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Maybe most of you is familiar with the book "Man's Search for Meaning" by Victor Frankl.

This book is the autobiography of Victor Frankl being a prisoner in the concentration camps during the Nazi regime.

Racism is one of the features of Nazi government, thus, arrested millions of Jews and one of them is Frankl who was working as a psychologist at that time.

Experiences of Prisoners...

In the first part of the book Frankl described their everyday life in the camps.
It was evident in the book how desperate all the prisoners to fight to preserve their lives which was a very tough and a painful journey.

He wrote all their experiences, the first day of being prisoners, the moments of their life which they thought of giving up and just die and the moment that they finally see the hope of being free again.

What made this book interesting for me is that Frankl gave analyses of how the prisoners fight the battle of life and death in a psychological view.

According to him prisoners tried their best to survive despite the pain in the middle of uncertainty because of a “meaning”.

"Meaning" which fuel their desire to survive and gave them hope that everything will end soon.

"Meaning" which motivated them to avoid death at all cost.

Thus, Frankl asserts that “finding the meaning of our life is our ultimate motivational force in living, (Frankl, 1959).

Introduction of Logotherapy...

Part II of this book is the introduction of Logotherapy, a theory of Frankl.
Logotherapy came from a Greek word “logos” which means “meaning” and considered the "Third Viennese School of Psychotherapy" along with Freud's psychoanalysis and Adler's individual psychology.

If Freud’s Psychoanalysis is “will to pleasure” and adler’s individual psychology is “will to power”, Frankl’s logotherapy is “will to meaning”.

For me the method of logotherapy was best described in this part of the book:

I am reminded of the American doctor who once turned up in my office in Vienna and asked me, “Now, Doctor, are you a psychoanalyst?” Whereupon I replied, “Not exactly a psychoanalyst; let’s say a psychotherapist.” Then he continued questioning me: “What school do you stand for?” I answered, “It is my own theory; it is called logotherapy.” “Can you tell me in one sentence what is meant by logotherapy?” he asked. “At least, what is the difference between psychoanalysis and logotherapy?” “Yes,” I said, “but in the first place, can you tell me in one sentence what you think the essence of psychoanalysis is?” This was his answer: “During psychoanalysis, the patient must lie down on a couch and tell you things which sometimes are very disagreeable to tell.” Whereupon I immediately retorted with the following improvisation: “Now, in logotherapy the patient may remain sitting erect but he must hear things which sometimes are very disagreeable to hear.”

Logotherapy is given as a treatment to patients with depression, posttraumatic depression, anxiety or people who feel meaningless which Frankl referred to as “Existential Vacuum”. A theory that I want to incorporate in my life and I want to discuss it further in another post.

I was amazed by Frankl of how he was able to make his own theory out of his own experiences. I was also amazed of he was able to practice his profession and make a research out of it.

This book influenced me a lot and became my guiding principle of how to live my life. I have learned so much in it especially in his theory Logotherapy. It’s not only applicable for depressed patients, also, this can help us in our everyday lives to make our life more meaningful and you can find that meaning by shifting your focus to other people.

If you haven’t read the book then I strongly encourage it, maybe it will fill the “existential vacuum” in you.