Man's Search for Meaning
by Viktor E. Frankl
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Book Reviews of Man's Search for Meaning
Book Review: Historical scam-job, somewhat interesting philosophy
Summary: 2 Stars
Before one goes through this book it's worth picking up a copy of the April 2000 issue of the Journal of Contemporary History, Volume 35, Number 2, and reading carefully the essay by Timothy Pytell, "The Missing Pieces of the Puzzle: A Reflection on the Odd Career of Viktor Frankl." Pytell established that Frankl spent 3 or 4 days at Auschwitz and 2 years at Theresienstadt, but he falsified the story to give readers the impression that he had spent at least half a year at Auschwitz. Phrases like "the same shirts for half a year" account for Pytell's judgment that "any reader ... will be stunned to discover that Frankl spent only a few days in Auschwitz." This is not an honest book.
I only give it 2 stars because I did find some of the later philosophizing to be interesting. Frankl's thesis about how humans are able to survive through great torments when they feel they have found a meaning in life rings true. But the point would have been better gotten across if the first part of the book had been honestly written as a novel about a fictional character who might possibly resemble a real person somewhere in history. Instead, Frankl tried to pass this off as an autobiography of himself and for that he deserves to be slammed hard.
Book Review: One of the truest accounts of living I have ever read
Summary: 5 Stars
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl comprises of two parts. The first is his own harrowing account of the time he spent in four concentration camps under Nazi occupation during WWII. The second is his introduction to logotherapy, which is his own psychological method for helping others cope with pain, guilt and death. It is the first part of the book, from his own perspective entitled 'Experiences in a Concentration Camp', that is the true heart of his story.
His retelling of the concentration camp experience is so gripping because it is, for lack of a better word, so simple. So much inhumanity of the most heinous kind was endured, and yet some of these men and women clung to something deep within themselves and managed to survive. And not everyone had a choice. Some lives were taken without a chance of survival.
The introduction to logotherapy is much more academic, but it's summary is basic: From within and outside of yourself, find that which gives your life meaning and focus upon that to carry you through your pain and suffering. This wisdom has been echoed by many, and putting it into practice may take considerable time and effort, but it is the truest form of living I have ever encountered.
Book Review: A great read for everyone, especially someone struggling to find meaning in their life.
Summary: 5 Stars
I read this book because I sometimes struggle to find meaning in my life and wanted to learn more about what it was like to "live" in a concentration camp. I find it hard to believe there is so much hate in this world that would drive one group of people to want to kill and oppress not only one other person, but an entire race of people. The hate is there and it is awful. Since I feel sorry for myself and become depressed more than I would like, I found more meaning to my life just from reading this book. I can't imagine what it would be like to survive such a horrific event such as this. For people to find meaning in their lives while experiencing these tragedies is amazing. I think many of us can apply logotherapy in our lives too. The logotherapy examples the author described that helped his patients were interesting because they worked and now I want to apply them in my own life. The fact that the author experienced these awful things and was able to learn from it and help other people is awesome. This book is a great read for everyone, especially ones who are depressed. It is important to find meaning in your life. Like Viktor Frankl suggests, we can start by loving people and becoming more responsible.Book Review: Brilliant and Meaningful
Summary: 5 Stars
A friend recommended this book after a discussion of "character motivation" in science fiction. I am so glad he did. Frankl was a psychiatrist working on a theory of what motivated mankind when he was thrown in a Nazi concentration camp. He survived in large part because he had something to live for--the publication of his work. The first part of the book details survival within the concentration camp. This part alone is worth the book's price. Unlike Hollywood depictions of camps, he shows what the inmates actually had to do in order to survive (they would do just about anything not to be on a "list") and he even shows the occasional humanity of some of the guards, even, amazingly, the final commandant of his camp.
The second part of the book is a brief summary of Frankl's theories called logotherapy. I can't say I'm an expert on this; he published over 20 volumes on the subject. But what I read here is fascinating. In summary, he believes that man's search for meaning is his primary motivation, unlike Freudian psychology which teaches that man's search for pleasure is his primary motivation.
I plan to reread this book regularly. Truly inspirational.
Book Review: The Optimistic Jew
Summary: 5 Stars
Frankl believed that man's deepest desire is to search for meaning and purpose - that neurosis is caused by "frustration in the will to meaning". Frankl's belief in meaning was formulated in the horror of a Nazi concentration camp. His essential optimism comes through in the following: "It is a peculiarity of man that he can only live by looking to the future...and this is his salvation in the most difficult moments of his existence, although he sometimes has to force his mind to the task...the [Auschwitz] prisoner who had lost faith in...his future was doomed. With his loss of belief in the future, he also lost his spiritual hold; he let himself decline and become subject to mental and physical decay...he simply gave up...lying in his own excreta, and nothing bothered him any more".
My own book "The Optimistic Jew: a Positive Vision for the Jewish People in the 21st Century" (www.theoptimisticjew.com) is an attempt to encourage the collective mind of the Jewish people to once again believe in its own future (and stop wallowing in its past) lest we end up lying in our own historical excreta with nothing bothering us anymore.