Having a bad day because your car won’t start, you forgot your lunch, or your boss yelled at you? “Man’s Search for Meaning” by Viktor Frankl will give you an instant attitude adjustment. Written in 1946 about his experiences while a prisoner in a concentration camp in Nazi Germany, Frankl’s book shares his perspective — that of a psychiatrist — of his time during the war.
Frankl’s reflections are earthy and honest. Did it feel wrong that the some of the men who ladled the soup scooped to the bottom to give the peas to their friends? Perhaps, but Frankl was quick to point out that judging others if you do not know for certain how you yourself would react when your very survival was at stake is dangerous terrority. Did some men bring light to the other prisoners by how they chose to act? Yes, and this is the crux of Frankl’s book: We all have in our power to choose how we react to the conditions outside of us.
“Even though conditions such as lack of sleep, insufficient food and various mental stresses may suggest that the inmates were bound to react in certain ways, in the final analysis it becomes clear that the sort of person a prisoner became was the result of an inner decision, and not the result of camp influences alone. Fundamentally, therefore, any man can, even under such circumstances, decide what shall become of him–mentally and spiritually. He may retain his human dignity even in a concentration camp.”
Also of note in the book is his summary of logotherapy, the gist of which is to help people find the meaning and purpose in their lives. It is interesting to note that those who do not have to worry about their basic survival are often very discontent and ill-at-ease, frustrated and feeling as though they have not found their life’s purpose. Frankl’s theory seems to get at the same concepts of knowing oneself and of inner exploration that so many metaphysical/New Age writers also discuss, yet from the perspective of a psychiatrist. The similarity between two is quite interesting, and I am very interested in learning more about how the two fields overlap. Suggestions on good books welcomed!
Posted by: Frankl, Viktor — Meg
|
