Man's Search for Meaning

Written by Viktor E. Frankl

Narrated by Simon Vance

Man’s Search for Meaning is the chilling yet inspirational story of Viktor Frankl’s struggle to hold on to hope during the unspeakable horrors of his years as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps. Through every waking moment of his ordeal, Frankl’s training as a psychiatrist lent him a remarkable perspective on the psychology of survival. As a result of these experiences, Dr. Frankl developed a revolutionary approach to psychotherapy known as logotherapy. At the core of his theory is the belief that man’s primary motivational force is his search for meaning. Frankl’s assertion that “the will to meaning” is the basic motivation for human life has forever changed the way we understand our humanity in the face of suffering.

This revised and updated version includes a new postscript: “The Case for a Tragic Optimism.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blackstone Audio
• Release date: Apr 20, 2010
• ISBN: 9780786125074

Viktor E. Frankl

Viktor E. Frankl was Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry at the University of Vienna Medical School. For twenty-five years he was head of the Vienna Neurological Policlinic. His Logotherapy/Existential Analysis came to be known as the “Third Viennese School of Psychotherapy.” He held professorships at Harvard, Stanford, Dallas, and Pittsburgh, and was Distinguished Professor of Logotherapy at the U.S. International University in San Diego, California. Born in 1905, Frankl received the degrees of Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Vienna. During World War II he spent three years at Auschwitz, Dachau, and other concentration camps. Through four decades Dr. Frankl made innumerable lecture tours throughout the world. He received honorary degrees from twenty-nine universities in Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia. He held numerous awards, among them the Oskar Pfister Award of the American Psychiatric Association and an Honorary Membership of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. Frankl’s thirty-nine books appeared in forty-eight languages. His book Man’s Search for Meaning has sold millions of copies and has been listed among “the ten most influential books in America.” Viktor Frankl died 1997 in Vienna.

Reviews for Man's Search for Meaning

[maryhollis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When comparing the three great Viennese pioneers in the field of psychiatry, Freud, Adler, and Frankl, I find Viktor Frankl's hypotheses the most compelling. While Freudian psychology emphasized the "will to pleasure" as the basis of all human motivation, and Alfred Adler's Individual Psychology offered a "will to power", Viktor Frankl's Logotherapy proposed a "will to meaning"---that human beings have the capacity to transform suffering into self-transcendence.
Human beings have the capacity to think about meanings and values, to take a creative approach to life's conditions, and to be conscious of the responsibility to fulfill a unique purpose in life.
Frankl believed that we are motivated by a desire for purpose in our lives: to evaluate, judge, and seek out the meaning of an event, of the here-and-now moment.

[narshkite · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the most important transformative books I have ever read. I read this first in college, and I recall feeling changed then, but cannot recall my precise thoughts. Frankl is a hero, a genius, a historian, and a mensch. This works as psychology, history, memoir, and philosophy. It does Frankl no favors to try to recount this. I will say that in the current sociopolitical moment this is essential reading, and that logotherapy is the single best approach I have ever heard to understanding the human mind. Just read it.

[malexmave · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Phew.

You can't just ask me to put a number of stars to this book, Goodreads. That's just not fair.

Man's Search for meaning is a short book. In it, Viktor E. Frankl describes his experiences in the concentration camps during the second world war. He also describes how his new school of psychotherapy, logotherapy, helped him get through it all alive and more-or-less sane.

The whole second half of the book is a description of how logotherapy works. I did not understand all of it (I am many things, but not an expert on psychology), but what I understood seemed to be extremely smart. In fact, looking back on the last few years, I can see that he is probably right with his theories (i.e. I have empiric evidence that his methods work, even though I did not conciously employ them).

This book is not only for those who may have psychologic problems (although I would expect that it would help those as well). It is also not only for those interested in world war 2 and the concentration camps (although, again, it is interesting in that regard, and manages to convey the experiences, the desparation there very well).

In my opinion, schools should stop teaching Freud and start teaching Frankl. That would actually help students deal with the trouble their life will inevitably have in store for them, instead of confusing them with talk about the different levels of conciousness and how everything is just an expression of their need for sex.

On that basis alone, I will give this book 5 stars.

[xiaomarlo · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I don't usually read books of this kind, so my opinion probably doesn't hold much weight, but I found this book very edifying. I don't necessarily relate to or agree with every point he makes (mostly because some of it feels old-fashioned or outdated), but I got a lot out of his overall message. My therapist recommended this book to me when I was going through a hard time, and I think that's really the best time to read this.

[detailmuse · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

He who has a Why to live for can bear almost any How. --NietzscheI’ve encountered references to this book in so many others I’ve read and it was finally time to get to it. Over the first two-thirds here, Frankl examines prisoners’ (including himself) three phases of reactions to internment in WWII concentration camps: just after admission; later, when camp life had become familiar; and after liberation.…the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.In the last third, Frankl describes a doctrine of psychotherapy he developed called logotherapy -- that life is a quest for meaning (vs. pleasure or power) and that neuroses trace to an existential vacuum in meaning.It’s a powerful Holocaust memoir and an empowering psychological boost.

[laerm-1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

So, I know this book means a lot to a lot of people, and I recognize that it has power. However, I either didn't get it or what I got from it is simply not helpful for my depression.

[elaineruss · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This touched me deeply. The first part of this book is one of the most compelling and moving pieces of writing I've encountered.

Viktor E, Frankl was a prominent pyschiatrist and holocaust survivor. Being a psychiatrist offered Frankl a unique insight into how people did (or didn't) survive in the most extreme of circumstances.

While some of the pyschiatric thinking in the second part of the book, 'Logotherapy in Nutshell' may be slightly dated, the first part of this book is truly remarkable.

I've a full review here but at just over a 150 pages, I would suggest you simply read the book. Surely, it's not too much time to dedicate to a man with Frankl's insight.

[dandiercks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Victor Fraqnkl is a pshychiatrist who was incarcerated in several Nazi concentration camps during World War II. The first part of this book is a description of several experiences in those camps and how various individuals, including himself, dealt with the horrors of the concentration camp. His “Logotherapy” is fully explained in the book. Frankl basic philosophy states that a captor can strip an individual of just about everything, but not his freedom to respond to what he is experiencing. And therein lies the key to survival. This is a gross oversimplification of his tenets, but it marks the basic belief that allowed him and others to survive to the liberation of the camps after four years. The book is not casual reading, but it provides an academic look at Frankl’s well respected work in the field of psychology.

[asxz-2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The first part is a bare bones memoir of the author's experiences as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps. These stories have not lost their power to shock and appall.

What Frankl brings is a clear sighted view of prisoners, guards and capos that describes their shared humanity even as humanity was the thing being stripped away. He finds meaning in suffering, dignity in death and value in surviving and living past the suffering.

[keylawk · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fully a third of human beings complain that meaning is missing from their lives. (Statistics drawn from Palo Alto to Vienna--cited p. 140). Doctor Viktor Frankl, who suffered at the hand of Fascist thugs who seized power over the most-educated and able people in the world, wrote this book about his own Concentration Camp experiences. Published 1946. He shares the experiential roots of his "logotherapy", a theory of a person's conscious decisions and their searches for meaning. Chaplain Smoot's genius was to see, seeing in a new way, the non-obvious connection between a general hospital and a concentration camp prison. He took to heart Frankl's message about "tragic optimism" and the caution that "the world is in a bad state, but everything will become still worse unless each of us does their best." [164] Chaplain Smoot teaches us to "be curious about what gives the Patient meaning."The following are some takeaways from this work of the infamous Frankl, in no particular order:Written during the golden age of Viennese culture which gave us so much science, art, music, dancing and beauty, and which was destroyed right in front of all of us, by a small group of thugs highly-subsidized and weaponized by wealthy plutocrats. Joins Schopenhauer in the chorus which looks to freedom from suffering, where we struggle with hunger, lice, cold, and the injustices inflicted by our own kind. Do we ever get Justice? or deserve it? [48]Frankl speaks of the love the prisoners recalled with their wives, perduring in spite of separation, humiliation, degradation and betrayal. [55, woman 58] "Love as strong as death." [39, 55]"Fate is one's master" [55, 56, 62]Invokes Spinoza's god and the "idea of ideas" - that a clear idea can reduce suffering. For example, "naming it" really helps. 74. He asks if we can really ever escape our surroundings. We can, by the choice we can exercise over our own attitudes. [65]His homily on Suffering. [83] Dostoevski asks if he can be "worthy of my suffering". [66] Rielke asks "How much suffering can I bear?" [78] And Nietzsche notes that if it fails to kill, it strengthens something, and having a Why can loosen up any How. [76]Apathy in the face of injustice, cruelty and sadism.[56, 62]Consciousness of one's inner value is anchored in higher, more spiritual things, and cannot be shaken by camp life. [63]Witness to the death of a young woman of privilege who knew she would die at the hands of cowards. [68] Yet she was cheerful, because she could see a single branch of a chestnut tree through the bars of the cell. "In my former life, I was spoiled and did not take spiritual accomplishments seriously... This tree here is the only friend I have in my loneliness." She talks to the tree, and yes, it does reply. It says "I am here--I am here--I am life, eternal life." His homily on Hope, after a "bad day" in the concentration camp. The senior block warden noticed so many had died during a bout of sickness and suicide, and asked Doctor Frankl to find "hope" for the men. 81-84. Soul [87], Dreams [88], Body/Mind [88], Companions [84], Frankl compares his logotherapy to other psychotherapy models: [99] Freud - Will to Pleasure (where "Will" is the actionable part of intentionality) Adler - Will to Power Frankl -- Will to Meaning In other words, humans live and die for ideals, personal values, and the search for meaning is a primary motivation. Pleasure? We soon find its transitoriness. Power? Few of us know what to do with it, especially when it requires both Authority and great numbers to control wield and defend.Frankl's didactic question is drawn from Nietzsche: "He who has a WHY to live for can bear almost any HOW." [104]"People are able to live and die for the sake of ideals and values." [99] He saw this IN the concentration camps.Noogenic/ Noos [101]Homeostasis - tensionless state [105]♣ In the Camps, politics and religion were constant topics of conversation. 34♣ Optimists were the most irritating.♣ vae victis - [woe to the vanquished] 36, a caution to all who would pretend to ignore what thugs are up to.♣ Everyone needs "spiritual care" - no matter what their "beliefs" - 89♣ No one has the right to do a wrong. Ever. 91. [compare Jain Ahimsa.]♣ Nothing to fear but God. Said by a survivor God did not aid. 93♣ "Tragic Triad" - human existence is plagued with and by (1) Pain, (2) Guilt, (3) Death.♣ Logotherapy - once an individual's search for meaning is successful, it not only makes them happy but enables them to cope with suffering. 139♣ "Unemployment" blight - being jobless is equated with being useless, and useless is equated to having a meaningless life. Depression tends to disappear, not just with economic improvement, but even with unpaid but meaningful activity. 141♣ The "aha" concept of Karl Buhler - 145♣ Gestalt perception, of Max Wertheimer 145♣ Meaning-making is enabling one to become aware of what can be done about a given situation. 144 We can approach this biographically (studying lives), and also biologically - where they are rooted. 144♣ Konrad Lorenz developed the concept of biological a priori - in accord with this biological foundation of the valuing process.♣ Logotherapy teach three main avenues to arrive at meaning: (1) by creating a work or doing a deed. (2) experiencing something or encountering someone. (3) with love. ♣ Edith Weisskopf-Joelson observes that (internal world) experiencing can be as valuable as (external world) achieving. 145♣ Frankl ran the neurological department of a general hospital. 146♣ Empirical evidence as well as practical experience supports the possibility that one may find meaning in suffering. 146♣ Jerry Long is an example of "the defiant power of the human spirit". Paralyzed from neck down since a diving accident, he wrote to Frankl, documenting his participation in classes and "I view my life as being abundant with meaning and purpose". 147♣ Meaning is available in spite of and through suffering, which is inevitable. 147♣ Those held in highest esteem are those who master a hard lot with heads held high. 148♣ GUILT. Doctor Frankl told the prisoners in San Quentin: 149 "You are human beings like me, and you were free to commit a crime, to become guilty. Now, however, you are responsible for overcoming guilt by rising above it, by growing beyond yourselves, by becoming better." They felt understood.Frankl notes that "collective guilt" is senseless. 149-50.DEATH. Third aspect of the tragic triad. 150 ♠ Death concerns life, "for at any time of the moments of which life consists is dying" and will never recur.♠ Frankl offers this imperative: "Live as if you were living for the second time and had acted as wrongly the first time as you are about to act now." 150♠ The "irreversibility" of our lives.♠ "To be sure, people tend to see only the stubble fields of transitoriness but overlook and forget the full granaries of the past into which they have brought the harvest of their lives: the deeds done, the loves loved, and last but not least, the sufferings they have gone through with courage and dignity." 150♠ There is no reason to pity old people. Instead, young people should envy them. Instead of possibilities in the future, they have realities in the past. 151♠ Confounding the dignity of human beings with mere usefulness, is nihilism."♠ Nihilism does not contend that there is nothing, but it states that everything is meaningless. 152♠ And George A. Sargent was right when he promulgated the concept of "learned meaninglessness". He remembered the therapist who told him "You must realize that the world is a joke. There is no justice, everything is random. Only when you realize this will you understand how silly it is to take yourself seriously. There is no grand purpose in the universe. It just is. There's no particular meaning in what decision you make today about how to act." 153In the filth of the camps, "individual differences" did not blur; on the contrary, different people became more different; people un-masked themselves, both the swine and the saints." And you no longer need to hesitate to use the word "saints": "Think of Father Maximilian Kolbe who was starved and finally murdered by an injection [painful] of carbolic acid at Auschwitz and who in 1983 was canonized." 154Doctor Frankl writes in a constant dance around a sparkling warm bonfire of Meaning--taking back the elemental fire out of the cowardly hands of the torturers. He admonishes us that "Since Auschwitz e know what man is capable of" and since "Hiroshima we know what is at stake." He begs us to be alert: "For the world is in a bad state, but everything will become still worse unless each of us does their best."

[vlodko62 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the ultimate "must read" book. The author, Viktor Frankl, survived the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz. How he survived, and what he learned in the course of his ordeal - that the most basic human motivation is the will to meaning - is the cornerstone of this book.

[msemmag · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was very thought-provoking and is making me think very hard about the meaning in my life. Victor E. Frankl's story of survival is gripping and heartbreaking, but he takes pains to show the hope and determination to survive the concentration camps that was both within and all around him. Man's Search for Meaning is split into three parts: a memoir of his time within not one, but FOUR concentration camps; an introduction to logotherapy, the school of thought he developed through his experiences of WWII; and a section on "tragic optimism", or the method in which that one is, and remains, optimistic in spite of the “tragic triad,” or (1) pain; (2) guilt; and (3) death. On a whole, I think that Frankl's school of thought is one that I'll attempt to integrate into my life (I found Frankl's thoughts on happiness, in particular, to be enlightening). But as with all schools of philosophy and psychology, I spent a lot of time in the second and third sections of the book feeling as if Frankl was trying to sell his teachings as the be-all, end-all of life's problems. Frankl presents a significant amount of anecdotal evidence from his cases that show his school of thought bringing simple solutions with immediate and long-lasting effects to patients who have serious anxiety and phobias. As a long-time anxiety sufferer and recreational cynic, this was setting off some serious "bullsh*t" alarms in my mind.But despite an occasional urge to dismiss everything out of hand from that sort of upselling, I found that as much as Frankl tries to "sell" the reader logotherapy, he remains grounded and practical in the practice of his teachings. He doesn't demand that his students of logotherapy parrot his philosophy mindlessly, but to use his teachings to creatively problem-solve with their patients. His dedication to humanistic psychology is praise-worthy and deeply humanitarian. His philosophy is at once grounded in modern thought and dedicated to the higher aspirations of man. Frankl is a perfect antidote to the pervasive nihilism of modern society, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an introduction to practical life philosophy.(GoodReads review, posted on December 31, 2017)

[mahallett · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

a very famous book. michael enright talked about it on his sunday show.

[jbd1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Came highly recommended by a trusted friend, and it did not disappoint. A gripping short memoir of life in WWII concentration camps, followed by an explication of Frankl's logotherapy, an approach to psychotherapy which focuses on humanity's search for meaning.

[m.akter.tonima · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

my words are not enough to define the brilliance of the writing;the story speaks for itself. history proves how reality is so much more hauting than nightmares.

[donnijo · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I found this book to be very enlightening. It is the first book I have read about the Holocaust from the view of a prisoner of a concentration camp. I liked how he didn't elaborate on all of the horrors that we (those that have read about the Holocaust) have heard many times and stuck with just his experiences. I was also fond of the medical aspect of the book as well. The author being a psychiatrist, was able to use his knowledge to help with not only his own outcome, but help the other prisoners too.

I now want to read his other books to try and absorb his knowledge.

I would recommend this book to anyone willing to read it.

[swapnaperi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It unveils many perspectives of a human life.

[msaucier818 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I am not sure how I had never come across this book before. A classic memoir by Frankl that tells his story of how he survived the concentration camps of World War II. The book also doubles as a psychology study where Frankl argues that the most important part of life for human beings is the search for meaning. No matter what the circumstances or what life throws at a person, searching for meaning is what keeps us going. It is obviously more complex than this short review, but I highly recommend it to all.

[nmele_4 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Most people read Frankl's little book in college but I just read it for the first time, at 67, and found it an intensely moral, life-affirming and hope-filled book about human life and health. If you haven't read it, don't wait as long as I did!

[madepercy-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I mistakenly read Frankl's sequel to this book back in December 2016. In Man's Search for Ultimate Meaning, Frankl focused on the "existential vacuum" and psychological concepts in some detail. I barely recall this work and when I looked at it just now, the lack of pencil markings in the book means I cannot recall the parts that resonated, or the ideas I wrote about in my (rather short) review of the sequel, I also discovered that the key concepts relating to logotherapy were outlined, but I had no recollection of logotherapy, Frankl's "Austrian School" of psychology. Man's Search for Meaning is in two parts. The first part outlines Frankl's experience as a prisoner at Auschwitz and other concentration camps during World War II. He does not go into the detail of the horrors there, but focuses on how people coped or didn't cope with suffering. The word "suffering" is important in that, if one has no choice but to suffer, then suffering can give purpose to life. In the second part, Frankl outlines his logotherapy in some detail. How does logotherapy fit in with Freud and Adler? Freud focused on man's (sic) will to pleasure; Adler focused on man's (sic) will to power (obviously drawing on Nietzsche); whereas Frankl draws on man's (sic) will to meaning as a central element of human behaviour, happiness, and self-actualisation (somewhat in the Maslow sense of the word, but Abraham Maslow is not mentioned). Some quotes are worth noting:

...unnecessary suffering is masochistic rather than heroic (p. 148).

Live as if you were living for the second time and had acted wrongly the first time as you are about to act now (p. 151).

...happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue (p. 140).

...man (sic) is ultimately self-determining... [He] has [good and bad] potentialities within himself; which one is actualized depends on decisions but not on conditions (p. 135).

Nietzsche: ""He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how" (p. 109).

suffering may well be a human achievement (p. 108).

...only the men who allowed their inner hold on their moral and spiritual selves to subside eventually fell victim to the camp's degenerating influences (p. 78).

I found this book disturbing: enlightening, enraging, sad, hopeful, empty, full, academic, spiritual, contradictory, confronting, conservative, even judgemental. But it made me think deeper than I may have thought before. And there are techniques, too, for dealing with "anticipatory anxiety" - "hyper-intention" and "hyper-reflection". (Put simply, the paradox that the harder we try to make something work, the more we psych ourselves out. In certain cases, one can use this paradox to have a positive effect. Frankl gives the example of a man who sweats profusely, and the more self-conscious he is, the more he sweats. Frankl has the man say to himself "I will show them how much I can sweat!" and paradoxically, he doesn't sweat at all.) This paradox serves another purpose in the pursuit of meaning:What is called self-actualization is not attainable at all, for the simple reason that the more one would strive for it, the more he (sic) would miss it. In other words, self-actualization is only possible as a side-effect of self-transcendence (p. 114).This leads to what I think is Frankl's most important lesson:Ultimately, man (sic) should not ask what the meaning of life is, but rather he must recognize that it is he who is asked (p. 113).From what I can gather, in Man's Search for Meaning, Frankl outlines how his experience in the concentration camps helped him refine his concept of logotherapy, something he had written about and was writing about before he was taken prisoner. He mentions modern problems concerning the "existential vacuum", in particular, "boredom". But it is not until Man's Search for Ultimate Meaning that this is covered in more detail. I say as far as I can work out because there is a lot to comprehend in these two books, and the disturbing nature of the original (now classic) work continues to haunt my sleep, let alone coming to grips with the details of logotherapy that I was quite able to overlook through my ignorance and poor reading technique the first time around. As Epictetus said: if you would learn, be prepared to look the fool. A key lesson learnt from this experience is in comparing my current reading technique to what I was doing back in 2016; the improvement is palpable. Mortimer Adler was right and I am glad I overcame my resistance to marking and taking notes in my books. Another lesson is that a single reading of a book may not be enough, especially when subject matter that is new to me is readily over-looked. Yet, much like asking myself "What is the meaning of my life?", I need to ask myself "What is the point of my reading?". The answer is rather simple: it is to learn. Maybe I can draw on the hyper-intention paradox technique: I can tell myself that my life has no meaning and wait for meaning to appear. Or better yet, I can live the rest of my days as if it really were a second chance, and let my learning allow happiness to ensue. The real paradox is that it has been happening already without me even trying. And while I doubt I can understand Frankl until I have finished reading Nietzsche and made a start on Wittgenstein, there is enough in this book (in particular, the quotes outlined above), to keep me going for some time.

[debbiemccauley-2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"Let us be alert - alert in a twofold sense: Since Auschwitz we know what man is capable of. And since Hiroshima we know what is at stake" (p. 280). Between 1942 and 1945 Viktor Frankl laboured in the concentration camps Theresienstadt, Auschwitz-Birkenau, Kaufering and Turkeheim. His experiences are brutal, honest and raw. Throughout his experiences he pondered important questions and came to believe that the way a prisoner imagined the future could affect his ability to survive. He argued that one cannot avoid suffering, but can instead choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward with renewed purpose. After he was released Frankl found his pregnant wife, parents and brother had all died in the camps. He continued to explore his theories about how life is a quest for meaning and how important it is that people restore meaning to their lives. I speed read some of the book, but it is well worth a read.

[neverstopreading-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the book for our times. The world as we knew it, as it was, and as we hoped it would be crumbled around us by the middle of the 20th century after some of the worst horrors the world has ever known. By and large, those horrors were not abated, but rather pushed out of our consciousness as technology evolved and gave us meaning in things outside of ourselves, yet when the batteries are drained and we are left alone with our thoughts, our lives seem as empty as ever. 21st century humans refuse to face the reality of the problem of the meaning of life, so, in addition to the traditional drugs and alcohol, we turn to our devices and the shallow interactions they provide in the forms of social media and pornography as our Novocaine. Man's Search for Meaning was written after the time of the holocaust but before the digital age. It was written to people disillusioned by war and suffering, but demands to be read by those who have become utterly numb to it. A life worth living must have some form of meaning. This book will not provide it. But it will open your eyes to the need to find meaning and the important role that suffering plays in the meaning of life.

[sealford_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was one intense read for me. Having previously read "Night" while I was in high school many years ago, I thought that I was already well-aware of the atrocities that occurred during the Holocaust. Whatever torturous acts I thought I knew were only exacerbated throughout the pages of this book. However, that isn't all that this book was about. As a fellow student of psychiatry, I was able to understand the quote that Frankl borrowed from Nietzsche, which read as so: "He who has a Why to live for can bear almost any How." With that tidbit of knowledge, it is possible to understand how Frankl was able to make it through, albeit far from unscathed. He endured things that no living being should ever have to experience, yet he came out far from the bitter man that one would expect (and certainly understand the reasoning behind). Surely, if a man who witnessed first-hand the brutalities of war can make it through and emerge as a better person, there is hope for the rest of us.I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for my honest opinion.

[mohammedlr · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This autobiograpical books contains Viktor Frankl's testimonies regarding his experience in Auschwitz. His analysis from a psychotherapeutic point of view has fascinated the world reaching the cifre of 10 millions copies sold by 1997.

[traveltrish · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the most fascinating, inspirational books I have ever read. Every time I read it, I pick up something new. I generally love fiction, but this short book by Viktor Frankl transcends all genres. His account of life living in concentration camps during the war is written with such insight. Those who survived the atrocities of the camp well were those who had hope and courage. A message for us all.

[jimmoz-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Frankl was a concentration camp survivor. As a psychiatrist prior to the war he had a unique position from which to evaluate himself and his experience. The book consists of his recounting of events, which is less than 100 pages. This is followed by his description of logotherapy, which is what he had developed as an approach to psychoanalysis.The first part is basically various observations of how he and others responded to the imprisonment. It seems his basic thought is that there was minimal chance of survival when a prisoner lost his sense of meaning for his life. Similarly, when one lost hope then death often followed quickly."If there is a meaning in life at all, then there must be a meaning in suffering. Suffering is an ineradicable part of life, even as fate and death. Without suffering and death life cannot be complete." (p 67).Also, a nice story: "A rich and mighty Persian once walked in his garden with one of his servants. The servant cried that he had just encountered Death, who had threatened him. He begged his master to give him his fastest horse so that he could make haste and flee to Teheran, which he could reach that same evening. The master consented and the servant galloped off on the horse. On returning to his house the master himself met Death, and questioned him, "Why did you terrify and threaten my servant?" "I did not threaten him; I only showed surprise in still finding him here when I planned to meet him tonight in Teheran," said Death. (p 56)His approach to counseling seemed quite interesting, and circled around helping people find meaning. Another emphasis is responsibility. The book is more interesting than helpful. He lived many decades after the war and sought to help many people.

[pshaw_56 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I began reading this book after reading an article about happiness, and why it's overrated. While happiness is a good thing, Frankl's slender volume explores why being happy in life and having a meaningful life aren't necessarily the same thing.

Towards the end, Frankl discusses the American tendency to command people to be happy, and to pursue happiness. While the Declaration of Independence secures our right to do so, a human being pursuing happiness is sort of like a small dog chasing a car. Frankl's contention is that we ought to pursue meaning, and once we've discovered our meaning and purpose, happiness will follow on its own.

No easy answers are offered here, but for anyone willing to give it the time and thought, this book can really live up to its reputation as a life-changer.

[rajivc_18 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a beautiful book. Years back, when I was going through some difficult times in Beijing, I would switch off the lights in my service apartment, and listen to the audio book. It gave me strength then, although I did not fully understand the section on logo therapy at that timeI read it again, and once again it struck me as a book of strength and beauty. That he could come out of this in one piece is itself a marvel. That he could distil such timeless lessons from the concentration camp and gift them to us is another thing of beauty. Read the book in good times, in bad. In happiness, and sadness. It will lift you, and make you see the world through different eyes.

[deldevries · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Excellent. A classic.

[vetris-2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An intense blend of psychiatry and the horrors of concentration camps, Viktor Frankl composes a masterfully concise book about how he found his own meaning for life and ways in which you can find yours. I think it got a little too repetitive towards the end, but it was impactful and left a lasting impression.