Paradoxical Intention
Updated 2026-08-15
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
Developed by Viktor Frankl in logotherapy, paradoxical intention instructs the patient to intentionally bring about, or even exaggerate, the very symptom they fear, such as advising an insomniac to stay awake. The core proposition is that the struggle against a symptom strengthens it, while willing it deliberately breaks the anticipatory cycle that sustains it. The key qualification is that the method requires professional guidance and is unsuited to severe psychiatric illness or dangerous behavior.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Break The Loop: prescribe the feared symptom so anticipation has nothing to fight against. - Exaggerate On Purpose: amplify the feared symptom until its absurdity surfaces. - Watch The Prediction Fail: observe that the feared outcome does not arrive.
Anchor fast decisions
Fear is maintained by the expectation of the symptom, and resisting it confirms the danger. When the person actively intends what was feared, the expected catastrophe is exposed as unrealized, the anxiety that powered the cycle drops, and the symptom no longer has a struggle to feed on.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
account_treeGenealogyexpand_more
menu_bookReferencesexpand_more
Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradoxical_intentionverified
PRIVATE NOTES · Only visible to you
SAVED Q&A
ENTRY Q&A · Private saving available
Ask with a clear boundary
thinkingmodels answers from published entry context only.
Your question is sent to thinkingmodels. The answer uses public entry context only.
RELATED MODELS