. Eva Maria Waibel, a seasoned educator and psychotherapist, brings these existential principles into the field of education, emphasizing the formation of the whole person through presence, relationship, and ethical responsibility.

Together, they explore how both therapy and education can support people in navigating suffering, disconnection, and the challenges of modern life—not by offering easy answers, but by cultivating the courage to face difficult questions and stay connected to oneself and others. This episode offers a hopeful reflection on what it means to teach, learn, and live with meaning and care.

00:01:24 - About the Third Viennese School of Psychotherapy

00:06:17 - What distinguishes Alried Längle's form of existential analysis from Viktor Frankl's?

00:08:38 - What is Existential Pedagogy and what does it look like in practice?

00:16:05 - How can you work to educate children and youth in ways that can give them meaning in their lives?

00:17:41 - How to understand spirituality in the context of Existential Analysis and Existential Pedagogy?

00:23:50 - How to work with not only spirituality but also with responsibility in educational settings?

00:33:47 - What does conscience mean in the context of Existential Analysis and Existential Pedagogy?

00:35:58 - What can Existential Pedagogy contribute to the development of so-called Life Skills?

Literature:

• Längle, A. (2024): The Art of Involving the Person: The Existential Fundamental Motivations as Structure of Motivational Process. In: A. Cantú, E. Maisel, & C. Ruby (Eds.), Theoretical Alternatives to the Psychiatric Model of Mental Disorder Labeling: Contemporary Frameworks, Taxonomies, and Models (pp. 487–503). Cambridge (UK): The Ethics International Press. ISBN (Hardback): 978-1-80441-276-3
• Längle A. & Klaassen, D. (2019): Phenomenology and Depth in Existential Psychotherapy. In: J Humanistic Psychology https://journals.sagepub.com/eprint/pJdypyZFmIK2F6mvBgyJ/full
• Längle, A. (2014): From Viktor Frankl’s Logotherapy to Existential Analytic psychotherapy. In: European Psychotherapy 12, 67-83.
• Längle, A. (2012): The Viennese School of Existential Analysis. The Search for Meaning and Affirmation of Life. In: Barnett L, Madison G (Eds.): Existential therapy: Legacy, vibrancy, and dialogue. New York: Routledge, 2ß12, 159-170.
• Siller, H. & Waibel, E. M. (2018): Not pure harmony, but less of a power struggle – What do teachers and pedagogues think about Existential Pedagogy? In: The Teacher Educator, Volume 53/2018, Issue 1, pp. 44 – 66.
• Waibel, E. M. (2017): Self-Worth and Meaning-Oriented Education, In: Etherington, Matthew (Ed.). What Teachers Need to Know. Topics of Inclusion. Wipf & Stock: Eugene, OR (USA), pp. 66 – 81
• Waibel, E. M. (2012): Erziehung zu Selbstwert und Sinn – Self-Worth and Meaning-Oriented Education, In: Rabensteiner, Pia-Maria und Ropo Eero (Hrsg.): Life and Responsibility in European Education. Euopean Dimension in Education and Teaching. Vol. 5. Hohengehren: Schneider, S. 103 – 131

The Time Magazine listed our guest today among America’s 25 most influential people in 1996. And with that, we are truly honored to welcome Professor Carol Gilligan in this episode! Carol is one of the most influential psychologists and ethicists of our time. She is the author of the groundbreaking book In a Different Voice, which not only reshaped moral development theory but also introduced the now widely recognized ethics of care. Currently based at New York University, she has held distinguished positions at Harvard and Cambridge. Her work has had a lasting impact not only in psychology and philosophy but also in education, gender studies, and democratic theory. In this episode, we speak with Carol about the origins of In a Different Voice, the overlooked abortion study that inspired it, and the paradigm shift she helped initiate—from abstract principles of justice to an ethics rooted in care, relationship, and responsibility. We also explore the role of embodied knowledge, the resurgence of patriarchy, and why helping children—and societies—find their voices is more urgent than ever.

00:01:16 – A bit about Carol’s personal story

00:09:56 – About the abortion decision study which lead to In a Different Voice

00:16:57 – About the paradigm shift towards the ethics of care

00:21:47 – What does responsibility mean to Carol?

00:27:32 – What role does intuition have with regard to the human voice?

00:31:58 – What would it look like in practice if we were to teach teacher students or nursing students in a way that would enhance their intuition?

00:33:16 – What does the voice of resistance sound like?

00:41:50 – Why did Carol call her book Darkness Now Visible?

Literature:

• Gilligan, C. (1982): In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women's Development. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674445444.
• Gilligan, C (1991) Women, Girls and Psychotherapy. Reframing resistance.
• Gilligan, C. Between Voice and Silence (1996): Women and Girls, Race and Relationships.
• Gilligan, C. (2011). Joining the resistance. Cambridge, UK Malden, Massachusetts: Polity Press. ISBN 9780745651705.
• Gilligan, C and David Richards (2020). Darkness now visible - Patriarchy`s Resurgence and Feminist resistance
• Gilligan, C. (2023): In a Human Voice. Cambridge: Polity Press ISBN 9781509556809.

Our guest in this episode is Dr. Helgard Mahrdt from the Center for Gender Research at the University of Oslo. She was also Associate Professor at the Department of Literature, Area Studies, and European Languages and Visiting Professor at the University of Ljubljana. Furthermore, she served as a Senior Researcher at the Danish Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities in Copenhagen and has been affiliated with the Humaniora study group at the University of Oslo. In this episode, we explore her long-standing engagement with the political thought of Hannah Arendt, focusing on Arendt’s insights into education, judgment, and responsibility. We discuss Arendt’s concept of the educator’s double responsibility—toward both the child and the world—and what it means to teach in an era marked by alienation, expropriation, and the breakdown of tradition. We also reflect on the role of thinking, remembering, and public discourse in shaping democratic life, and on how educators and universities must respond to rising authoritarian pressures.

00:01:25 – What brought Helgard to study the life and work of Hannah Arendt?

00:03:48 – On the double responsibility of the educator

00:04:09 – On Arendt’s concept of Being-in-the-world and its relevance for education

00:11:45 – On the difference between moral and political responsibility

00:15:52 – What lessons can we draw from Arendt regarding current radical political movements?

00:21:19 – Do universities have a political responsibility?

Literature:

• Arendt, H. (2017): The Origins of Totalitarianism. London: Penguin Books.
• Arendt, H. (2018): The Human Condition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
• Arendt, H. (2022): Eichmann in Jerusalem. London: Penguin Books.
• Arendt, H. (2006): On Revolution. London: Penguin Books.
• Mahrdt, H. (in progress) Hannah Arendt – to be at home in the world. Vidar Forlag: Oslo.
• Mahrdt, H. (2022): Responding to wrong-doing. Ethics and Education. ISSN 1744-9642. 17(2), p. 197–210. doi: 10.1080/17449642.2022.2054541.
• Mahrdt, H. (2018): Arendt and the notion of plurality, In: Filosofisk supplement.
• Mahrdt, H. (2015): Refugees and Europe: a dilemma or a turning point. In: Studier i Pedagogisk Filosofi. Vol. 4. No. 2.
• Mahrdt, H. (2012): Hannah Arendt: Self-disclosure, Worldliness and plurality. Journal of the British Society for Phenomenology. Vol 43. No.3. (pp.250-263).