The subject of love was chosen because of the current confusion over the nature, importance, and development of love. Although these topics are often discussed, the study of them seems never to be exhausted. The scope of the subject was too broad and the time for the study too short to investigate a number of theories of love. Therefore, the writer chose to study the concepts of love of the present-day psychiatrist. This decision led to the search for two contemporary psychiatrists who had published materials of importance on the topic. The subject was narrowed further when the search was begun for two men who represented two schools of psychology, existential and psychoanalytic. Viktor E, Frankl is an existentialist and Karl A. Menninger is a disciple of Freud. Both men are contemporary theorists and have written several books and articles on the subject. The basic assumptions in this thesis are: Love is an important value and not merely an illusion. Love may be understood, although there are neither reliable computers nor valid formulas for measuring "love quotient." An investigation of love from a psychological viewpoint can be valid. The comparison of the concepts of love as revealed in the writings of Frankl and of Menninger may aid in the understanding of the development of human love.

The work deals with the selected ethical concepts of social work, such as human and person, freedom, conscience, values, suffering and death. These concepts are thoughtful and their understanding is deepened on the basis of the texts of Viktor Emil Frankl. In the work the personality of V. E. Frankl is presented, his method of logotherapy and existential analysis, further are presented the fields of ethics and social work. The selected concepts are introduced as they are introduced in the work of V. E. Frankl and in the works of representatives of existential philosophy whose approaches Frankl used. There is also evaluated the relevance of these concepts for ethics of social work on the basis of monographs and on the basis of the academic articles of the authors dealing with ethics in social work.The work pointed out the potential benefits of logotherapy and existential analysis of ethics of social work during the application of Frankl's psychotherapeutic methods into the fields of social work.