Search For Meaning

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” -Viktor E. Frankl

‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ completely changed my life. Looking back, I never realised the true impact of reading that text. Of course, the change in me wasn’t immediate; however, the point when I changed was certainly during and after reading that book. Before this text drew me in, I was in most ways an average teenager: stressed out from exams, full of adventure, slightly close-minded, etc. I had no true motivation to pursue a career, and was both naive about and a little uninterested in the world around me. The book, ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ by Viktor E. Frankl, is an extensive psychological memoir in which he documented his experiences in Auschwitz and what it taught him.

Throughout reading this text I was astounded by Frankl’s immense insight, as well as consideration about human nature and behaviour. Every single page-sometimes paragraph-there was a new idea to ponder and question. For example, he stated, “No man should judge unless he asks himself in absolute honesty whether in a similar situation he might not have done the same.” This phrase resulted in me to

The only rapid change that I can recall is my sudden desire to become a psychologist. I believe that this book awakened my interest in psychology-something that I am still interested in today. A slower change in me-for lack of better words-was how I perceived the world. Many of the concepts discussed in the book make me evaluate myself; for example, going back to the example of judging others, I began to be much more careful about everything I did. When watching news and reading stories, I try to understand the possible circumstances behind the actions of each party, and not judge them for what they did. All in all, in my opinion, reading ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ made me a better, more motivated