Summary Of Man's Search For Meaning

Man’s Search for Meaning, written by Viktor Frankl, is a memoir about preserving spiritual freedom and independence of mind. Frankl uses his own experiences after surviving three years in a German concentration camp, where his parents, brother, wife, and children died. Using his logotherapy theory, Frankl elaborates on the human pursuit of what is significant, while finding meaning through experiences and sufferings. Frankl’s goal is to postulate a perspective for a person to find meaning in his or her life. By describing his horrific experiences in an Auschwitz concentration camp, he provides thorough examples of misery, which supported him in finding the meaning and fulfillment in his own life. In his book, Frankl iterates through his psychological explanation of his imprisonment backdrop, that the “human being is completely and unavoidably influenced by his
143). Depression, aggression, addiction, anxiety, and personality disorders are examples of misery in today’s society, and it is the goal of the people who are around these individuals who suffer from these disorders to help them find a positive regard for their pain. It is important to realize that each individual faced with difficult situations in life, must solve them to the best of their abilities. In fact, “the purpose of our lives changes over time as we confront new challenges” (Geddes, 2000). Because humans can think and decide for themselves, they also have the ability to challenge their own meaning of life. If a person can ask himself what his own meaning of life is while standing firm on his values and beliefs, then he has found success and achieved personal gain. “Live as if you were living already for the second time, and as if you had acted the first time as wrongly as you are about to act now” (Frankl, p.