Man's Search For Meaning Sparknotes

March 26, 1905: Viktor Frankl is born in Vienna; he is the second of three children. Little did Gabriel and Elsa Frankl know, their son would go on to be a neurologist and psychiatrist, and the founder of Logotherapy and Existential Analysis at the University of Vienna. Logotherapy is a school of psychotherapy and focuses on the spiritual aspect of man. Existential Analysis comes into play by searching for the meaning of human existence. Frankl’s school and work is important since the lack of awareness of life’s meaning can cause emotional frustrations for everyone. Frankl received his MD and PhD degrees at the University of Vienna, his studies included psychiatry and neurology with a focus on suicide and depression. Frankl was given

During his time in numerous concentration camps, Frankl still believed there was a meaning to life and that suffering had a purpose; he believed that during extreme conditions, a person was able to escape via his spiritual self as a way to survive. Frankl wrote Man’s Search for Meaning, a book that detailed his life and perspective of the concentration camp. From 1948-1990, Frankl was a professor at the University of Vienna, and the director of neurology at the Vienna Polyclinic Hospital from 1946-1970. Frankl’s book Man’s Search for Meaning has been noted as one of the most inspirational books of the 20th century. In the book, Frankl gives us an introduction to his theory as well as an appalling account of one of the most horrific events in history. He tells us of inmates having to do hard labor while being starved, but as a psychiatrist, he was also interested in keeping track of the mental and emotional responses of the

In a word, each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible. Thus, logotherapy sees in responsibleness the very essence of human existence.” There are many critiques of logotherapy, some of them pointing out that there is no way to test this theory, making it a very philosophical approach to the inner human. Logotherapy is based on the belief that illnesses or mental health issues are due to existential agony, not knowing the meaning of existence. Rollo May, an existential psychologist from the United States, really criticized logotherapy by saying Frankl’s theory gives the patient an up front solution to all of life’s problems, which in turn takes away the complexities that come with each individual human’s life. Frankl’s horrific experiences in the Nazi concentration camps influenced his theory greatly. He realized that even though he had been reduced to a skeleton, the Nazis couldn’t take away his freedom to choose his attitude. Viktor Frankl’s work has inspired others to consider the elements of human