Man's Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl - Book Report/Review Example

Standing out as one of the most gifted Psychiatrists, Frankl in his book man’s search for meaning introduces his theory of logotherapy. Labelled the most significant thinker in the field of psychotherapy, he writes the “story of a man who became a number who became a person.” A prisoner in the bestial concentration camps, the young Frankl experiences the harshness of life itself after losing everything and everyone he had in his life. The wife he had, father, mother, and a brother all died in the camps. Yet, he comes out strong in the world of psychiatry and has been labelled “a man worth listening to” (Frankl 10). A quick glance into his field of study, we understand that, in developing his theory of logotherapy, the psychiatrist asks his patients why they do not commit suicide. As such, he is able to get answers from both those confronted with small problems and those confronted with big problems. The manner in which he interprets and uses these responses is what intrigues and makes logotherapy a leading new field of study in the modern psychotherapy. Among the guidelines, he finds in his answers, we have: in one life, there is love for one’s children to tie to, the second answer is that there is a talent to be used and in the third, memories worth preserving (Frankl 9). Through these three frames of logotherapy, he is able to understand the minds of his patients better and assist them accordingly. Many have held the view that Frankl’s work should be a must read for psychology students; which I concur with. Looking into his book, we understand that the author’s main intent was not only to detail of his own experiences during the Nazi rule, but to document how the horror showed him the ability of the human to survive and endure against all odds. A mountain view of the first half of the book indicates that the author’s primary focus was to narrate and write how the average prisoner viewed every day challenges in the concentration camps. While he notes that some found hope to keep going on and live each day, some lost all hope. The author manages to bring about the concept of meaning making through the various examples of prisoner life in the camps regardless their situations. Having narrated the examples and even developed a story line for the book throughout the first half of the book, the author develops the therapeutic approach in the second half. Looking into the work of the author, we understand that as early as early 20th century, the author was able to understand and interpret psychotherapy in the spiritual and philosophical dimensions of the human experience. However, contrary to his school of thought and approach towards psychology, his counterpart back in Europe Sigmund Freud’s approach had no particular view of psychology as being a part of the spiritual and philosophic element. As such, these were two parallel modes of study or frameworks of study for the same discipline. Often, Frankl criticized Freud’s approach towards psychotherapy as harshly reducing the human mental life using small elements that had no existential meaning at all. According to Frankl, Man’s search for meaning in life is the primary motivation that drives his life. As opposed to the thought that it is a secondary rationalization, Frankl’s theory concentrates more on the meaning of life as core to the actions of any man no matter the circumstances. According to Frankl, humans have three primary capabilities that include self-transcendence, the ability to be in touch spiritually and self-detachment. As such, this three constructs enables us to understand that humans cannot avoid suffering but must seek to derive meaning or understanding from it. Through his work, we also understand that man does not exist but always is confronted by choices on what his existence will be and what the next moment will be made of. Common in the book is the quote “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how” (Frankl 99). From this particular thought, we understand that the author seeks for a meaning as a driver or as a motivational factor that can help a man to counter any form of hardship. Most of the writing by Frankl is concentrated on an attempt to integrate logotherapy and its theories into the psychotherapeutic studies. According to the theories of logotherapy, we understand that logotherapists are the less tempted of all the psychotherapists to impose value judgement on the patients at any particular times. However, this idea has been challenged as impractical as it is necessary to pass judgement from the patient to the doctor in certain instances. Basic science also notes that it is normal to impose certain value or bias; as such, logotherapy is not immune hence not perfect. Another major setback that logotherapy suffers is the inability to be testable. Unlike other models that have been developed in physiotherapy, logotherapy has been known as untestable quantitatively. It has been labelled as an inner approach to the human inner world. However, the theory has been lauded as one of the most important theories that have been effective in explaining the human action and mind. The need to see his wife again kept Frankl alive at the camp. She was his reason for staying alive and staying strong through the horrors [he did not know that she was long dead]. His hope that one day he would get a chance to publish a book on his psychiatrist theories kept him going through the three years of his captivity. In his book, death takes two perspectives where, as some died empty deaths at the hands of the enemies, some died internally from loss of meaning and purpose in life. In his book, Frankl notes that when a prisoner ignored a guard when asked to wake up and instead lit a cigarette to smoke, he immediately knew that the prisoner would die in two weeks, not at the hand of the enemy but from hopelessness, which he describes as purposelessness. He is noted saying that the prisoner who had lost faith in the future- then his future was more or less purposeless. It became clear that for most of the prisoners. Death did not come from the camp guards and the ruthless captivators but as a result of the individual’s inner decisions. According to the author, each of the challenges presented by life is a problem that he needs to solve. Every day, life asks man a question, which he must answer in his own life by being responsible. According to the author, logotherapy places irresponsibleness as the essence of human existence (Frankl 131). Logotherapy enables a patient to be aware of his own irresponsibleness. With tis construct in mind, logotherapists are thus labelled the least biased and the least likely to impose value judgements on their patients. Using the different subtopics in his work, the author is able to explain various phenomena in life and derive meanings. For instance, he discusses the essence of existence and emphasizes on the thought that man should live as if he has been given a second chance. He further takes his time in the book to explain the meaning of love. He explains that, you cannot become fully aware of another person’s essence unless you love them. He adds that in love, one is able to see the essential traits and features in another person. It is also through love that the potential of a person is realized and can be harnessed. The meaning of suffering is also discussed in detail. He notes that, we can always find meaning in life even when we are confronted with hopelessness in our daily situations. Looking into the experiences of Frankl, we understand that, it is not the circumstances that define meaning. Rather, we derive meaning from the various circumstances making life more meaningful. If this work was written by a person with no particular experience, the work would be a failure. However, in the light of the experiences of Frankl, the author is injected into a ring of authority to speak on the matter with minimal refutation. It is thus in this understanding that we gain an inner understanding into the words of the famous psychiatrist that, the way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering that come with it gives him an opportunity to gain an inner understanding into his own life. Works Cited Frankl, Viktor E. Mans Search for Meaning. Boston: Beacon Press, 2006. Print. Read More