What Role Does Meaning in Life Play in Health and Illness - Essay Example

The sense of struggle is fully explained. Meaning in life changes the view of reality even if this reality is killing.

Such world perception is well supported by Victor Frankl, who is famous as the psychiatrist who survived concentration camps. In his book “Man in a Search of Meaning” Frankl managed to utilize his horrible experience to reinterpret the concepts of life, death, health, and suffering. Frankl considered that chance for survival had only those prisoners who could find meaning and see the future despite the inhumane environment of the camps. It is impossible to maintain a healthy psyche without finding a purpose (2006).

According to Frankl, meaning in life comes from useful and creative activities, love for your close people, and finding meaning in the suffering which is impossible to avoid. The author suggests that every moment of life has its sense, and one of the most difficult tasks is to find meaning in suffering and death. However, illness, suffering, and approaching death were witnessed by Frankl as a chance to reveal human potential and transform these events into valuable experiences. Frankl does not want to suggest that suffering is compulsory for finding meaning, he rather underlines that it is possible to find sense in unavoidable suffering (2006). Read More