What Does Man's Search For Meaning Mean

The first unit on our textbook Interactions by Ann Moseley and Jeanette Harris talks about the self-concept. It is hard to find a definition for the self-concept because it is certain beliefs about ethnicity, religion, and personalities combined. This unit has a number of readings by various authors where it shows struggles with the self. Self-identity, ethnic backgrounds, and self-esteem are the major aspects of those readings. After reading their writings I found that I could relate to their experiences. The three readings that got my attention were “Zero” By Paul Logan, “I’m Just Me” by Lylah Alphonse, and “The Jacket” by Gary Soto.

Viktor Frankl’s thesis found in Man’s Search for Meaning is repeated multiple times, in different ways throughout his book. On page 111 he states, “According to logotherapy, we can discover this meaning in life in three different ways: (1) by creating a work or doing a deed; (2) by experiencing something or encountering someone; and (3) by the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering” (Frankl). This is not saying that all of those qualities have to be present to find one’s meaning though especially suffering. The only way to find the meaning of life is by answering your own call for life, not what others value as meaning. Each meaning

You can't be aware of the essence of another person unless you love them. Love becomes one of the strongest drives for human meaning. Frankl believes love is more than just a sexual drive as some psychologists make it out to be. It is something that all, or at least most, humans search for. It is a fact that all humans need contact with other people. It was the love for his wife, among other things, that helped Frankl survive his years in the concentration camp.

In the short piece, “An Army of One: Me,” written by Jean Twenge, there is an issue that is not only evident in today’s society, but in one that started well before the contemporary times. We relate these matters to the generation of baby boomers and also currently labeled, Generation Me. Generation Me is often criticized in having little to no self-esteem. Because of the prior generations, the word self-esteem seems to be brought up quite often in this passage. There has been a strong focus on mental health of a child growing through school and seems to be affecting their outcome as well as ability to learn. We live in a world where there is a push for the better of people, more so the consiouness of idividuality. Twenge inserts a lyric by Whitney Houton stating, “learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all time (756).” Twenge inserts this quote because of the issue brught up in the world today, the lack of Self esteem. What does it mean to have self and how does self-impact students today and beyond? To have self, it simply means how that person builds self-growth, an education and in real life realtionships. This certainly has a direct correlation and impact on how students experience in school and in real world living.

The self is interpreted by the individual and defined differently based on that individual. He or she as their actual selves and not pretending to be someone else to gain the satisfaction of others is the self. I am a first generation college student who grew up in one of Chicago’s most impoverished and threatening neighborhoods, Cabrini Green. My siblings look at me as a mother figure and role model. I became who I am today by the influence of my parents, school, and society. In this world, I will be a successful pediatrician at a children’s hospital where there is a need for people in this profession. Living mindfully and reflectively means thinking about your actions and self evaluating. When you live mindfully, you are aware of what you are doing and the consequence of your actions. Once you have looked back on those actions, you know that everything you 've done was mindful. What helps during this process is setting goals for yourself and self evaluation every day. Losing focus of your goals or being impacted by others can hinder someone during this process. The readings this semester have definitely had an impact on my thinking. They reminded of things about the education system, the government, and society that I usually don’t think about much but does cross my mind or I remember. It has for sure taught me that you can’t believe everything you are told from the people who you are suppose to trust or protect you. Which goes back to thinking for yourself. Immanuel

Self: is described as an individuals internal system, and should be the leader. The overall goal is to achieve harmony and balance inside our internal system. When balance is achieved we feel competent, self-confident, harmonious and are able to respond and listen to feedback. (www.selfleadership.org)

Life was consumed by constant orders, labor, malnutrition, disease, and murder in the concentration camps. Yet somehow the human psyche in many individuals was able to endure throughout these imprisonments. Men and women were almost completely dehumanized during this genocide, but their psyche survived it. People had to find little things to keep themselves content and to nurture their psyche. “Humor was another of the soul’s weapons in the fight for self-preservation” (63). Humor allows a person to escape a situation and rise above it, even if only for a short time. Humor can never be taken away from anyone because it is naturally within us. Humor within the concentration camps allowed people, for even a split second, to feel like they

There were times that gave meaning and times to grow, but many lost hope and meaning. The main aim in giving a man meaning was to point out goals for the future that could give him something to work for. For some it was a child living in another country waiting for him. For others it was uncompleted work that can only be finished by the man himself. Frankl stated that “man can only live while looking toward the future.”

Who are you? What defines who you are? Why makes you who you are? What is your personal identity? Have you ever sat around pondering the meaning of life, or maybe just your life? Have you asked yourself any of these questions? What were your answers? These are questions that people have been trying to answer since the beginning of time, before me and you were ever born or thought of. People live their whole lives trying to figure out exactly who they are and what their purpose is in life. In the field of philosophy, many philosophers have had theories on personal identity and a person’s “self.” These people have gone down in history books for their theories on a person’s identity: John Locke and Rene’ Descartes. These are two of the most

My sense of self started to develop when I was a child and growing up, I was surrounded by a large family and friends while I developed

At Frankl’s lowest points, he thought about his accomplishments, dreams, and his wife. He discovered that the meaning of his suffering was for the greater good of mankind. While sections of the story and touching, they can also be very heartbreaking and make an argument as a weakness in the novel. Some may not want to endure the sadness that this novel

     Two things can happen when we are required to base our definition of “self” on others.  One can take others’ ways of living and thinking, process them, and formulate his or her own definition, independent of anyone else.  Or, one can use the relationships he or she has with other people on which to base their own definition of self, thus making him or her dependent on those other people.  As young people, we learn and take in all we can through the world, our experiences, and relationships with other people.  From there, we grow and establish our own identities, our own “selves”, in response to those interactions with others.  This definition is continually growing and progressing as we evolve as people, interacting with different people in different environments and

The premise of Frankl’s book is that mankind’s desire for meaning is much stronger than its desire for power or pleasure and that if man can find meaning in life he can survive anything. Frankl introduces this idea [which he calls the theory of logotherapy] throughout his concentration camp experiences in the book’s first section and delves deeper into it in the second section. Referencing Nietzsche, Frankl tells us “Those who have a 'why' to live, can bear with almost any 'how'” (p. 80). The most important thing to be learned from this statement is that no matter what your circumstances are, you can be happy, or at least survive, if you find a meaning or purpose in life. While in the concentration camp Frankl tells us that in order to maintain his desire to have a meaningful life he focused on three main things: suffering, work, and love. Of sacrifice

Defined as “the entire person of an individual” (Merriam-Webster, 2017), it is interesting to consider the different ways ‘the self’ has been interpreted through different societies. In Foucault’s Societies of Discipline (S.O.D), a previous economy of power, it would have been simple to define the self – discipline “’makes’ individuals” (Foucault, 1977, p.170) and in doing so this intrinsic sense of the self. However does this hold true in our current social scenario? Deleuze states that the

When introducing the concept of self-consciousness, it can be very difficult for individuals to understand that there are many forms of self-consciousness. Many already have a definition in mind as soon as they hear the word self-consciousness. It is made up of many concepts because it isn’t just a cognitive state, rather, many cognitive states. The mind processes many things as opposed to just knowing things. Humans are capable of doing and desiring many things while self-evaluating and questioning oneself. Everyone is able to consider their own actions and to think about themselves. When thinking, humans are able to consider ideas and depictions regarding the self and others. Regarding oneself allows for evaluating self-worth in refinement to common social roles (Bermudez).