Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's memoir has riveted generations of readers with its descriptions of life in Nazi death camps and its lessons for spiritual survival. Between 1942 and 1945 Frankl labored in four different camps, including Auschwitz, while his parents, brother, and pregnant wife perished. Based on his own experience and the experiences of those he treated in his practice, Frankl argues that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward with renewed purpose. Frankl's theory—known as logotherapy, from the Greek word logos ("meaning")—holds that our primary drive in life is not pleasure, as Freud maintained, but the discovery and pursuit of what we personally find meaningful.
At the time of Frankl's death in 1997, Man's Search for Meaning had sold more than 10 million copies in twenty-four languages. A 1991 reader survey by the Library of Congress and the Book-of-the-Month Club that asked readers to name a "book that made a difference in your life" found Man's Search for Meaning among the ten most influential books in America.
Born in Vienna in 1905 Viktor E. Frankl earned an M.D. and a Ph.D. from the University of Vienna. He published more than thirty books on theoretical and clinical psychology and served as a visiting professor and lecturer at Harvard, Stanford, and elsewhere. In 1977 a fellow survivor, Joseph Fabry, founded the Viktor Frankl Institute of Logotherapy. Frankl died in 1997.
Harold S. Kushner is rabbi emeritus at Temple Israel in Natick, Massachusetts, andthe author of several best-selling books, including When Bad Things Happen to Good People.
William J. Winslade is a philosopher, lawyer, and psychoanalyst at the University of Texas Medical School in Galveston.
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Reviews
– Customer review on 04/12/2008
Viktor Frankl's book offers inspiration to anyone searching for meaning in their lives. It is particularly relevant given that modern society has seen an unprecedented rise in suicide rates which are the extreme end of a range of contemporary ailments such as low self worth and depression. Frankl confirms that a meaningful life involves finding a purpose in any situation even one as random and horrific as the loss of humanity for Jews caught in a Nazi concentration camp. He separates himself as the prisoner and the therapist and both views are fascinating.
A book that should be read by everyone, specially those who question today's trends. A poweful message of hope from a psychiatrist who survived life as a prisoner in in a concentration camp. From this experience he could learn what gave some humans a will to live when others gave up hope. Recommnded.
An interesting book that looks into the philospohy of Logotherapy; an existentialist analysis that focuses on a will to meaning as opposed to Adler's Nietzschian doctrine of "will to power" or Freud's will to pleasure. Based initially in a concentration camp we find ourselves reading about a truer description than that which is commonly conveyed. The discussion of the human condition when it is pushed to capacity, the importance of our reactions and power of choice. Frankl writes poignantly about discovering the seed of meaning within yourself when faced with challenges, how meaning, and especially meaning within oneself, can provide direction and foundation when moving forward. I hope my experiences find me facing challenges a little less severe than those of Viktor, and the book is a little dated now, but it was very interesting, and helped formalise thoughts I have been pondering. Chur.
An exceptional book for all people and therapists in particular. It is divided into two sections, the first details his experiences and revelations during his internment in Nazi concentration camps. The second half details the therapy he developed, logotherapy. A valuable addition to any therapist kit bag of inspiration. Highly recommended.
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– Customer review on 17/09/2008
