Book review- Man’s search for Meaning

This personal development book is an absolute must read. It

is the equivalent to what Gone with the wind is to classic film, Romeo and Juliet to romance, and Hulk Hogan is to wrestling.  Seventy years after Man’s Search for Meaning was written, it remains an empowering masterpiece.

Man’s Search for Meaning is the book I have loaned to my patients more than any other.Dr Frankl and his family were Austrian Jews, who during World War II were sent to the extermination camp Auschwitz and three years later, Frankl was liberated, emerging having lost his whole family.  Four days later, he wrote this book.While the back story may sound bleak in reality it is a powerful and most readable story of triumph over adversity.   It bears witness to our most important goal, to find meaning. The intrinsic message of this text is that with life purpose no level of suffering is insurmountable.It is a quick read, easily digested within an afternoon.  Dr Frankl wrote his book in two distinct parts. In the first he outlines his experience in the concentration camp, and the second his theory on the human mind called logotherapy.

 Logotherapy is a therapeutic approach based on the theory that the most powerful, motivating and driving force in humans, is the striving to find a meaning in one’s life – which we can discover through (1) engaging in work or acts of service; (2) our experiences; and (3) by how we think about unavoidable suffering.

After liberation, Dr Frankl remained in Austria to help in the post war rebuilding effort. His writing portrays that he was never bitter or vengeful toward those who had persecuted him and his loved ones. He lived a full life, remarrying, writing more books and he became one of the most influential 20th century psychiatrists.   Dr Frankl was a person I credit most with intriguing me about the science of psychiatry. Though I never met him, he is both an inspiration and a mentor for me.

Victor Frankl    ISBN:  9780807014295 Published in English by Beacon Press, 200 pages.