Man's Search For Meaning By Mor Frankl

    A country singer named Randy Travis once sang in “Three Wooden Crosses”,  “It’s not what you take when you leave this world behind you, it’s what you leave behind you when you go.” This verse gives meaning to my life and defines what I will do when I am gone. A man by the name of Viktor Frankl writes the book, Man’s Search for Meaning. In this novel, Frankl is at one of the dreadful concentration camps during the Holocaust, trying to search for his meaning of life. What gives one meaning to his or her life? One might think they have no purpose in this world however, that is not true. He or she must find the people or concepts that make them happy or give significance to their lives. The meaning of one’s life can be interpreted

Bitterness came upon their return to their former lives, former hometowns, and former atmosphere. Disillusionment elicited from realizing that even after reaching the absolute limit of all possible suffering, there still was a life to look forward to (Frankl 92). They became humans again. Frankl connects these accounts and thoughts to develop a profound theory of the logotherapy, which is discussed in the next section, titled “Logotherapy in a Nutshell”. Frankl introduces logotherapy by explaining that it focuses toward finding the meaning of life thus the prefix “logo”, which means “meaning” in Greek (Frankl 98). In parallel to Frankl’s idea, everyone has a purpose to live because “man’s search for meaning is the primary motivation in his life and not a “secondary realization” of instinctual drives” (Frankl 99). One needs to have his own will to meaning to achieve significance and satisfy one’s specific goals in mind. Also, Frankl articulates his thought by saying that “love is the only way to grasp another human being in the innermost

Every day people are put through unfortunate circumstances. Every day people suffer. It is something that nobody has control over. Some people embrace suffering and learn from it while others simply get lost in it. Others let it take over their lives. But what is suffering? It is important to recognize what suffering is to be able to cope with it and to learn something beneficial from it. A general definition of suffering would be a feeling of pain due to the loss of something physical. It can also go deeper. There are many people that suffer due to insults that can be emotionally draining to deal with or that are undermining to a person. It is important to not let suffering overtake your life but rather use it to learn something new and benefit from.

The text, Mans Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl is similar to the previous reading assignment, All Quiet on the Western Front in many aspects. Both are centralized around the gruesome horrors that come with human conflict, in addition, the texts also do a wonderful job at taking a look deep into the human psyche. In light of this, it is important to note that All quiet on the Western Front is considered a historical fiction novel, this is where the sources differ. Man’s Search for Meaning is a historical nonfiction text, therefore the information in the text can be relied on to be slightly more accurate. With this sentiment In mind, the text Man’s Search For Meaning was written in 1946, the book was in the form of a journal, and it chronicled the incarceration of Viktor Frankl (1905-1997) an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist. Frankl Spent over three years In the Auschwitz and Dachau concentration camps. During this time Frankl Lost everything, His wife, His family, His friends. Frankl himself had been under constant threat of being violently executed. He lost every physical possession on his first day in the camps, and was then forced

Certain situations and experiences we undergo in our lifetime are destined, nearly inevitable. Mans search for meaning urges us to acknowledge that “we cannot avoid suffering, but we can chose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward with renewed purpose”. Viktor Frankl was faced with an experience of inevitable suffering during his time spent at various concentration camps during the second World War. It is these experiences and sufferings that set the narrative in his novel “Mans Search for Meaning”, where he uses a philosophical standpoint to evaluate his life in camp which led to his liberation. Within this paper, I intend to present Frankl’s ideology that when faced with suffering, you must have control over your free

In "Man's Search for Meaning," Victor Frankl describes lessons for spiritual revival and his personal experiences inside the Nazi concentration camps. Frankl disagreed with Freud, a philosopher who believed that life is a quest for power, and Alfred Adler, who believed that life is a quest for power; instead, Frankl agreed with Nietzsche who stated that "He who has a Why to live for can bear almost any How." (Page IX.) The three most significant factors that Victor Frankl wrote about that gave life meaning were work, love, and courage during difficult times.

When reviewing Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning Psychologist K. M. McCann says, “It goes without saying that Frankl’s seminal text is well worth reading and should, by most counts, be required for all students of psychology.” It is important to note that Frankl’s work is not a textbook, rather in Frankl’s 1992 preface he said that he “wanted simply to convey to the reader by way of concrete example that life holds a potential meaning under any conditions, even the most miserable ones,” (XIV). So why then would a McCann recommend his book to psychology students? Because he understands that Frankl a book about psychology that transcends his audience’s circumstances and backgrounds. He sets his writing apart by not following the traditional self-help formula of step by step betterment. Many of his arguments are supported by, or rely on, quotes from noted authorities. And because of the narrative’s setting within Nazi concentration camps Frankl paints a vivid emotional picture. Frankl succeeds in his mission to make Man’s Search for Meaning a book that reaches every reader by forming logical arguments that are backed up by contextualizing his arguments through emotion and expert reference.

The Man’s Search for Meaning demonstrates what a human being can endure in spite of terrible state of affairs such as the Holocaust. I believe Viktor Frankl survived this cruel occurrence because it is not only his psychiatrist background but his optimistic and meaning for life that also saved him. Frankl opposes that every individual has an inborn tendency to search for the meaning of his being, “You cannot control what happens to you in life, but you can always control what you do and feel about what happens to you” (pages X Foreword). Frankl’s experiences in the several small concentration camps are used to demonstrate on how concentrating on the reasons behind a circumstance rather than the outcomes that follow, lets a person to endure even the most horrifying of situations. He writes of all the horrors and tragedies’ that he and his fellow prisoners experienced, however, the message that is most important is that no matter what type of suffering a person withstands, as long as they grasp onto their faith that everything happens for a reason, they can survive just about anything.

Man’s Search for Meaning gives detail of Victor Frankl’s experiences in a concentration camp and his attempts to understand and overcome the trauma that came along with it. The book is made up of three parts: Experiences in a Concentration Camp, logotherapy in a Nutshell, and finally, Postscript 1984: The Case for Tragic Optimism (“Man’s Search for Meaning”). Victor Frankl was born in 1905 and later in his adult life, became a psychiatrist and moved to Vienna. Frankl was of Jewish decent, yet was protected for some time by the Nazis because of his work as a therapist and doctor (“Man’s Search

As I read through Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl, I grasp on to all the epiphanies and realizations that Frankl reflects upon and take them into consideration in my own life. Although I have never gone through any experiences even remotely similar to his experiences in the concentration camps, in this time in my life I am searching for meaning in a way. Moving on to a new chapter in my life, I feel as though I am trying to find my purpose, who I am, and who I will become. Therefore, Man’s Search for Meaning has provided me with multiple major insights in my own search for meaning.

Author Victor E. Frankl wrote a book called Man’s Search for Meaning. He had always fantasized about being a doctor from a young age. He lived in Vienna, and studied medicine, psychology and logotherapy-which is the healing through meaning. In 1942 his family was arrested and taken to Theresienstadt in Bohemia. His family had died in the camp except his sister; she was the only one to survive besides him. He began to write a script while in the camps he was in (he moved to 3 different camps during the holocaust). It was called, The Doctor and The Soul. He wrote it on pieces of paper he found in the camps. In 1945 his camp was set free and he finished his manuscript. When he got out, he became the director of the Vienna Neurological Policlinic.

The meaning of life is referred to as an individual pertaining the significance in living or existence in general. From the readings “Man’s Search For New Meaning” by Viktor E. Frankl, he was able to give a greater depth on his own experience and the stories of his parents to illustrate the life of an ordinary prisoner. As Frankl went through suffering, he discusses that life has a meaning behind it and despite any circumstances suffering cannot be avoided. In addition, he paints a vivid image how to cope with it, finding the meaning in it and how to move forward and the mindset needed to survive. However, throughout this essay the theme dehumanization brought on by the camps, will be explored as a main aspect in Frankl surviving.

For the prisoners, the question of the meaning of life turned to the question of if their suffering had any meaning at all, and Frankl argues that what they really needed to be asking was what life

Viktor Frankl had a chance to escape the wrath of World War II, but he didn’t! Instead, he chose to stay behind so that he could be close to his parents. That choice, ultimately led him to extreme experiences within several Nazi concentration camps, including the infamous Auschwitz. Watching those around him suffer the same fate, the same hardships and the same pain, he noticed that they all reacted differently. Those who had found a meaning or will to live did so, but others who had lost everything dear to them often just gave up – and died. Frankl realized that (and he often quotes Nietzsche), "He who has a why to live can bear with almost any how”.

Many people, including myself prior to reading this book, tend to believe that happiness is achieved in the absence of suffering. Frankl gives a different perspective stating, “If there is a meaning in life at all, then