Any meaning-related reading list does well to begin with Man’s Search for Meaning, Victor Frankel’s 1946 classic tale of turning concentration camp survival into a deeper understanding of how meaning is essential for humans to survive and thrive.
Dr. Frankel was a psychiatrist and neurologist who survived four concentration camps including Auschwitz, and tells a compelling story of how his deep personal connection with meaning and purpose became a critical factor that enabled him to survive horrific circumstances against long odds.
After WWII he used the psychological understanding he gained during his internment, to develop the third Viennese school of psychoanalysis, which he called Logotherapy, or meaning based therapy. Logotherapy is based on the concept that Man’s drive toward meaning is the central human motivating force. Dr. Sigmund Freud’s first Viennese school of psychoanalysis posits that the central human drive is toward pleasure and away from pain. Dr. Alfred Adler’s second Viennese school of psychoanalysis posits that our central drive is toward greater power. Frankel makes a compelling case that our drive toward meaning is prominent.
So how can we build more meaning into our lives? Frankel posits that there are four ways to build meaning. First – we can find meaning in our relationships. Second – we can find meaning in achievements and accomplishments. Third – we can find meaning in experiences. And fourth, we can find meaning by enduring unavoidable suffering in a dignified manner.
To learn more about Victor Frankel and logotherapy I have included the following link.
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