Viktor Frankl: Man's Search For Meaning

In his book, “Man’s Search for Meaning,” Viktor Frankl shares his perspective on the human mind. He uses his experiences in Nazi Concentration camps to discuss his ideas and share what he learned from his life as a prisoner in Nazi Germany. He uses particular events to show just how the human mind reacts to certain things, such death and fear. Frankl also introduces his theory of Logotherapy, which is his way of therapy. In his book, Frankl observed many things about the human mind and how it reacts to particular situations. He used his observation to teach us about his perspective on human psychology. Viktor Frankl’s life in the concentration camp was full of misery. He had to work long hours, sometimes with no help. He describes one such event, when he had to build a tunnel under a road to allow for a water pipe. He worked like a slave until he was told to stop. As he wrote further, he shared his knowledge in psychiatry. In once instance, he wrote, “The condemned man, immediately before his execution, gets the illusion that he might be reprieved at the very last minute” (Frankl P.6). He experience this very scenario in the death camps as he saw countless being murdered everyday. He says that everyone thought that things

Frankl learned from his own observations and developed the theory of Logotherapy. He observed that one particular prisoner to see how he reacts to others being punished. This helps others because it shows that anyone can understand the human mind through observation. Even though Frankl was a psychiatrist, he mainly used his observations to develop his theory. Frankl’s theory counteracts other mainstream theories such as Psychoanalytic theory. It is merely based on “meaning.” It focuses on the meaning of human existence. Frankl believes that “this striving to find a meaning in one’s life is the primary motivational force in man” (Frankl P.