Man's Search for Ultimate Meaning

by Viktor E. Frankl

Man's Search for Ultimate Meaning focuses on Dr. Frankl's crucial findings that illustrate our sometimes unconscious desire to get hold of an ultimate meaning of life - whether it comes from a religious source or other venue of inspiration or influence. This is a very relevant topic, especially in light of that pervasive feeling of meaninglessness undercutting the ideas and ambitions of contemporary society. Whether it is the adolescent suffering from insecurity and doubt or the elderly person fearing isolation and neglect, a desperate sense of hopelessness and vulnerability plagues our culture. Dr. Frankl brilliantly demonstrates that it is possible for mankind to find, and actualize, profound meaning in his or her daily life. In this context, Frankl speaks of a "will to meaning" as a central motivating force, and presents specific evidence that life can offer meaning in each and every situation. For even those who have to shoulder the burden of personal guilt, or to face the force of inescapable suffering, still have, in principle, a unique opportunity to turn a predicament into an achievement - in other words, to turn personal tragedy into human triumph. Man's Search for Ultimate Meaning confesses that this search for meaning can also lead to nefarious ends such as unhealthy nationalism, obsessive jealousies, ethnic hatred, or a compulsive work ethic. Dr. Frankl believes that tolerance and a realization of our infinite possibilities throughout our finite existence will ensure a path to a fulfilling existence.

Genres: Psychology, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Self Help, Religion, Spirituality, History

200 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Viktor Emil Frankl was an Austrian neurologist, psychologist, philosopher, and Holocaust survivor, who founded logotherapy, a school of psychotherapy that describes a search for a life's meaning as the central human motivational force. Logotherapy is part of existential and humanistic psychology theories.
Logotherapy was promoted as the third school of Viennese Psychotherapy, after those established by Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler.
Frankl published 39 books. The autobiographical Man's Search for Meaning, a best-selling book, is based on his experiences in various Nazi concentration camps.

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

*****************Many readers have confused "Man's Search for Meaning" with "Man's Search for ULTIMATE Meaning" and put their review under the the wrong title. Be aware that these are TWO DIFFERENT BOOKS. They are NOT two different editions of the same book.**************

I'm not sure I was ever convinced that Freud's interpretation of the mind was correct, which renders at least 50% of this book pointless since much of it is dedicated to disproving his ideas.

The arguments in favor of Frankl's own ideas--though I like many of the ideas--are not wholly convincing either. Take the beginning of the chapter "The Transcendent Quality of Conscience":

Essentially, phrases such as the "voice of the conscience" or being "a servant to one's conscience" are taken to be proof that the conscience is something beyond ourselves--that it is transcendent. As a linguist, my first thought was, do such phrases exist cross-linguistically in hundreds of languages? But even so, I really can't take this as proof of any kind of psychological fact. The rest of the chapter elaborates on this concept without further exploring whether it's actually valid.

Nonetheless, Frankl's ideas are a bit uplifting and will likely make you feel a bit more positive about life if nothing else. It seems to be that many readers got that out of his memoir.

[عزام الشثري · Rating 5 out of 5]

يميل علم النفس الحديث لاعتبار "الإنسان" جسدًا فقط
لذا فالنفس مجرّد أثر من آثار التفاعلات الكيميائية الدماغيّة
يكسر فيكتور فرانكل هذه التحليليّة المادّيّة ويرفض النظرة البهيميّة
بل ويطرح بأنّ بلّورة الإنسان الأصيلة العميقة ليست النفس بل الروح
وأما النفس فمجرّد قشرة للروح، وهي متفاعلة مع محيطها وهو الجسد
ومن الروح، لا من النفس، تتفجّر ينابيع الفطرة والضمير والحبّ والعبادة
بعكس فكرة فرويد عن أصالة اللاشعور، حيث ينابيع الغريزة الشهوانيّة فقط
.
هذا الكتاب صحيفة اعتراض على المادية النفسية
واختراق لـ"علم النفس الغربي" في المخيال الإسلامي
وفيها تأسيس نفسي رائع للدين، يقترب من الحقيقة
ويصعب القول بأنّ غير فرانكل كان يستطيع أن يفعلها
فهو الذي وضعته عمق أطروحاته كتفًا بكتف مع فرويد
وإن تأخر عنه في الخيال والابتكار فقد سبقه في المنهجية
واستطاع تقديم تفسيرات روحيّة -لا جنسيّة- للأحلام
بل واعتبر تأليه العقل والهوس التقني عُصابًا جماعيًّا
.
الكتاب على درجة عالية من الأهمية لكلّ المهتمين بفلسفة علم النفس
.
"
يتميز الإنسان ببحثه عن المعنى وليس بحثه عن ذاته
وكلّما نسي المرء نفسه لقضيّة أو إنسان صار أكثر إنسانية
وكلّما انغمس الشخص في شيءٍ غير نفسه، أصبح نفسه حقًّا

تأمل طفلًا ينسى نفسه مستغرقًا في اللعب، برقّة طبيعيّة
حين يلاحظ أنك تصوّره، يظهر وعيه الذاتي غير الطبيعي فيتصلّب
فيعلوه تعبير نمطيّ يخفي جماله، لاهتمامه بالمصور والمتفرّج المستقبلي
"

[Brandon Istenes · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of this book is religious drivel. Frankl’s main intent, I think, is to sell his come-to-Jesus mode of therapy. In the course of this, he does advance a few profound and interesting theses.

For those who don’t find their street-corner proselytizer particularly compelling, I’d recommend reading chapters 1 & 2 (bear with his utterly disingenuous introduction of the spiritual as merely that which is unique to man, which he later labels the noölogical), page 43 (for artists), the first two pages of chapter 4, and chapter 8. There’s a lot of neat stuff in chapter 8.

Frankl is convincing exactly when he’s talking about therapy. Outside his field, he consistently misunderstands the ideas he argues against (the death of God, the white savior critique, materialism), and when he does understand someone (p. 64, Sartre), they trounce him in his own book. Regarding materialism, either he misunderstands it as a psychiatric theory, or he actually believes that therapy is prior to ontology. Either is pitiable.

Frankl’s misunderstanding of the death of God is, I think, the biggest shortcoming of this book. Frankl understands the death of God to be something personal, rather than, to paraphrase a contemporary theorist, about the drying up of a wellspring of meaning, and with it a whole form of human life. A great deal of this book is concerned with assertion that a lot of psychological maladjustment entails from a lack of a sense of meaning in one’s life. He is correct in blaming God’s death for this modern loss of meaning. He just doesn’t know what we mean when we say God is dead, like the child who thinks Grandpa will come back some day, not understanding that it is not a mere absence but that something fundamentally has changed in the world.

[Greg Talbot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thinking I had picked up the storied, heralded "Man's Search for Meaning", I was mesmerized by Frankl's easy way with discussing abstract psychological concepts, and applying them to concrete situations. But the shine did not wear off once I learned it was another "meaning" book by the logo-therapy trailblazer.

Frankl here concerns himself with that murky line between psychological analysis and religious exploration that both intertwine with self-development. His religious discussion is decidedly open and mystical when he writes that religion goes beyond the "concept of God promulgated by many representatives of denominational and institutional religion".

Using his logotherapy analysis, a type of existential inquiry into meaning, Frankl examines how religion can help one actualize. Little is paid to the method of logotherapy, but he succinctly describes it as: will to meaning; meaning in suffering; freedom of will. At one points he writes the task of logotherapy to let conscious mind find religiousness. Frankl writes beautifully, although sometimes vaguely about happiness, meaning, religion, suffering and the preciousness of life. One of my favorite quotes from him is "happiness is the side effect of living out the self-transcendence of existence". Another is "Wisdom is knowledge+. Knowledge and the knowledge of its limits."

To those with a sense of openness of psychotherapy and religious flexibility, there is a lot to be gained from the book. These ideas may not have quantitative evidence behind them that many modern readers appreciate. The content is at times airy and at times unstructured. But to those of us who appreciate both the zeal and tranquility of life's quiet reflections, a work like this is enriching our deeper levels of human experience.

[Hassan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A profound book. Something I would not recommend to someone who is beginning to explore the field of psychology. One ought to know the basic foundations of Psychology and Philosophy to interpret it completely. But what a book!

I'll share the teaching that touched me the most. Freud would have us believe that we are nothing more than a collection of instincts and drives that are hidden in the unconscious. Victor Frankl claims that there is a spiritual unconscious as well, and like wise there are spiritual drives that exist that really make us human. He believes that the spiritual instinct to search for meaning in any given situation is what really makes us human.

Now that is something really, really meaningful to think about!

[Saja · Rating 5 out of 5]

لقد عثرت على كنز للتو

[Blanca A. Velázquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Octubre 2019
Contaré mi historia personal con el libro.
Este año, estoy en duelo lo que implica dolor, al leer el trabajo de Frankl me dí cuenta que muchas veces no importa qué tanto nos duele, importa más lo que aprendemos de ello y lo necesario que es entender nuestro dolor y enfocarlo.

[Feroz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good book ! I learned that we can find meaning to every single situation and reason, that there might be something other than a whole, wide meaning to life.. And, that we can find meaning in suffering/through it ! Journey on the search for meaning just got a lot more wider and is accompanied by even more clarity

[Meredith M · Rating 2 out of 5]

A difficult read in parts, yes. Nowhere near as accessible as Man's Search for Meaning, correct. Worth two books in my Goodreads challenge according to my spouse, fine by me. While Man's Search for Meaning had a clarity and uplifting belief in the common humanity of all, this dense collection of psychotherapeutic theory buries the roadmap but for a few striking nuggets.

[Desislava Stoytcheva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Няма да лъжа, трудно вървеше, ама покрай тия мисловни напъни и препрочитания на пасажи доста съкровища намерих. Няма общо с първата книга, тази си е бая нива нагоре, тъй като в нея Виктор Франкъл представя същината на логотерапията, мястото ѝ в науката за душата на човека и в лечението на психичните разстройства, както и една незасягана от науката тема - за трансцендентното/висшия смисъл.

[Shaimaa Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

الكتاب هذه المرة من ڤيكتور فرانكل كان أكاديميًا أكثر من كتابه الأشهر (بحث الإنسان عن المعنى) … شعرت بالمتاهة في قراءة أجزاء كثيرة منه ولكن تذييل الكتاب جاء متماسكًا

اقتباسات:
======
• ❞ من الواضح أن الدين لا يحتضـر، وبقدر ما يكون هذا صحيحًا، لم يمت الرب أيضًا، ولا حتى «بعد أوشفيتز»، بتعبير عنوان أحد الكتب. الإيمان بالله إما أن يكون غير شرطي وإما لا يكون إيمانًا على الإطلاق. إذا كان غير شرطي فسوف يصمد ويواجه حقيقة أن ستة ملايين ماتوا في المحرقة النازية؛ وإذا لم يكن غير شرطي فسوف يتلاشى إذا مات طفل بريء فقط، باللجوء إلى حجة سبق أن طرحها دوستويفسكي. لا جدوى من المساومة مع الرب، على سبيل المثال، بالقول: «حتى ستة آلاف أو حتى مليون ضحية من ضحايا الهولوكوست يمكن أن أحافظ على إيماني بك؛ ولكن من مليون فصاعدًا لا يمكن أن أفعل أي شيء بعد الآن، وأنا آسف لكن يجب أن أتخلى عن إيماني بك».

⁠‫الحقيقة أنه من بين من مروا بالفعل بخبرة أوشفيتز، عدد الذين تعمَّقت حياتهم الدينية –على الرغم من هذه الخبرة- حتى لا نقول بسببها- يفوق بكثيرٍ عددَ من تخلوا عن إيمانهم. وبإعادة صياغة ما لاحظه لاروشفوكو ذات يومٍ عن الحب، يمكن للمرء أن يقول إنه كما تطفئ العاصفة حريقًا صغيرًا فإنها تؤجج الحريق الكبير، وبالمثل يضعف الإيمان الضعيف بسبب المآزق والكوارث بينما يتعزز بها الإيمان قوي"

————————
❞ يمكن تفسير تعبير «إله اللا شعور» بثلاث طرق رئيسية. الأول، يمكن أن يُساء فهمه على أنه وحدة الوجود. سيكون من المفاهيم الخاطئة تمامًا أن نفترض أن اللا شعور نفسه إلهي، إنه مرتبطٌ فقط بالرب. أن يكون للإنسان علاقة لاشعورية بالرب لا يعني إطلاقًا أن الرب «داخلنا»، وأنه «يسكن» لا شعورنا، كل هذا ليس سوى مفهوم للهواية اللاهوتية.

⁠‫قد يكون التفسير الخاطئ الآخر المحتمل لمفهوم إله اللا شعور هو التعامل معه بمعنى التنجيم. يمكن تفسير مفارقة «المعرفة اللاشعورية» بالرب خطأً على أنها تعني أن اللاشعور كلي المعرفة، أو حتى يعرف أفضل من الذات الشعورية. اللاشعور لا يعتبر إلهيًّا فقط، لكنه بالإضافة إلى ذلك، لا يتمتع بأي صفة إلهية، وبالتالي يفتقر إلى كلية المعرفة الإلهية أيضًا. ولأنه كان لا بد من رفض التفسير الخاطئ الأول باعتباره هواية لاهوتية، فإن الثاني بمنزلة ميتافيزيقيا لحظية. ❝

————————-

❞ وهكذا يثبت الإنسان غير المتدين أنه الشخص الذي يفهم ضميره في واقعه السيكولوجي، في مواجهة الأمر على أنه مجرد حقيقة جوهرية، يتوقف -يتوقف قبل الأوان- لأنه يعتبر أن الضمير هو «المسؤولية» النهائية له، ومع ذلك، فإن الضمير ليس آخر مسؤولية، بل ما قبل الأخيرة. في طريقه لإيجاد المعنى النهائي للحياة، لا يصل الإنسان غير المتدين، إذا جاز التعبير، إلى أعلى قمة، بل يتوقف عند القمة قبل الأعلى، (هذه بالطبع هي الطريقة التي ينظر بها الإنسان المتدين إلى غير المتدينين). وما سبب عدم ذهاب الإنسان غير المتدين إلى أبعد من ذلك؟ لأنه لا يريد أن يفقد «الأرضية الثابتة تحت قدميه». محظور عليه أن يرى القمة الحقيقية، إنها مخبأة في الضباب، ولا يخاطر بالدخول فيها، في حالة عدم اليقين هذه، وحده الإنسان المتدين يخاطر.

⁠‫كلما كان الإنسان أكثر تدينًا، زاد احترامه لقرار إخوته بعدم الذهاب إلى أبعد من ذلك. "
——————————
❞ إن العلاج بالمعنى، إذا جاز التعبير، ثلاثي البؤرة trifocal: يركز على ثلاث حقائق أساسية للوجود الإنساني: هناك إرادة المعنى؛ وهناك معنى في المعاناة. وهناك حرية الإرادة. وبالنسبة إلى البؤرة الأخيرة، حرية الإنسان في الاختيار لا تتعلق فقط بحرية اختيار طريقة عيش المرء، بل حتى طريقة الموت."

——————————
❞ إذا كان من الصحيح أن الحب هو الذي يجعل الجنس إنسانيًّا، فإن حبوب منع الحمل تسمح بحياة جنسية إنسانية حقيقية، حيث يمكن للجنس، متحررًا من ارتباطه التلقائي بالإنجاب، تحقيق أعلى إمكاناته باعتباره أحد أكثر التعبيرات المباشرة والمفهومة عن الحب. يكون ❞ الجنس إنسانيًّا إذا اعتبر وسيلة للحب ❝
——————————

❞ لا يطلب الإنسان اللذة في المقام الأول وبشكلٍ طبيعي؛ بدلًا من ذلك، اللذة -أو السعادة في هذا الصدد- هي الأثر الجانبي للعيش نتيجة للتسامي الذاتي للوجود. بمجرد أن يخدم المرء قضية أو يشارك في حب إنسان آخر، تحدث السعادة تلقائيًّا. ❝
——————————
❞ أما بالنسبة إلى العلاج بالمعنى، فهو ليس حلًّا سحريًّا، وهو بالتالي منفتحٌ على التعاون مع المقاربات الأخرى للعلاج النفسـي؛ إنه منفتحٌ على تطوره؛ ومنفتحٌ على الدين، ولا غنى عنه. صحيح أن العلاج بالمعنى يتعامل مع اللوجوس؛ يتعامل مع المعنى. وبشكلٍ خاص، أرى معنى العلاج بالمعنى في مساعدة الآخرين على رؤية معنى في الحياة، لكن لا يمكن للمرء أن «يمنح» معنى لحياة الآخرين. وإذا كان هذا ينطبق على المعنى بحد ذاته، فإن المعنى النهائي يحمل ما هو أكثر بكثيرٍ. كلما كان المعنى أكثر شمولًا، قلَّ فهمه. ❝
———————————

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short. Heavy. Thought-provoking.

[Florencia Adalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es un libro q leí en plena o pandemia, hacia años q lo quería leer pero no podía, efectivamente te hace reflexionar sobre muchas cosas... Muy bueno

[Giulio Ciacchini · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Misleading Title for a Technical essay on Logotherapy
Compared to Man's Search for Meaning, this later work feels like a very different book, less lived experience, more system-building.
If you've never read Frankl's work do not start from this one, Man's Search for Meaning is more than enough.
A large part of the book revolves around logotherapy as a discipline: its foundations, its legitimacy, its relationship with other schools of thought — especially Sigmund Freud and classical psychoanalysis. Frankl spends considerable time positioning himself intellectually, defending his approach, and engaging in historical and theoretical discussions. All of this is interesting, but also quite technical, and at times feels more like an academic essay than a reflection on meaning.
The problem is that the title promises something else. Ultimate meaning suggests a deep existential exploration, perhaps even an attempt to grapple with the biggest questions - suffering, death, transcendence. And while those themes are present, they are often filtered through theoretical exposition rather than direct insight. The result is a certain mismatch: the book sounds more ambitious than it actually feels.
But there are some chapters that are worth reading.
The following passage expresses a classic philosophical limit: the subject cannot fully grasp itself as an object. Just as the eye cannot see its own point of vision, consciousness cannot fully illuminate its own source.
Frankl is pointing to a structural blind spot at the core of human awareness: what makes experience possible cannot itself be experienced in the same way. This echoes insights already present in modern philosophy: the idea that the deepest layer of the self is not accessible to direct reflection.
Not only is the origin of consciousness hidden, but also the instance that governs consciousness itself remains unconscious. The example of sleep suggests that there is a level of decision-making operating beneath awareness, something that “decides” without appearing.
It’s a compelling intuition, but also slippery: by placing the ultimate source of meaning and decision beyond awareness, Frankl risks making it unfalsifiable — something that can be asserted, but not really examined.

Precisely at the place of its origin, the retina of the eye has a "blind spot," where the optic nerve enters the eyeball. Likewise, the spirit is "blind" precisely at its origin-precisely there, no self-observation, no mirroring of itself is possible; where the spirit is "original" spirit, where it is fully itself, precisely there it is also unconscious of itself. We may therefore fully subscribe to what has been said in the Indian Vedas: "That which does the seeing, cannot be seen; that which does the hearing, cannot be heard; and that which does the thinking, cannot be thought."
However, the spirit is unconscious not only where it originates, that is, in its depth, but also in its height. In fact, that which has to decide whether something is to be conscious or unconscious is itself unconscious. Just consider the fact that there is something in the sleeping man that decides whether or not he should continue sleeping.

Frankl doubles down when he introduces religion into the psychological picture.
On the surface, the argument is principled: religion must not be instrumentalized. If a therapist uses faith as just another technique, like medication or behavioral tools, it becomes a manipulation, stripped of its intrinsic meaning. In that sense, Frankl is defending the dignity of religion against reductionism, much like he resists the tendency of psychoanalysis (think of Sigmund Freud) to interpret faith as a mere psychological symptom.
But the position is also problematic.
It introduces a criterion based on the therapist’s personal belief. Only a “religious psychiatrist” is allowed to engage religion—yet psychotherapy, as a discipline, is supposed to be grounded in methods that do not depend on the therapist’s private convictions. This risks blurring the line between clinical practice and personal worldview. If therapy depends on the therapist’s faith, it becomes less universal and more ideological.
Frankl also insists on a strict separation of aims: therapy heals, religion saves. Yet his own logotherapy constantly moves in that border zone, speaking about meaning, responsibility, transcendence. In practice, the separation he defends is hard to maintain, because his therapeutic model already presupposes a quasi-spiritual dimension of the human person.

Furthermore, only a psychiatrist who is himself a religious person is justified in bringing religion into psychotherapy. An irreligious psychiatrist never has the right to manipulate the patient's religious feelings by employing religion as just another useful tool to try-along with such things as pills, shots, and shocks. This would be to debase religion and degrade it to a mere device for improving mental health.
Although religion might have a very positive psychotherapeutic effect on the patient, its intention is in no way a psychotherapeutic one. Although religion might secondarily promote such things as mental health and inner equilibrium, its aim does not primarily concern psychological solutions but, rather, spiritual salvation. Religion is not an insurance policy for a tranquil life, for maximum freedom from conflicts, or for any other hygienic goal. Religion provides man with more than psychotherapy ever could-but it also demands more of him. Any fusion of the respective goals of religion and psychotherapy must result in con-fusion. The fact remains that the intentions of the two are different-even if their effects might overlap. In the same vein, any attempt to merge the medical ministry with the pastoral one is to be rejected. There are some authors who propose that psychotherapy relinquish its autonomy as a science and its independence from religion in favor of seeing its function as that of an ancilla theologiae. As is well known, for centuries philosophy was allotted the role of such an ancilla theologiae, i.e., a handmaid in the service of theology.

In a nutshell Frankl thinks that there is a difference between feeling that life is meaningful and actually living something meaningful. The former can be artificially induced through substances, altered states, or even certain psychological experiences while the latter requires engagement with reality, responsibility, and the world outside oneself. In this sense, Frankl is making a sharp and important distinction: meaning is not a subjective sensation, but a task.
The comparison with laboratory animals reinforces his warning. It suggests that if we reduce fulfillment to internally generated pleasure or intensity, we risk becoming trapped in a loop of self-stimulation, cut off from real relationships, real work, and real purpose. The critique goes beyond drugs: it implicitly targets any form of escapism that replaces action with experience.
This reasoning is a precursor of today's dopamine induced-social-media loop.

Small wonder that people who are caught in the existential vacuum are eager, if meanings cannot be acquired, to provide themselves at least with mere feelings of meaningfulness-such as those that are available in that state of intoxication that is induced by LSD. In such states suddenly the world takes on infinite meaningfulness. But the shortcut finally proves to be a dead end, for it might well be that people who resort to LSD wind up in the long run like the experimental animals used in self-stimulation experiments. Researchers inserted electrodes into the hypothalamuses of rats, and whenever they closed the electric circuit, the rats to all appearances experienced either sexual orgasm or the satisfaction of eating. When the rats then learned to jump on the lever and by so doing to close the electric circuit themselves, they became addicted to the business and pressed the lever up to 50,000 times a day. What I regard as most remarkable is that these animals then neglected the real sexual partners and the real food that were offered to them. And I think that the "acidheads" who confine themselves to the mere feelings of meaningfulness may bypass the true meanings that are in store for ther fulfilled by them out in the world rather than with own psyches.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book came highly recommended to me. The author is a psychiatrist and neurologist who is also a Holocaust survivor. The book talks about logotherapy, spirituality and the search for meaning in life. Unfortunately it wasn't a book for me or at least not for me at this moment. I found the first third quite confusing and sometimes bewildering (the chapter on dream interpretation...), and while I did find interesting insights in the latter part I found it overall quite difficult to approach.

Still, next I'm planning on grabbing his previous book about his life in concentration camps and how this philosophy of life helped him.

[Farah Irshad]

Have to read it one more time to fully comprehend it.

[Ioana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Religia – în lumina reflectoarelor logoterapeutice în cartea Dumnezeul neștiut

Dimensiunile monolitice ale sensului prind contur în cartea lui Viktor Frankl despre religiozitate, numită „Dumnezeul neștiut”. Frankl opune logoterapia psihanalizei și insistă că în orice persoană, indiferent de ce susține aceasta, există religiozitate. Însă Frankl eșuează în a prezenta dovezi solide asupra tezei centrale a cărții sale. Cu toate că religiozitatea ar putea să joace un rol important în viața multora dintre noi și în menținerea integrității psihice, mascarea ei în cadrul logototerapiei sub formă de „căutare a unui țel ultim”s-ar putea dovedi a fi detrimentală reputației logoterapiei.

Cartea lui Viktor Frankl, publicată pentru prima dată în anul 1974 a fost publicată recent și în România, mai exact în decursul anului trecut, la editura Trei. Textele din carte sunt de fapt transcrieri ale unor conferințe pe care Frankl le-a ținut în SUA. Viktor Frankl este întemeietorul școlii de logoterapie, școală al cărui principiu de bază este că vindecarea psihicului se poate realiza prin trăirea unei vieți ghidate de sens. Totodată, Frankl nu discută despre orice sens, ci existența unui sens ultim. Dar despre acesta, puțin mai încolo.
Prima întâlnirea pe care am avut-o cu opera lui Frankl a fost în anul 2018, când am citit „Omul în căutarea sensului vieții”, o carte care mi s-a părut că avea anumite lacune de onestitate intelectuală – până la urmă, Frankl dorea să prezinte „obiectiv” această voință de sens, însă cartea în sine supura de religiozitate disimulată (nu foarte discret) în căutarea sensului vieții. Ciudată alegere, când sensul îți este oferit de la bun început! Cu toate acestea, Frankl face anumite concesii de bun augur. Astfel, aflăm că, cel puțin, „sensul trebuie găsit, nu trebuie zămislit”. Sensul poate fi căutat explică Frankl, dar mai degrabă se dezvăluie în mod spontan, ceea ce mă cu gândul duce direct la un misticism care ar fi trebuit să fie îngropat demult, deodată cu predicile plicitisitoare ale lui Eckhart. Cu toate acestea, un lucru îi apropie și le răscumpără câteva din păcate (sic) – atât Eckhart cât și Frankl credeau într-o religie personală care putea fi practicată dincolo de cutumele bisericești. Să nu uităm că Eckhart a fost declarat eretic, pentru că pe bună dreptate misticismul a fost privit cu pizmă de clericii vremi, mai ales cum era un mod de a atinge roba lui Dumnezeul fără a face vizite pe la biserică. Și tot legat de acest ultim aspect, Frankl se află în gravă eroare atunci când susține că își imaginează religia viitorului ca fiind una aproape lipsită de ritualuri – ce e religia fără ritualuri?? Religia fără ritualuri nu este religie. Arătați-mi o religie fără ritualuri și voi opri pâmântul în loc.
Dar, înainte ca lucrurile să înceapă astfel să sune prea bine ca să fie adevărate (spoiler alert: nu sunt), Frankl se ia la trântă cu Freud, luând la bani mărunți psihanaliza care pasămite e partea perdantă în meciul amuzant cu logoterapia. Ca orice bun creștin, reușește să salte propria concepție pe piscurile cele mai înalte, logoterapia fiind o psihologie a înălțimilor, iar psihanaliza o aruncă în mocirla abisului. Nici terapia comportamentală nu scapă nevătămată, dar de această mică îl putem absolvi, căci până la urmă, cine îl ia în serios pe Skinner (care toată viața a făcut experimente pe șobolani, dar a scris cărți despre și pentru oameni).
Frankl insistă și după acest ciudat tur de forță care nu poate pasiona decât specialiștii din domeniu și câteva suflete pierdute ale unor studenți de la psihologie, și ne arată o psihanaliză îmbrăcată în haine noi – de data aceasta nu sexualitatea e cea refulată, ci spiritualitatea. Îmbrăcat din nou e și inconștientul pulsional, adică libidoul, care de data aceasta devine inconștientul spiritual. În spatele celei mai mari fericiri nu se află chestiuni de natură sexuală (nu...întodeauna, am adăuga noi), anunță triumfător Frankl – dar asta știam și noi. Mai subțiri sunt însă dovezile asupra existenței inconștientului spiritual. Deși se bate cu pumnii in piept că trebuie să „nu ne pierdem de sub picioare pământul ferm al datelor empirice”, folosește cel mult interpretarea viselor prin metoda clasică a asociațiilor libere și... cam atât. Până la urmă nu este vorba despre vreun Beck, care și-a suflecat mânecile și a vrut să afle cu adevărat în ce mod se transpun anumite teorii psihanalitice în viața pacienților depresivi. Ca și psihanaliza, dacă privim logoterapia cu seriozitate, vom vedea că este acel tip de teorie care explică totul și...nimic. După cum spunea Beck: „De vreme ce teoria psihanalitică putea fi adaptată astfel încât să explice aproape orice fenomen, ea nu putea fi falsificată. Era posibil să răsucești modelul astfel încât să vii cu o altă explicație dacă o anumită formulare nu mergea. Există o asemenea diversitate și bogăție a explicațiilor încât oricând ceva putea fi extras pentru a explica o descoperire neașteptată. (Beck, n.d.)” Și până la urmă ce poate fi mai „transcedental” decât sensul ultim la vieții? Care nu este 42? Puțin curaj însă și să ne ferim totuși, după cum ne-a învățat și Popper, de teoriile nefalsificabile.
Ca persoană care a suferit de depresie clinică și a urmat un tratament cu antidepresive, nu vreau să omit nici faptul că Frankl îți bagă sensul pe gât, vrei nu vrei, astfel nici măcar bieții sinucigași nu au voie să trăiască un vid existențial autentic pentru că, ei bine, dacă „nu ar mai crede cu adevărat în sens, n-ar mai fi capabili să miște nici măcar un deget și, de aceea, nu ar avea nici determinarea să se sinucidă.(pp. 99)” Să nu uităm un alt episod al istoriei care s-a întins pe o perioadă suficient de lungă astfel încât memoria lui să fie încă vie și astăzi, când persoanelor cu dizabilități intelectuale le era luat dreptul de a se autoguverna - non compos mentis, sicut quidam sunt per lucida intervalla, întocmai precum Frankl neagă faptul că anumite persoane și-ar putea trăi (culmea!) propria realitate. Ce poate fi mai egoist decât să îi refuzi unei persoane dreptul la propriul destin și corp? Iată motivul pentru care atât de multe persoane cu boli în stadiu terminal mor în condiții în care nicio persoană zdravănă la cap nu ar lăsa să sfârșească un câine.
Masele au fost educate să ia de bun orice argument al autorității, astfel că prea puține voci se ridică împotriva secului dumnezeu neștiut al lui Frankl. Poate și pentru că logoterapia suscită prea puțin interes. Ceea ce de data asta nu doar insinuează, ci spune de-a dreptul Frankl de-a lungul acestui volum este că și noi, cei nereligioși, suntem totuși religioși. Frankl susține totodată că religiozitatea și logoterapia trebuie separate, însă granițele dintre cele două sunt sever estompate atunci când se raportează teleologic la sensul ultim al vieții. Ceea ce pot însă concede este că religiozitatea poate juca un rol important în viața multor persoane aflate într-o situație de criză și astfel în menținerea integrității psihice (și chiar a celei fizice (Zimmer et al., 2019). Mai puțin clar, după lecturarea acestui set de conferințe, este în ce fel religiozitatea ar trebui abordată în logoterapie de către un terapeut care nu are nevoie să apeleze la astfel de cârje spirituale și cum se poate raporta acesta cel
mai bine la realitate pacientului său, realitate cu care până la urmă fiecare terapeut trebuie să lucreze. Alt lucru binevenit în logoterapie este orientarea individului către un țel (deși Frankl admite că acest lucru ține de voliția individului).
În cele din urmă, lui Frankl ar putea să nu îi cadă bine faptul că pentru mulți dintre noi, apa nu mai încetează să fie udă atunci când aflăm că e un compus format din hidrogen și oxigen. Exemplul absolut odios al unei maimuțe care primește o injecție dureroasă spre binele mai mare al tuturor este unul grăitor - al modului în care religia murdărește spiritul uman, un spirit pe care marii gânditori, de la Diderot încoace ne-au arătat că trebuie să fie unul liber și secular, nu unul poluat de teodicee grotești și încorsetat de reguli stupide și nevolnice. Doar pentru că Frankl a fost un supraviețuitor al Holocaustului, el nu trebuie să rămână în niciun fel un autor de necontestat. În cele din urmă, Frankl greșește nu pentru că vorbește de religie, ci pentru că o face în numele altora. Cât despre sensul ultim, să sperăm că acesta nu constă în incantații ciudate și gimnastică mentală dedicată unei instanțe care, dacă există, nu ar avea nevoie de niciunul dintre aceste giumbușlucuri. Nu aflăm de ce trebuie musai să existe un sens ultim (de parcă ar exista o competiție între sensuri), și de cenu putem avea mai multe sensuri la care să ne raportăm. Dar dacă este să aleg, după cum
vrea cu dinadinsul Frankl, un sens al sensurilor, îmi amintesc că un psihoterapeut a spus odată: „Sensul vieții înseamnă să înveți să iubești.”, iar acesta este unul destul de bun pentru
mine.

[Andrea Villa Lozano · Rating 3 out of 5]

A ratos interesante. A ratos da dolor de cabeza.
Qué fumada de libro

[Johnnee · Rating 5 out of 5]

While vacationing in Brooklyn, a girl whose lent me her couch to sleep on called me a hippie for reading this book. I panicked and tried to convince her, and myself, that I was NOT a dirty hippie. I don't smoke pot, or listen to jam bands, or even love everybody. At the same time, this book really is intensively self-reflective. Frankl's Logotherapy is a great response to life in my opinion, and his philosophy has a lot of value that you can take with you after you're done reading. This book is commonly found in the self-help section (I found it in nearby in psychology) so i guess that's where it's hippie status originates. Oh well, its weird to think that self-help is such a shameful section to be in (keep in mind that hippie in its modern lexicon amongst my friends implies someone with an archaic, narcissistic, self-serving, one-dimentional mindset) but I think I'm just too old to care these days. This book is great after dealing with loss or tragedy...so wait to read this until you really need to.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a graduate student or even an undergraduate student of psychiatry, this book will be very likely a page turner for you. I'm not so it was slow going at first unlike the first book, Man's Search for Meaning. The terms and language used are at a higher academic level even for someone with a Masters degree in engineering! But eventually it turned more practical and used examples to make the author's points more understandable. And there were certainly some memorable nuggets that I found:

-Be the master of your will and the servant of your conscience.
-Meaning must be found and cannot be given.
-Despair is suffering without meaning.

And there's more. But I do have to say I got so much out of the first book that my expectations were probably too high as a more general reader for thid book. If you have already read and liked the first book, this may be something of interest for you. But it is very academic in my opinion!

[ريما السيّاري · Rating 5 out of 5]

أميل دائمًا لقراءة الأفكار التي تعطي مسميات أكثر نُبلاً للشعور مما هو معروف حياله، وكأنك تعتني بروحك، فالروح الآمنة تعرف الفكرة الصحيحة من أول تجلّي! فإذا كان للمرء أن يتغلب على علل هذا العصر وأمراضه، فعليه أن يفهمها فهمًا صحيحًا، فغالبًا يكون الشعور مفهومًا أكثر بكثير مما يمكن أن يكون العقل مفهومًا.

بل وحتى لو وقع ما يسوؤك أو يحزنك فإنك ستبحث فيه عن فكرته السامية، فقلّما يخلو منها بل قلّما يجيء إلّا بها. قد تكون صدماتك الداخلية سببًا لتحرير عينيك لترى السماوي.
تذكّرت فصل في كتاب لروبرت غرين عنوانه "حوّل القذارة الى سكر"
وهذا ما حوّله فرانكل هُنا.

[Petre · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful exploration of the relationship between man and the voice of his conscience. Frankl captures the universality of this relationship and explores it with the seriousness that it deserves.

The more comprehensive the meaning, the less comprehensible it is. Infinite meaning is necessarily beyond the comprehension of a finite being.

[♡ Tina K ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Teska za citanje osobi koja ne poznaje sve strucne termine, vrlo malo primjera te previse bacanja referenci, godina i sl.

[Celine Pattni · Rating 4 out of 5]

a story to reborn from your ashes.. with a proper research behind it. the purpose of life all we need!

[Nouru-éddine · Rating 4 out of 5]

::انطباع عام::
—---------------
ا��ترجمة رائعة ومتقنة وأمينة للغاية! تمنيتُ لو كنت قد قرأت كتاب "الإنسان والبحث عن المعنى" بترجمة نفس هذا المترجم. الهوامش تدل على المجهود والأمانة في النقل؛ علاوة على عدم التصرف في المصطلحات السيكولوجية بشكل كبير. هذا ما يجعلني لا أتكاسل في إبداء الاحترام والتقدير لمجهودات ("دار آفاق")، التي هي أحبّ الدور لقلبي، لاهتمامها بالكتاب من كل النواحي: الإخراج الداخلي الفاخر، الخط الواضح والكبير، الترجمات الأمينة، العناوين الممتازة والثقيلة، الأغلفة الأنيقة، وفوق كل ذلك، أسعارها المعقولة والخصومات المميزة التي تقدمها أثناء معرض الكتاب حتى أنها تصل إلى النصف! خصصتُ رفًا في مكتبتي لمنشورات آفاق الفلسفية والعلمية بسبب هذا كله.
بعد الانتهاء من كتاب "الإنسان والبحث عن المعنى" الذي قرأته بالإنجليزية، أتبعته بهذا الكتاب لأنني وجدته مذكورًا عدة مرات في البيبليوغرافيا الخاصة بالكتاب للاستزادة عن بعض المعلومات المذكورة.
***
::في سطور::
—-------------
هو من ضمن الكتب التي تناولت مبدأ العلاج بالمعنى أو اللوغوثيرابي الذي ابتكره الطبيب النفسي النمساوي فيكتور فرانكل. يعتبر هذا الكتاب هو موضوع أطروحته لنيل الدكتوراه في الفلسفة عام 1948. يتناول فيه الطبيب الفييني فحص العلاقة العامة بين السيكولوجيا والدين بمعناه الأوسع.
***
::الأفكار الهامة::
—----------------
يشير مصطلح "إله اللاشعور" إلى تلك العلاقة المخفية مع الوجود الإلهي الخفي داخل الإنسان. في هذا العمل، يقدم الطبيب عمله باستخدام الأسلوب السقراطي في المحاورة أي "خطاب اكتشاف الذات"؛ التي من خلالها يجعل سقراط -عن طريق المحاورة- محاوره يصل إلى الحقيقة وحده عبر تتبع المعطيات وصولاً إلى النتيجة. أما في حالة فرانكل فهو كان يسعى مع مرضاه لكي يجعلهم يتلمسون مع "نوس" أو عقلهم أو الجانب الروحاني من لاشعورهم. يعتبر الشعور الديني لدى الإنسان هو أعمق قرار فردي، ويتزامن مع عملية اكتشاف المعنى في الحياة، خصوصًا أكثر المواقف صعوبة في الحياة. مع استخدام أمثلة من أبناء الأبرشيات والبروتستانتية، يجادل فرانكل أن المشاركة الناضجة مع مجموعة دينية تعظّم الشعور بالمعنى في الحياة.
***
::اقتباسات هامة::
—---------------
"المسؤولية جوهر الوجود. الإنسان ليس من يطرح السؤال، ما معنى الحياة؟ لكنه من طُرح عليه السؤال، لأن الحياة نفسها هي التي تطرحه عليه. وعلى الإنسان أن يستجيب للحياة بإجابة لمدى الحياة؛ عليه أن يرد بالمسؤولية؛ وبعبارة أخرى، الاستجابة بالضرورة استجابة عملية. هنا والآن، فإن مسؤوليتنا دائمًا مسؤولية شخص بالإضافة أنها مسؤولية موقف."

"الإيمان بالله إما أن يكون غير شرطي وإما لا يكون إيمانًا على الإطلاق. كما تطفئ العاصفة حريقًا صغيرًا فإنها تؤجج الحريق الكبير، وبالمثل يضعف الإيمان الضعيف بسبب المآزق والكوارث بينما يتعزز بها الإيمان القوي."

"الأساس الروحاني للوجود الإنساني هو اللاشعور. الروح عمياء بالضبط حيث يكون منشأها، وبالتحديد لا توجد مراقبة ذاتية، ولا يمكن أن تتأمل نفسها؛ حيث تكون الروح هي الروح الأصلية، وحيث تكون هي نفسها تمامًا، لا تعي أيضًا ذاتها تحديدًا. ما يرى لا يمكن رؤيته، ما يسمع لا يمكن سماعه؛ وما يفكر، لا يمكن التفكير فيه."

"الوجود الإنساني غير قابل للتأمل أساسًا، وكذلك الذات بحد ذاتها، الوجود الإنساني يوجد في العمل وليس في التأمل. بقدر ما لا يمكن للوجود الإنساني أن يفكر في نفسه تمامًا، لا يمكن تحليله كله أيضًا. يظل الوجود الإنساني ظاهرة بدائية، أي ظاهرة غير قابلة للتحليل وغير قابلة للاختزال، وهذا ينطبق على كل جانب من جوانبها الأساسية."

"الضمير، بجانب المسؤولية، ظاهرة بدائية حقيقية، ظاهرة غير قابلة للاختزال متأصلة في الإنسان باعتباره كائنًا حاسمًا. بهذا المعنى الضمير غير عقلاني، إنه غير منطقي، أو بتعبير أفضل، قبل منطقي، مثلما يوجد فهم قبل علمي، وحتى قبله بشكل أنطولوجي، فهم قبل منطقي للوجود، يوجد أيضًا فهم قبل أخلاقي للمعنى، وهو الضمير."

"ما يُكشف عنه للوعي شيء كائن، لكن ما يكشف عنه للضمير ليس شيئًا كائنًا لكنه شيء يجب أن يكون. الضمير حدسي أساسًا. لتوقع ما لم يتحقق بعد، لكنه يجب أن يتحقق. الضمير غير عقلاني. الحب يحدس، لأنه يتصور أيضًا شيئًا لم يتحقق بعد، يكشف الحب يكشف الحب عن إمكانات كامنة في الشخص المحبوب لا يزال عليه أن يحققها."

"يهدف الحب إلى الإمكانات الفريدة بالقدر نفسه الكامنة في شخص محبوب. الحب وحده يمكن المحب من إدراك تفرد المحبوب، للحب وظيفة معرفية مهمة. الحب لا تدفع الهو الذات وإنما تختارك الذات."

"حيث تنغمس الذات الروحانية في أعماق اللاشعور، تحدث ظواهر الضمير والحب والفن. ومع ذلك -حيث يحدث العكس، أي حيث تتطفل الهو النفسية الجسدية على الوعي - يكون علينا أن نتعامل مع عصاب أو ذهان، اعتمادًا على ما إن كانت الحالة نفسية المنشأ أو جسدية المنشأ."

"إلهام الفنان يوازي حدس الضمير غير العقلاني. تصبح المراقبة الذاتية القسرية عائقًا شديدًا لإبداع الفنان. محاولة التلاعب بالعملية الإبداية الأولية بالتفكير فيها، محكوم عليها بالفشل؛ لا يأتي التفكير إلا في وقت لاحق."

"التحول الكوبرنيكي في علم اللاهوت، الرب ليس صورة أب، بل الأب صورة الرب، ومن هذا المنظور، لا يكون الأب نموذج الألوهية، بل على العكس، يكون الرب نموذج الأبوة. لن يستطيع أحد أن يجعلنا نعتقد أن الإنسان حيوان متسامح بمجرد أن نرى أن داخله ملاكًا مكبوتًا."

"أجرؤ على القول إن الرب إله انتقامي حقًا، لأن الوجود العصابي في بعض الحالات يبدو أنه الخسارة التي تلحقها بالإنسان علاقة مشلولة مع التسامي."

"ضمور الحس الديني لدى الإنسان يؤدي إلى تشويه مفاهيمه الدينية أو بالتعبير بلغة غير إكلينيكية، بمجرد كبت الملاك فينا، يتحول إلى شيطان. يتدهور الدين المكبوت ويصبح خرافة. تأليه العقل والهوس بالتكنولوجيا بنى مكبوتة يُضحى من أجلها بالشعور الديني. من يمتلك الفن والعلم امتلك الدين أيضًا."

"إذا كان للعلاج النفسي أن يقدم دليلاً على أن نفسية الإنسان هي حقًا كما نعتقد، أي دينية بطبيعتها، لا يمكن تقديم مثل هذه الأدلة إلا بعلاج نفسي يعتبر علمًا لادينيًا بطبيعته -أي علاج نفسي بطبيعته ليس موجهًا دينيًا ولا يمكن أبدًا أن يكون موجهًا دينيًا. كلما قل تنازل العلاج النفسي لخدمة علم اللاهوت كخادمة، زادت الخدمة التي يؤديها في الواقع. لا يحتاج المرء إلى أن يكون خادمًا ليخدم."

"يتميز الإنسان في الأصل ببحثه عن المعنى وليس ببحثه عن نفسه، كلما نسي المرء نفسه من أجل قضية أو شخص آخر، كان أكثر إنسانية. وكلما انغمس الشخص في شيء أو شخص آخر غير نفسه، أصبح نفسه حقًا. لا تتاح الهوية إلا من خلال المسؤولية. نسيان أنفسهم بالإضافة إلى نسيان المصور الحالي بالإضافة إلى نسيان جمالاً."

"بمجرد أن يخدم المرء قضية أو يشارك في حب إنسان آخر، تحدث السعادة تلقائيًا، ومع ذلك، فإن إرادة اللذة تتناقض مع خاصية التسامي الذاتي للواقع الإنساني، إنها تهزم نفسها أيضًا لأن اللذة والسعادة منتجان ثانويان. السعادة نتيجة لا يمكن السعي وراءها. السعي وراء السعادة يحبط السعادة، وكلما جعل المرء السعادة هدفًا، أخطأ الهدف. إن إرادة القوة وما يمكن أن يسميه المرء إرادة المتعة بدائل لإرادة معنى محبطة. يخنق الأداء الجنسي أو الخبرة الجنسية إلى الحد الذي يجعله موضوعًا للانتباه أو هدفًا للنوايا."

"الجنس الإنساني أكثر من مجرد جنس دائمًا. أكثر من مجرد جنس بدقة بقدر ما يكون تعبيرًا جسديًا عن شيء ما ميتا جنسي - تعبيرًا جسديًا عن الحب. الجنس مهمة تجسيد - الحب. الرومانسية كانت من أهم العوامل التي تسهم في ارتفاع معدلات النشوة الجنسية والفعالية."

"إن استيعاب تفرد الشريك يؤدي بشكل مفهوم إلى شراكة أحادية الزواج. لم يعد هناك شركاء يمكن تبادلهم. إذا عجز المرء عن الحب، ينتهي به الأمر إلى الفسق. بما أن العادة السرية تعني الرضا بتخفيف التوتر باعتباره بالهدف. فإن الفسق يعني الرضا عن الشريك باعتباره موضوعًا، في الحالتين لا تتحقق الإمكانات الإنسانية للجنس. مستوى الهدف فقط، يمكن للمواد الإباحية تلبية غريزته الجنسية، وما دام على مستوى الموضوع ببساطة، فقد تلبي العاهرات غريزته الجنسية. كلما أصبح المرء نفسه، أصبح أكثر إنسانية."

"الحب هو الذي يجعل الجنس إنسانيًا، وحبوب منع الحمل تسمح بحياة جنسية إنسانية حقيقية، حيث يمكن للجنس متحررًا من ارتباطه التلقائي بالإنجاب، تحقيق أعلى إمكاناته باعتباره أحد أكثر التعبيرات المباشرة والمفهومة عن الحب. يكون الجنس إنسانيًا إذا اعتبر وسيلة للحب."
*.*.*.*.*.*

[Alexandrina Satnoianu]

“The world is in a bad state, but everything will become still worse unless each of us does his best.” - Viktor E. Frankl

Weird, I know, but this quote is not about the coronavirus pandemic, it is about the Holocaust - one of the biggest tragedies of the humankind.

Since visiting Auschwitz in 2016, I try to read every year a Holocaust-related book. Thanks to the book club, I read ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ by Viktor Frankl.

By 1939 he was head of the department of neurology at Rothschild Hospital in Vienna. Even back then, he was trying to help his patients find a way to make their lives meaningful in the face of depression or mental illness. He saw the quest for meaning as a key to mental health and human flourishing. He was already defining logotherapy - a psychiatric technique - Frankl established and that uses existential analysis to help patients resolve their emotional conflicts.

Although the Nazi menace was growing, and he had been granted a visa for the US, he decided to let his visa lapse. He felt he should stay in Vienna for the sake of his ageing parents. In September 1942, Frankl and his family were arrested and deported.

In his book, Frankl wrote about his personal experience from the concentration camp reflecting on the inner strength of his inmates and their desire to live against all atrocities they were facing.

How did all those prisoners remain optimistic in the face of pain, guilt, and death? Why some were giving up and some others had a steely resolve not to give up?

In a nutshell, Frankl says that we can discover the meaning in life in three different ways: (1) by creating a work or doing a deed; (2) by experiencing something or encountering someone; and (3) by the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering.

It is quite hard to recommend Holocaust-related books, but out of all I have read, I find this one the most spiritual one.

--- An interesting fact about Frankl: he wondered whether “there may be such a thing as autobibliotherapy—healing through reading.” What do you think?

[Whole And · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extraordinarily difficult yet profound book.

Victor Frankl takes us by the hand and walks us through some of the most devastating inhumane conditions imaginable. Be warned, this is not an easy read by any means. The scenes and stories told will reach your core and make you wonder why humans beings were ever created if they could do such terrible things to one another as described in the concentration camps.

However, you will walk through Dr. Frankl's way of thinking as well. The inner world will be astoundingly beautiful, learning that love is the ultimate purpose of life and that love can be experienced even where he was, without the presence of the one he loves.

Dr. Frankl clearly shows us, our choice of attitude in any given situation, even in the most horrific places, is our freedom that cannot ever be taken away no matter where we are or what we may be going through.

There is a constant sense of possible achievement described throughout the book, inner strength and spiritual accomplishment. "Yet, in reality, there was an opportunity and a challenge. Once could make a victory of those experiences, turning life into an inner triumph, or on could ignore the challenge and simply vegetate, as did a majority of the prisoners." pg 81.

The theme of triumph is indeed prevalent throughout the journey.
Lessons that can be applied to any given circumstance in our present world and situation. The lessons are universal and timeless only having been born or cultivated through such agonizing conditions.

The gems gifted from this book are golden but the journey is incredibly grueling, emotionally challenging. Take time to be with the book and with emotions that arise. Rest assured, it is most definitely worth the journey.

[David Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book I read to research this post was Man's Search For Ultimate Meaning by Viktor Frankl which is a very good book which I bought from kindle. This book is the follow up to Man's Search For Meaning also by Viktor Frankl and the best book I have ever read. In that book it was about his experiences in a concentration camp during World War 2 and how he found meaning to his existence whilst there which led to him developing logotherapy and becoming a celebrated psychiatrist and psycho therapist. One man went to him devastated about his wife's death which had left him alone. Viktor told him he should think that he is suffering instead of his wife and has spared her this ordeal. One thing he often focuses on is a life has to have meaning and an example of this is lab rats had a lever that every time they pressed it produced food. At first they ate lots and lots of food but then it lost its meaning and they went off food and sex. It is only by having sad experiences we can appreciate the good times. Everything is relative. In a concentration they enjoyed great happiness eating a bit of stale bread because they were starving and if they had been well fed would have turned their noses up at it. Another thing is expectations where we expect something and if it disappoints we are upset but if it exceeds our expectations no matter how little we expect are happy. This is only a short book of around 150 pages and Viktor is from Vienna in Austria which of course was invaded by Hitler during World War 2. This is a very interesting book and I enjoyed reading it.

[Ricardo Acuña · Rating 5 out of 5]

Se trata de un libro estupendo sin duda, que nos muestra que el ser humano a pesar de todo el sufrimiento y las angustias, tiene el potencial de trascender. Mas allá de la búsqueda del placer, del poder, existe la búsqueda del sentido en nuestra vida. Frankl crítica el psicoanálisis de Freud, que considera al ser humano que esta sometido a sus pulsiones por el principio de realidad y la busqueda del placer. Frankl acepta que la Logoterapia y el Psicoanálisis son complementarios. Personalmente considero que justamente el psicoanálisis explica la personalidad cuando no se ha logrado aún trascender la conciencia y tener la fuerza para lograr una autocomprensión ontológica prereflexiva. Considero que la logoterapia es la alternativa para impulsarse hacia adelante cuando ya se ha logrado una resolución al conflicto neurótico o cuando se posee una fuerza suficiente para impulsar el desarrollo de la conciencia. Muchas veces necesitaremos ayuda para esto.

Me sorprendió en la última parte donde Frankl habla de otras dimensiones que permiten entender el azar aparente que se da en la realidad. Es una metáfora muy interesante para comprender la búsqueda del sentido. Es asombroso que haya puntos de coincidencia con Bohm en su concepto de la totalidad y el orden implicado por vías muy diferentes.

Definitivamente un libro muy recomendable que alienta e impulsa a lo mejor de nosotros mismos.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nunca debería haber comenzado este libro, pero me alegro de haberlo terminado. Ha cambiado completamente mi forma de ver las cosas y, por supuesto, mi forma de verme a mí misma. Me permitió reflexionar un par sobre mí misma y, con seguridad, eso ayudó mucho a comprender muchas cosas sobre mí, sobre mi comportamiento, por lo tanto, me siento aliviada. Me quitó un peso de encima, pudiendo entender que ciertos comportamientos fueron el resultado de una crisis existencial con la que he estado lidiando y otros comportamientos fueron el resultado de una parte de mi pasado y ver todo eso desde otra perspectiva me hace darme cuenta de que no podré hacer esas cosas o comportarme de esa manera nuevamente. Siento que he aprendido mucho y me hace sentir más como una mujer intelectual, siento que este libro no es para todos y me alegra haberlo leído hasta el final.