[Book Review] Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

Courtesy bn.com

Every so often I read a book that really gets me thinking.  Man's Search for Meaning is one of those books.

For my birthday I received a gift card for a book store (yes, they still exist) and as I was perusing their website I discovered Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl.  The paperback version was quite affordable, so I ordered it along with some other books so that I would not have money left over on my card.  My wife, daughter and I recently went on a trip that involved a lot of flying, so I brought it along with some other books so that I could make good use of my time.  I ended up completing the entire book on that trip and highly recommend it.

Frankl, a Jewish psychiatrist who survived the concentration camps of WWII, describes in the first part of the book what goes through the head of those who found themselves on the wrong side of Hitler's final solution.  His personal involvement and active mind gives the reader a unique perspective of what happened on the inside.  He didn't seek to shock people with stories of brutality and violence, but rather showed how that one can maintain their humanity in such a dehumanizing situation.

The second part of the book dealt with his method of psychotherapy called logotherapy.  Merriam-Webster defines logotherapy in this way.

"a highly directive existential psychotherapy that emphasizes the importance of meaning in the patient's life especially as gained through spiritual values"

In contrast to the Freudian method which places most of the emphasis on what has happened in the past affects your present choices, Frankl focuses primarily on how one's present choices affect what happens in the future.  When reading this part I would recommend taking frequent breaks, or at least not reading it when you are tired (like I did) because some aspects of his therapy take some effort to process.

I would recommend this to anyone, especially to history buffs who want more than simply names and dates, and to those dealing with difficult situations.