Man's Search for Meaning

I read this during a difficult season in my life, one where it would have been easy to fall into self-pity. The timing of this book felt significant. It gave me a clearer understanding of my own thoughts, grief, and the weight of despair in a way that was both grounding and challenging. Frankl’s account of surviving the concentration camps is direct and sobering, but what stands out most is his perspective. He doesn’t minimize suffering; instead, he reframes it. His idea that meaning, not comfort, is what sustains us shifted how I think about hardship. The concept of logotherapy was especially impactful. The focus on finding purpose, even in unavoidable suffering, provides a practical and realistic framework for moving forward when circumstances cannot be changed. This is not a light read, but it is a necessary one. It meets you where you are and quietly forces you to examine how you respond to adversity. For me, it provided clarity at a time I needed it.

I recently completed a master's in counseling and guidance and have been reading to find a set of books that will best address some of the disorders in the DSM-IV. Following is a list I have put together from my reading so far, and these are books that I would HIGHLY recommend. I would like to say up front that the DSM-IV is full of very normal behaviors that for some reason have become magnified or exaggerated in an individual to the point of causing a negative impact in their daily lives. Take OCD for example, it is quite normal and even preferable (from a safety perspective) to check and be sure that one has turned off all the burners on the stove after cooking, or to be sure the back door is locked before going to bed. But to continue checking time and again would be problematic and can lead to problems in an individual's life. Something is diagnosed as a disorder when it moves from being a "normal" activity to being something that causes dysfunction in daily living. So, one may read the DSM-IV and see themselves reflected in many of the disorders. The question is always: is this behavior negatively impacting my life? If so then that is when it crosses the line of normal and needs to be treated. Depression; I believe there are two sources for depression: one source is our own minds, we think ourselves into the depression - at least in this case we know where it is coming from and we should be able to step behind our thoughts and help ourselves move in a better direction. The other source seemingly comes from nowhere; one minute we are okay and the next we are thrown into the depths * Book = "Transforming Depression: Healing the Soul Through Creativity"- David H. Rosen" o I would recommend reading this at least through chapter 4, going further than that delves into some deep Jungian psychology which will not likely appeal to everyone. I certainly enjoy Jungian psychology and believe that Jung's work will become more and more important and critical to our understanding as we move forward in this field of psychology. Jung's psychology is really on the borderland between spirit/soul and the science of psychology and it is Jung's work that brought me into this field. However it is quite complex/deep/different and may lose some readers. For a very good intro to Jung's work, I would recommend "The Essential Jung" by Anthony Storr, but this is not light reading as is composed of excerpts from Jung's collected works. * Book = "Man's Search for Meaning" - Viktor Frankl o I would recommend this book for two primary reasons: one is it pushes very strongly the message that meaning is essential in our lives - as shown through Victor Frankl's imprisonment in Nazi concentration camps. Frankl comments on how he observed the individuals who gave up the fight and died, and the individuals who persevered - and most importantly what it was that he believes made the difference. The other reason I recommend this book is that it helps the individuals whose thoughts may have led them to depression to realize that things could be worse. Of course there are devastations we may face that can truly be to us, just as bad as a Nazi concentration camps, but for the most part, we often push ourselves into depression for reasons that are somewhat superficial compared to other realities. Depersonalization Disorder - essentially feeling like you are not really there * Book = "Feeling Unreal: Depersonalization Disorder and the Loss of the Self" - Daphne Simeon and Jeffrey Abugel o Excellent book which will help folks understand this disorder. This is for me a very interesting disorder, I think this is one disorder where the connection between our ego consciousness and perhaps what we are at a much deeper level is challenged. Normally we are locked into full belief in our reality - we believe we are very much a part of it and that we "are" the body in which we reside. This disorder forces us to question if we are the body we think we are. It would appear that whatever piece of our mind is keeping us in full belief is breaking down a bit, leaving us a bit outside of the "normal" feeling of being the body. Folks with this disorder can actually worry that they do not have control of their body and that this body may do something they do not want it to do. Driving a car for example can be quite traumatic if you think your body may be acting without your input. Bipolar disorder - the book I am recommending is focused on Bipolar II disorder - essentially swinging from manic (very happy and carefree) to severe depression. This book was actually required reading during the Masters program * Book = "An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness" by Kay Redfield Jamison o Excellent book written by a psychologist who suffers from this disorder. This book helps to understand the importance of medication for this disorder, as well as the path of destruction that can easily be paved during carefree, manic episodes. ADHD (attention deficit disorder) * Book = "Scattered: How Attention Deficit Disorder Originates And What You Can Do About It" - Gabor Mate o This is not just a great book for folks with ADHD, but for everyone - as many of the lessons here translate to all of us. This is an extremely excellent book on ADHD and living in general. OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) * Book = "Tormenting Thoughts and Secret Rituals: The Hidden Epidemic of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder" - Ian Osborn o Excellent book on OCD - this book will help individuals with OCD as well as those who know someone with the disorder - to understand what is happening in the mind of a person with this disorder. This book will also help OCD folks realize that they are not alone and that many of the rituals or compulsions are shared by other folks with OCD. That is all for now, but I am still reading

This was a great read. Frankl’s narrative of his years spent in concentration camps was captivating and his outline of logotherapy was rational and inspiring. However, I’ve been confused about my feelings toward its application and/or relevance without the inclusion of faith. After concluding, these are my feelings… I believe this philosophy (logotherapy) to be exceptionally helpful, especially compared to many alternative philosophies and therapies which hold individuals captive to their past and external circumstances. Further, I think this philosophy to be a great supplement to the Christian faith; as unfortunately, even people of faith can lapse into moments or seasons of despair, and Frankl offers practical application to assist a person in overcoming such times. However, I believe Frankl misses the mark in his exclusion of faith. I, of course, understand why. He, himself, was not a Christian (although many of his concepts have Christian roots). Further, the philosophy would have a wider audience if faith were excluded. Also, one does not need faith in order to apply the philosophy and live a relatively “happy” life. However, I believe that without the Christian faith, the philosophy hits a ceiling. Frankl gives us a great motivation on how to walk through life, how to find meaning to live at a given moment… But what about after all the moments are done? Just before your last breath is drawn, and you look back over all the decisions you’ve placed in your “grainery of realities,” what was it all for if there’s nothing after this? I believe this is a question that plagues people throughout life as well, not just at the conclusion of it. As creations of an immanent God who desires to be known and loved by His creation, we were each created with a God sized void within us. While we might walk through this life, trying to fill that void with other created things that this world offers, only God can fill a God sized hole. The Bible tells us that we were created on purpose, with purpose, and for purpose. Ultimately, we were each created to know God, and to make Him known. Where each of us is unique is in our capacity to and how we choose to walk out this purpose. Once an individual realizes that their purpose transcends this limited and finite existence and surpasses themselves, they then begin to exhaust their self focus and, in succession, their internal turmoil and despair (the latter being a concept that Frankl echos). We see evidence throughout generations and generations of individuals who have walked out this particular “search for meaning,” and despite the external trials they faced and/or the manner in which they drew their last breath, they left this life fulfilled, complete. Three pages from the end, William Winslade states in his afterword that Frankl “was fond of saying that the aim of psychiatry was the healing of the soul, leaving to religion the salvation of the soul.” I was left thinking, “why heal the soul if you don’t want to save it?” Faith can do both.

Man’s Search for Meaning remains powerful not because it offers simplistic optimism in the face of suffering, but because it refuses both despair and illusion. Frankl writes from firsthand experience of the concentration camps with a level of psychological clarity and restraint that gives the book much of its force. What stands out most is the central insight that meaning is not dependent on comfort, certainty, or favorable conditions. Frankl argues that even in situations where external freedom is stripped away, human beings retain the capacity to choose their orientation toward suffering, responsibility, and existence itself. The idea is profound precisely because it emerges from conditions severe enough to test it completely. The book also avoids becoming abstract philosophy detached from lived reality. Frankl moves between personal observation, psychological insight, and existential reflection in a way that keeps the ideas grounded in human experience rather than intellectual performance. The prose is direct and disciplined, almost understated given the subject matter. That restraint allows the emotional and philosophical weight to emerge without sentimentality. The book does not romanticize suffering, nor does it claim meaning can erase pain. Instead, it insists that purpose, responsibility, love, and inner orientation remain psychologically vital even within profound hardship. Its lasting influence comes from the seriousness with which it treats human dignity—not as naïve idealism, but as something tested under extreme conditions and still found meaningful. It is ultimately less a memoir of suffering than a meditation on what allows a person to remain spiritually intact when nearly everything else has been taken away.

Jennifer rated a book it was amazing Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl read in January, 2016 Read My rating: 1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars[ 5 of 5 stars ] I hadn't heard of this book before a few months back. I picked it up after feeling incredibly uncomfortable trying to muss out meaning through the inevitable nihilism and sadness that accompanies the death of a loved one and found it to be very helpful. It's split into two main sections, the first and larger, illustrates Frankl's philosophy that man needs meaning to reach his full potential and/or lead a happier, more fulfilling life. He uses his personal experiences at four different concentration camps to better illustrate different ways meaning or the pursuit of meaning affected the prisoners and soldiers around him. The second section reaffirms these anecdotes by further explaining the school of Psychology he build around the need for meaning and pursuit (logotherapy) and more stories of patients he saw and why they felt their lives had lost/never found meaning. The second section felt dated and a little paternalistic to me but that's probably just the voice of when it was written more than anything. I also felt it was a triumph for someone of his era and experience to have written the first section without using faith as a comfort to those who're questioning. He seems to be have a religious background, if not belief, and recalls some anecdotes about those questioning their faith in the second section but the first rarely mentions faith. Instead, he focuses on the many ways we can find fulfillment as individuals in this life (work, love, the creation of art, stubbornness through suffering, etc.) rather than what seems to be the standard to be comforted by what's to come (to be reunited with those we love, to receive your reward in the bounty and painlessness of heaven, to make God or those who've died proud, etc.). The real importance (for me) of this book is that it's not just a reminder than men have survived much worse than the average reader and felt fulfilled - it's the idea that for every new event I experience, I have the ability to continuously shape my outlook. Easily said, obviously, but a wonderful thing to read and be reminded of by someone who knows better than most. There are some memorable and meaningful quotes in here, so many in fact that I started highlighting them because they felt powerful enough to revisit and reinterpret. It's a short and pretty simply written book that tackles the most complex and powerful question we ever ask ourselves and I wholeheartedly agree with the many reviewers who found it influential and required reading.

I followed Viktor Frankl diligently in his journey from the gas ovens of Auschwitz into the hospitals of Vienna after he beats the 1 in 20 odds of his surviving a German concentration camp. He writes that the single most important self-determinant in his survival was his deep inherent conviction under the worst of all possible conditions that life has meaning: even here under constant risk of typhus, wearing the recycled prison garb of those who had been sacrificed to the ovens, starving, freezing, beaten, demonized and dehumanized. If one can still find meaning here and survive because of it, then under better conditions meaning should be possible to find. Frankl believes that there are three sources of meaning: 1) one's work 2) other people whom you love 3) rising with dignity and integrity from a hopelessly tragic diminishment. He found that in the camps the survivors had a positive attitude, which reinforced their search for meaning and gave them hope in a hopeless situation. In Vienna hospitals he debunked theories of Freud and Adler with "logotherapy" which helps others to find the meaning in their lives and heal from thoughts of suicide, psychoses and neurotic behavior. "Logos" is Greek for "meaning" and if you can find it in your own life, then essentially it seems you are as invincible as Frankl, who not only survived Auschwitz but also lived into his 90's, is the living proof of his own thesis. Ultimately, when asked what was the meaning of his life, he wrote that the meaning of his life was to help other people find the meaning in their lives. He is an existentialist but he has a positive outlook on life unlike, for example, Camus or Sartre or the usual champions of this dark philosophy, which sprang out of the widespread, bombed-out wreckage of WWII. He writes that the Nazis proved what man was capable of and Hiroshima proved how high the stakes are. So the search for meaning is important therapy not only as it heals individuals but also because it has a healing and uplifting effect upon humanity as a whole and may well be one approach to saving the human race from its own self-destruction. Frankl had a visa and train ticket out of Vienna before the Nazis rose into power but decided to stay there to help his aging parents who had no such respite. Like Frankl, his pregnant wife and parents were taken to the camps and on the first day after he came home to Vienna he learned that all three had been lost there. He wrote "The Search for Meaning" in only nine days and described how his positive attitude and search for meaning enabled him to survive. He describes how this process of autobiography helped him to begin his own healing, a term which he describes as "autobibliotherapy." By virtue of writing down one's findings in the search for meaning, one serves to find meaning in one's own life and to help others find it in their lives. He prescribes no formulas and believes that every individual must find his or her own meaning in life despite diminishments and suffering and death which accompany every life. With incredible, calm clarity he writes that for everyone "suffering and death are necessary to complete life." He believes that suffering clarifies the meaning of life and, while he doesn't believe we need to bring it upon ourselves, the average life generally provides sufficient circumstances for us to know that suffering is an inevitable aspect of life. So why not learn from it? As Nietzsche wrote: "Suffering is the origin of consciousness." He is not advising us to bring it upon ourselves as a form of sadomasochism but to rise above it with heroic integrity and see it as an opportunity to learn from it. He believes that such life lessons ultimately hold the keys for understanding and overcoming the diminishments of life itself. He writes that man always has a choice of action in reacting to the circumstances no matter how dire they may be. So it seems that readers, when they read great books, are searching for meaning and this search has healing powers for them. Further, it seems that when writers search for meaning in creating their work, they have an opportunity to experience the same healing benefits of autobibliotherapy. So keep reading and writing the good stuff for all the good it can do to you and by all means, read this brief, brilliant book by an Auschwitz survivor as it has life altering implications for you: this book will change your outlook on life and may well, thereby, save it through mastery of the art of living.

Many books are to be tasted or swallowed, whereas certain books are to be chewed and digested for the nourishment of our minds and souls, such as Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl, the founder of Logotheraphy, the third Viennese School of Psychoanalysis, along with Freudian psychoanalysis and Adler’s individual psychology, that deserves of its recognition of being one of the books of our time for its content as well as its origin. This book is not of survival literature of the Holocaust but of a memoir of a courageous human soul that did not succumb to despondency. It is less about what he suffered and lost as a prisoner at four concentration camps during World War II than it is about the sources of his intention to live through it, attesting to the words of Nietzsche: “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.” Man’s Search for Meaning is a fruit of Frankl’s resilient soul ever resisting the existential horrors of situations that life could afford; whenever the miserable conditions of the camp suppressed the spirit, Frankl diverted such negative energy to reconstructing the manuscript which he had lost in the disinfection chamber of Auschwitz and scribbling the key words in shorthand on tiny scraps of paper. In fact, it was a way of intensifying his inner life full of intellectual resources and spiritual freedom to which he could retreat from his terrible surroundings by forcing his thoughts to turn to another subject, which made him enable to rise above the situation, above the sufferings of the moment. In addition to the willful act of deluding anxiety and negative feelings, Frankl ensures us that a sense of humor is another of the soul’s weapon in the fight for self-preservation and can afford an aloofness and an ability to transcend any situation, for developing a sense of humor and seeing things in humorous light is a kind of trick learned while mastering “the art of living.” That is, by laughing about any sordid or callous situation, we ease our mental distress and are able to take on a different stance on the situation in a less negative way that is essentially not overwhelmingly stressful or unbearable. After all, humans are the only biological organism that can laugh, and thus this sense of humor is our prerogative as human. It is also interesting to learn that the prisoners who did their utmost best to look good even in the sordid surrounding survived the dreadful experience because they looked “fit” for survival. This act of grooming links to will to meaning – that is, a will to live- that has physiological bases of psychic energy which rejuvenates the body and the spirit to see a why to live. On the other hand, there was a young inmate in the camp whose sudden loss of hope and courage to live affected his already typhus-stricken body so adversely that such mental condition lowered the man’s temperature and resistance against typhus, which ultimately caused his premature death. This episode shows us that what we believe becomes our truth and thus can alter our reality with another one, a virtual reality as a product of psychosomatic effect, which also links to the three sources for meaning of life as follows: • Creative Value – Doing something meaningful, such as Frankl’s scribbling the manuscript • Experiential Value – Appreciating beauty of the Arts or love, such as his thinking of his wife in another camp whenever he was on the verge of falling into an emotional distress; and • Attitudinal Value – Triumphing over biological, social, and cultural inhibitions during difficult times, such as Frankl’s endless efforts to divert his thought to another object of lofty value. It is this value that gives to our sufferings meaning by the way in which we respond to. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl testifies to Nietzsche’s dictum as aforesaid that suffering can grow out of existential frustration in the sense that there is a point to sufferings, that there is a hidden meaning in the guise of suffering, as there is only one right answer to the problem posed by the situation at hand. The essence of existence, which is search for meaning of life, underlies our awareness of a possibility against the background of reality – that is, what we can do about our given situations, not depending on the happenstances. Our emotions, which are interpreted as suffering, cease to be suffering as soon as we form a clear and precise picture of it by applying the three sources for meaning of life. Viewed in this light, this book is a veritable guide to how to overcome the struggles of our lives and achieve demands imposed upon our daily tasks however insurmountable they seem, which gains utmost credibility against the backgrounds of his own anguish in Auschwitz.

I had the good fortune of knowing my great-grandfather, may he rest in peace, for the first ten years of my life. Being a Holocaust survivor, my great-grandfather always had a story or piece of wisdom to share with my family when we visited. He gave my father Man's Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl as a gift and it remains one of my father's favorite books to this day. Although I was too young to read the book at the time, I know now that it rings truth in a new perspective on the Holocaust. My ancestors survived the horrors that the Nazis inflicted upon them, and they lived to tell me the tale. In an engaging and fascinating way, Frankl sheds some light as to how exactly people made it out of the concentration camps alive, with a will to live and with hope for the future. In the first part of the book, Frankl describes his personal experiences as a prisoner in the Nazi concentration camps. He traces the mental state of an average prisoner in the camps, beginning upon arrival, and through liberation. Frankl writes that after the initial shock of reaching the infamous camp, a prisoner would be overcome by a "delusion of reprieve", an irrational feeling of hope that his situation would somehow be changed for the better. However, after being separated from loved ones in the dreaded selections, and watching them walk towards the gas chambers to their deaths, the reality and horrification of it all dawned upon the prisoner. Frankl describes the next emotional stage as "relative apathy", which was a complete weakening of the prisoner's senses and feelings, leaving a body merely going through the motions of everyday camp routine rather than a person. According to Frankl, apathy was essential for the preservation of a prisoner's life, because it channeled every emotion he had towards the goal of making it through the day alive. The third and final stage that a prisoner experienced was the complete inability to grasp the meaning of freedom. Following this the prisoner would have to re-learn what emotions such as joy and pleasure meant. Throughout this development, there still remains the question: what were the thoughts that gave a prisoner the drive to live, completely necessary for the conservation of his life? Frankl provides answers to this question in the second section of the book. Throughout the book, Frankl often quotes Nietzsche: "He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how." In the second section, Frankl elaborates on how this phrase sums up, in a nutshell, the mentality with which he survived the war. Having a purpose in life, writes Frankl, is the key to withstanding almost any suffering. Frankl named his theory "logotherapy", since logos is Greek for meaning. A method employed in psychology, "logotherapy" causes a patient to pinpoint and become familiar with the meaning of his life, which according to Frankl is the patient's will to strive, succeed, and to live. Frankl goes on to suggest three ways in which one can strive for meaning. The first one, understandably, is to accomplish something. Additionally, meaning can be found by loving another. Finally, man can find meaning by suffering. When one is faced with suffering, and there is nothing he can do to change his predicament, the only remaining option is for him to change his perspective, to change the way in which he views the situation. An example that Frankl gives is of a story of a grieving widower who had lost his wife. The man came to Frankl to ask for advice. Frankl asked the man, "What would have happened...if you had died first and your wife would have had to survive without you?" Through this question, the suffering the man was enduring gained a new purpose, he was mourning, but his wife would not have to mourn him. This story illustrates the usage of "logotherapy", and how by using it, one can utilize his suffering and find meaning through it. The Holocaust and World War II is a time in world history that has been studied and pondered by many scholars. There are volumes upon volumes written about this dark time in history. Man's Search for Meaning is unique because Frankl focuses on the psychology of it all. He brings proofs to back up his claim that man's search for meaning is, in and of itself, a will to live. Through starvation, sickness, torture and brutality, surrounded by death and despair, man can endure it all, he can even gain something from it, so long as he has a reason to keep going. Each individual has a different source of meaning, yet no matter what the cause, the meaning alone is what gives that man the drive to wake up each morning and endure whatever life sends his way. Even when faced with death itself, man can survive if he has a reason to. This book was written specifically about the Holocaust and the concentration camps. Nonetheless, there is a life-changing lesson that one can learn from reading the book, no matter what his life circumstances may be. Life is full of challenges, but those challenges eventually cause a person to question who he is and what he stands for, thereby forcing him to determine the meaning in his life. No matter where a person comes from, and no matter where he is headed, he must have a purpose in his life in order to move forward, and to be able to look back at the end of his life and feel proud of all that he accomplished. In a brilliant and insightful way, Victor Frankl has ultimately handed his readers the key to success and happiness, and the answer to many questions; he has affirmed that above all, meaning is what makes life worth living.

I don’t recall how or why I was recommended, but I’m glad I was. It’s a short, yet powerful narrative that makes you pause for thought.

This book is a great compact size, and the book itself is inspiring. The cover is eye-catching and elegant.

Muy buen libro, lo recomiendo

Great read, highly recommended! I learned so much about the Holocaust and from the point of view of the writer, It felt as if I was there! A must read. The book is of good quality.

"Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl is divided into two parts. In the first part, the author shares his personal experiences as a prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp and the horrific things he witnessed. Despite the seemingly impossible obstacles, he observed how people coped with their suffering, and theorized that finding meaning in one's suffering can provide strength to endure. For Frankl, the thought of reuniting with his wife gave him the courage to continue on. The first part of the book provides insight into how people faced with dire circumstances try to find a way to persevere even when hope seems lost. The second part of the book focuses on logotherapy, a concept developed by Frankl, which posits that the search for meaning and purpose is the biggest motivator in life. It emphasizes that humans have the freedom to find meaning in their experiences and that life has meaning under all circumstances. "Man's Search for Meaning" is a short, powerful book that is both heartbreaking and thought-provoking. I have read it twice, and the idea that finding a sense of purpose is crucial for moving forward has left a lasting impression on me.