What is man’s search for meaning about?
Man’s Search for Meaning is a book about survival. The author, Viktor Emil Frankl was an Australian neurologist, psychiatrist, philosopher, author, and Holocaust survivor. During World War II, Frankl was cast into the Nazi network of concentration and extermination camps, but miraculously he survived.
What is man's search for meaning by Viktor Frankl?
Man's Search for Meaning is a 1946 book by Viktor Frankl chronicling his experiences as an Auschwitz concentration camp inmate during World War II, and describing his psychotherapeutic method, which involved identifying a purpose in life to feel positively about, and then immersively imagining that outcome.
How many copies of Man's Search for meaning are there?
When Man's Search for Meaning was first published in 1959, it was hailed by Carl Rogers as "one of the outstanding contributions to psychological thought in the last fifty years." Now, more than forty years and 4 million copies later, this tribute to hope in the face of unimaginable loss has emerged as a true classic.
How many stars would you give man's search for meaning?
The thing is called "Man's Search for Meaning" for crying out loud. And it's written by a guy who survived four Nazi concentration camps. FOUR! What kind of philistine would give this anything less than five stars or, at the very least, four? Ahem, well, this does indeed put me in an uncomfortable spot.
How long does it take to read Man's Search for meaning?
3 hours and 4 minutesThe average reader will spend 3 hours and 4 minutes reading this book at 250 WPM (words per minute).
What reading level is man's search for meaning?
Man's Search for Meaning: A Young Readers' Edition will help readers ages twelve to eighteen grasp Frankl's enduring lessons on perseverance and strength with clarity and depth.
What does SS mean in man's search for meaning?
In Man's Search for Meaning, the capos were prisoners who were chosen by the SS guards to oversee other prisoners. These privileged individuals were picked for their sadistic qualities and could often be just as brutal as the SS.
What is the message of man's search for meaning?
Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning provides a vivid account of an individual's experience as a prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp. The book focuses on love, hope, responsibility, inner freedom, and the beauty to be found in both nature and art as means that help one endure and overcome harrowing experiences.
Is Man's Search for Meaning a classic?
One of the outstanding classics to emerge from the Holocaust, Man's Search for Meaning is Viktor Frankl's story of his struggle for survival in Auschwitz and other concentration camps. Today, this remarkable tribute to hope offers us an avenue to finding greater meaning and purpose in our own lives.
How do you read Frankl?
3:076:33MAN'S SEARCH FOR MEANING BY VIKTOR FRANKL - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd in the words of viktor frankl. Everything can be taken from a man but one thing the last of theMoreAnd in the words of viktor frankl. Everything can be taken from a man but one thing the last of the human freedoms to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances.
Was Frankl a capo?
First, having read about Frankl I was fully aware of his previous work such as performing forced lobotomies on Jews despite his not being a trained surgeon; his membership with the Fascist 'Fatherland Front' organisation; and the fact that Frankl himself was promoted to Capo (a fact he casually fails to mention in this ...
What is suffering Viktor Frankl?
“If there is a meaning in life at all, then there must be a meaning in suffering. Suffering is an eradicable part of life, even as fate and death. Without suffering and death, human life cannot be complete.” The test then for all of us is how we respond to the suffering in our lives.
What is logotherapy in a nutshell?
What Is Logotherapy? Logotherapy is a therapeutic approach that helps people find personal meaning in life. It's a form of psychotherapy that is focused on the future and on our ability to endure hardship and suffering through a search for purpose.
Was Viktor Frankl tortured?
The Life of Viktor Frankl During World War II in September 1942, Frankl and his wife, Tilly were deported to Theresienstadt concentration camp. This was the first of four different camps where Frankl experienced physical abuse, malnutrition, emotional humiliation and torture (Klingberg, 2001; Redsand, 2006).
What does Frankl say about fate?
"The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross, gives him ample opportunity--even under the most difficult circumstances--to add a deeper meaning to his life. It may remain brave, dignified and unselfish.
How is logotherapy used today?
Logotherapy is used today for a variety of purposes, including addiction, pain and guilt, anxiety, grief, and depression.
Is Man's Search for Meaning a good book?
MAN's SEARCH FOR MEANING (Frankl, 1984) is a helpful book during such times: it is highly probable that one would find a solution to their depressed feelings, if the book is read actively.
How is logotherapy used today?
Logotherapy is used today for a variety of purposes, including addiction, pain and guilt, anxiety, grief, and depression.
When did Viktor Frankl write Man's Search for Meaning?
1946This book, Frankl's first, was published in 1946 in German, and in 1955 it was published in English with the title The Doctor and the Soul. The first version of Man's Search for Meaning, the book for which Frankl is most widely known, was also published in 1946, after Medical Ministry/The Doctor and the Soul.
Is Man's Search for Meaning a memoir?
Celebrated Austrian psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl (March 26, 1905–September 2, 1997) remains best-known for his indispensable 1946 psychological memoir Man's Search for Meaning (public library) — a meditation on what the gruesome experience of Auschwitz taught him about the primary purpose of life: ...
How many copies of Man's Search for Meaning have been sold?
At the time of the author's death in 1997, the book had sold over 16 million copies and had been translated into 24 languages.
How many copies of Frankl's book have been sold?
The book has been identified as one of the most influential books in the United States. At the time of Frankl's death in 1997, the book had sold over 10 million copies and had been translated into 24 languages. However, aspects of the book have garnered criticism.
What did Frankl conclude about the two races of men?
Frankl also concludes that there are only two races of men, decent men and indecent. No society is free of either of them, and thus there were "decent" Nazi guards and "indecent" prisoners, most notably the kapo who would torture and abuse their fellow prisoners for personal gain.
What is Frankl's main claim in the book?
However, aspects of the book have garnered criticism. One of Frankl's main claims in the book is that a positive attitude was essential to surviving the camps. Consequently, he implied and thus helped perpetuate the pervasive myth that those who died had given up.
What is the Doctor and the Soul?
The Doctor and the Soul: From Psychotherapy in Logotherapy. Man's Search for Meaning is a 1946 book by Viktor Frankl chronicling his experiences as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps during World War II, and describing his psychotherapeutic method, which involved identifying a purpose in life to feel positive about, ...
How many books did Viktor Frankl write?
Viktor E. Frankl was professor of neurology and psychiatry at the University of Vienna Medical School until his death in 1997. His twenty-nine books have been translated into twenty-one languages. During World War II, he spent three years in Auschwitz, Dachau, and other concentration camps.
Is Yes to Life in Spite of Everything available in English?
A must-read companion to this classic work, a new, never-before-published work by Frankl entitled Yes to Life: In Spite of Everything, is now available in English.
Why should I read Man's Search for Meaning?
Why You Should Read Man’s Search for Meaning. Man’s Search for Meaning is a book about survival. The author, Viktor Emil Frankl was an Australian neurologist, psychiatrist, philosopher, author, and Holocaust survivor. During World War II, Frankl was cast into the Nazi network of concentration and extermination camps, but miraculously he survived.
What would Dostoevski say if someone asked him the truth?
If someone now asked them the truth of Dostoevski’s statement, they would reply: “Yes a man can get used to anything, but do not ask us how.”
What is the greatest task for anyone?
A man’s search for life meaning. The greatest task for anyone is to find meaning in his or her life, and Frankl saw three places for it: Courage during difficult times. When a man finds that his destiny is to suffer, he will have to accept his suffering as his task.
What is the meaning of Man's Search for Meaning?
In Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl tells his story of surviving a concentration camp and how this experience led to his theory on the importance of meaning in one’s life (Logotherapy). You can find meaning in work (by doing something significant), in love (by caring for another person), and in courage during difficult times.
When a man finds that it is his destiny to suffer, he will have to accept his suffering as his task?
When a man finds that it is his destiny to suffer, he will have to accept his suffering as his task; his single and unique task. His unique opportunity lies in the way in which he bears his burden.
How do we discover meaning in life?
Self-actualization is possible only as a side-effect of self-transcendence. We can discover meaning in life in 3 ways: By creating a work or doing a deed.
What is the ultimate goal of man?
Love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire. The salvation of man is through love and in love.
Can any man decide what shall become of him?
Any man can decide what shall become of him— mentally and spiritually. He may retain his human dignity even in a concentration camp.
Does the search for meaning arouse inner tension?
To be sure, man’s search for meaning may arouse inner tension rather than inner equilibrium. However, precisely such tension is an indispensable prerequisite of mental health.
Overview
Man's Search for Meaning is a 1946 book by Viktor Frankl chronicling his experiences as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps during World War II, and describing his psychotherapeutic method, which involved identifying a purpose in life to feel positive about, and then immersively imagining that outcome. According to Frankl, the way a prisoner imagined the future affected his longevity. The book intends to answer the question "How was everyday life in a concentration camp reflect…
Editions
The book's original title is Ein Psychologe erlebt das Konzentrationslager ("A Psychologist Experiences the Concentration Camp"). Later German editions prefixed the title with Trotzdem Ja zum Leben Sagen ("Nevertheless Say Yes to Life"), taken from a line in Das Buchenwaldlied, a song written by Dr. Friedrich Löhner-Beda while an inmate at Buchenwald. The title of the first English-language translation was From Death-Camp to Existentialism. The book's common full …
Experiences in a concentration camp
Frankl identifies three psychological reactions experienced by all inmates to one degree or another: (1) shock during the initial admission phase to the camp, (2) apathy after becoming accustomed to camp existence, in which the inmate values only that which helps himself and his friends survive, and (3) reactions of depersonalization, moral deformity, bitterness, and disillusionment if he survives and is liberated.
Reception
The book has been identified as one of the most influential books in the United States. At the time of Frankl's death in 1997, the book had sold over 10 million copies and had been translated into 24 languages.
Gordon Allport, who wrote a preface to the book, described it as a "gem of dramatic narrative" which "provides a compelling introduction to the most significant psychological movement of our …
See also
• Existential anxiety
• Maslow's hierarchy of needs
• Statue of Responsibility – proposed in the book to complement the Statue of Liberty
• Life Is Beautiful (1997), film on how a positive attitude can be maintained in the worst of circumstances, including a concentration camp
External links
• Viktor Frankl: Why believe in others TED talk
• Commentary on Man's Search For Meaning by personal development scholar Tom Butler-Bowdon (50 Self-Help Classics, 2003. ISBN 978-1857883237)
• Viktor Frankl at Ninety: An Interview