Man's Search for Meaning
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- Create Date：2021-04-29 00:31:14
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Viktor E. Frankl
- ISBN：0807014273
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Summary
Man's Search for Meaning has riveted generations of readers with its descriptions of life in Nazi death camps and its lessons for spiritual survival。 Between 1942 and 1945 psychiatrist Viktor Frankl labored in four different camps， including Auschwitz， while his parents， brother， and pregnant wife perished。 Based on his own experience and the stories of his many patients， Frankl argues that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it， find meaning in it， and move forward with renewed purpose。 Frankl's theory—known as logotherapy， from the Greek word logos （"meaning"）—holds that our primary drive in life is not pleasure， as Freud maintained， but the discovery and pursuit of what we personally find meaningful。 In the decades since its first publication in 1959， Man's Search for Meaning has become a classic， with more than twelve million copies in print around the world。 A 1991 Library of Congress survey that asked readers to name a "book that made a difference in your life" found Man's Search for Meaning among the ten most influential books in America。 At once a memoir， a meditation， a treatise， and a history， it continues to inspire us all to find significance in the very act of living。
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Reviews
Susan Walker
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Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist Viktor Frankl writes about surviving in Nazi death camps in a way that could not help but inspire a reader to come to grips with life's difficulties。 Frankl's classic， one suspects， is more valued for his accounts of horrendous experiences and his determination to find a reason to go on than it is for his prescriptive section on "logotherapy。" Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist Viktor Frankl writes about surviving in Nazi death camps in a way that could not help but inspire a reader to come to grips with life's difficulties。 Frankl's classic， one suspects， is more valued for his accounts of horrendous experiences and his determination to find a reason to go on than it is for his prescriptive section on "logotherapy。" 。。。more
Christopher
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A gentle and strong philosophy。 Meaning can be found in creativity， in experiencing （including love）， but also in suffering。 Finding meaning in suffering may be the most heroic since it results from choice rather than luck。
Chris Davies
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Brilliant。
Britta
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Excellent。 What great insights to life。 Here's just a few passages I loved:"Don't aim at success--the more you aim at it and make it a target， the more you are going to miss it。 For success， like happiness， cannot be pursued; it must ensue， and it only does so as the unintended side-effect of one's dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one's surrender to a person other than oneself。 Happiness must happen and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by no Excellent。 What great insights to life。 Here's just a few passages I loved:"Don't aim at success--the more you aim at it and make it a target， the more you are going to miss it。 For success， like happiness， cannot be pursued; it must ensue， and it only does so as the unintended side-effect of one's dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one's surrender to a person other than oneself。 Happiness must happen and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it。 I want you to listen to what your conscience commands you to do and go on to carry it out to the best of your knowledge。 Then you will live to see that in the long run--in the long run， I say！--success will follow you precisely because you had forgotten to think of it。"“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances， to choose one’s own way。” The sort of person the prisoner became was the result of an inner decision"No one has the right to do wrong， even if wrong has been done to them。""I broke my neck， it didn't break me。。。I know that without the suffering， the growth that I have achieved would have been impossible。" Jerry Long"As we see， the priority stays with creatively changing the situation that causes us to suffer。""Live as if you were living already for the second time and had acted as wrongly the first time as you are about to act now。""I do not forget any good deed done to me， and I do not carry a grudge for a bad one。" 。。。more
Ayesha Niazi
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After having delayed reading this book and it being on my tbr for the longest time， I decided to give it a read and now I regret that I am this late。 Amazing book！ It is based on the theory developed by the author called Logotherapy which suggests that human nature is motivated by the search for a life purpose and Logotherapy help people find that purpose or the meaning of their life。Frankl's theory is supported by the observations he had in the concentration camp where he along with other priso After having delayed reading this book and it being on my tbr for the longest time， I decided to give it a read and now I regret that I am this late。 Amazing book！ It is based on the theory developed by the author called Logotherapy which suggests that human nature is motivated by the search for a life purpose and Logotherapy help people find that purpose or the meaning of their life。Frankl's theory is supported by the observations he had in the concentration camp where he along with other prisoners were subjected to torture， abuse， humiliation， starvation and continuous mental stress。 What's marvelous is that these experiences have not affected Frankl in a way that made him pessimistic， instead despite being an existentialist he still is very much an optimist and not an anti-religion。 Frankl argues that even in the worst situation where a person is suffering， he can still find a meaning to his life。 Those who are unable to find their purpose fall in the pit of depression and the only way out is that he may be shown a way to find his life's purpose。According to Frankl， there are three way to find the meaning: purposeful work， love and courage in the phase of difficulty。 The personal account of author as a prisoner in concentration camp is hard to read as well as it evoke respect for the author， not only for how bravely he endured all that but that he remained sane and observant without his suffering causing any bias about even the cruel SS guards and Capos。 Without doubt it is one of those books that would stay close to my heart forever。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Alex Huang
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I read this based on recommendation by a therapist。 An inspiring book， especially during the Great Lockdown。 My take away from the book is this: there is great potential within each of us to transcend our suffering in every situation， to be a saint or swine， to vegetate or rise to the challenge。 Also， it inspired me to look for ways to help other people instead of ways to help myself， which I find to be a very refreshing perspective。
Oli Lane
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A very concise book which expresses the author’s beliefs regarding the basis of human psychology， drawing upon his experiences in Auschwitz。 At only 150 pages， this is well worth anyone’s time and provides much more insight than many tomes of related psychological and philosophical books。
Ryen Frazier
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Really amazing perspective （though sad at times） and incredible discussion on discovering the purpose for living （on a daily basis）。。 Introspective and thoughtful
Philip
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I think this is one of those cases were a work is so prolific that some of the punch is taken out of it upon reading。 The story of Frankl's experiences of the suffering within concentration camps covers less than one hundred pages but I've read enough summaries of that already short work， in other texts either about psychology or human atrocities， that it felt like I've already read the majority of his story before even starting。 The only criticism of this book that I could have would be with it I think this is one of those cases were a work is so prolific that some of the punch is taken out of it upon reading。 The story of Frankl's experiences of the suffering within concentration camps covers less than one hundred pages but I've read enough summaries of that already short work， in other texts either about psychology or human atrocities， that it felt like I've already read the majority of his story before even starting。 The only criticism of this book that I could have would be with it's second part， a summary of his psychoanalytical method， because it uses certain terms and talks about different schools of thought within the field， that most laypeople are probably unfamiliar with。 。。。more
Dalton Jones
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This book didn't hit me as hard as I wanted it to， but it was still worth the read。Short， and easy enough to get through。 Well written， and tackles one of the universe's biggest questions。 This book didn't hit me as hard as I wanted it to， but it was still worth the read。Short， and easy enough to get through。 Well written， and tackles one of the universe's biggest questions。 。。。more
aundrea （tchnclrwords）
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You have to live to see the day on which it may happen， so you have to survive in order to see that day dawn， and from now on the responsibility for survival does not leave you。 Man's Search for Meaning is one of the most anticipated books this year for me。 And I am glad to say that it did not disappoint。 This book found me in the right time， and I'm glad I decided to pick up on it especially as I struggled with finding hope amidst everything that has been happening。As I've prob You have to live to see the day on which it may happen， so you have to survive in order to see that day dawn， and from now on the responsibility for survival does not leave you。 Man's Search for Meaning is one of the most anticipated books this year for me。 And I am glad to say that it did not disappoint。 This book found me in the right time， and I'm glad I decided to pick up on it especially as I struggled with finding hope amidst everything that has been happening。As I've probably showed with the previous books I've read， I try my best to include a few Christian books in the reading list I have。 It really does help， I acknowledge that， but there was this point in my life where I was curious how others would perceive what life is and about —without having to impose theological truths。 And I think Viktor Frankl did an amazing job at it。 Based purely on his experiences in an Auschwitz concentration camp， his observations about camp prisoners and being liberated was the turning point of his important conclusions on his '*will to meaning*'。I think what amazed me the most is that Frankl's pressing thoughts—despite not being imposing in his religious beliefs—sort of aligned with what I was supposed to know about life in the Christian sense。 As I tried to seek for psychological answers to some of my questions， I still ended up with a spiritual answer [shrouded with psychological facts]。 And this might have been my very own interpretation of this book， because I know not everyone had initial spiritual facts before， but my point still stands。This book was so profound that I annotated a lot; I loved how this book made me think back and just be inspired to face at least one more day。 And despite it being a book that will help you see a specific meaning in life， I am also reminded that it is still and always up to me to look for my primary motivation。 I think what stuck me the most in this book is its way of addressing the meaning in unavoidable suffering in life。 I like how Frankl clears to its readers that if suffering can be very much avoided， then it must be。 What Frankl is trying to say is that we can still find meaning through our suffering， but if there's a possibility to remove the cause of the suffering， then it's still better to do so。 If you're looking for a read that can offer helpful and fresh perspectives about life in general and a personal journey into finding meaning， then I would definitely recommend this book to you。 。。。more
Mindbait
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A book of two halves。 In the first， Frankl outlines the harsh realities of the Nazi concentration camp he was sent to。 I found his accounts interesting， but having read a few such accounts， the second half where he discusses his theories and methods of logotherapy were in some ways more interesting and engaging。
annwoane
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Those who have a why to live， can bear with almost any how
Kealohilani Kealohilani
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One of the greatest books of all time。 It moved my heart， soul， and spirit。 His advice and teachings are simultaneously practical and achievable whilst still being complex and pushing us to reach for greater heights。 He contrasts the darkest true stories imaginable with the transcendence of the human spirit and will and freedom to rise above even the worst of circumstances。 I am forever changed having read this book-- and forever grateful。
Dean Eastwood
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Amazing read。 Especially， liked his religious view on certain occasions。
Best Of Books
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Really loved it。
Jessy198913
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Es el primer libro que me deja sin palabras y del que considero que cada frase podría ser útil para hacer una tesina。 Definitivamente mi perspectiva de las cosas cambió。 Esto me va a servir para toda la vida。
Amaure
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I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read your book。 That’s the great thing about an amazing novel， you can read it over and over and get something new out of it。 。。。 If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top
Heather Zimmie
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This book made me feel so many things
Nina Keller
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A valuable perspective of manifesting joy amid the most dire of circumstances。 I recommend it to anyone similarly stuck in the pandemic blues， as we clearly have a lot to be grateful for。
Erik Blank
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suggested by Aaron MacKenzie
Alex
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Man's Search for Meaning brings an important perspective。 The presentation is crucial， with an exposure of the author's life on concentration camps， focused on the mind， an interesting point of view。 As well as a report on the learning made from those moments and reinforced further in his life after liberation。 Important points are brought up in that second portion of the book， relating to purpose， happiness， and fulfillment。 Man's Search for Meaning brings an important perspective。 The presentation is crucial， with an exposure of the author's life on concentration camps， focused on the mind， an interesting point of view。 As well as a report on the learning made from those moments and reinforced further in his life after liberation。 Important points are brought up in that second portion of the book， relating to purpose， happiness， and fulfillment。 。。。more
Mohit Karekar
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Frankl very well narrates a concentration camp prisoner's account and describes one of the world's worst human experiences。 The book talks more about how finding meaning in one's life gave Frankl and other prisoners the motivation to move through nothingness。 One can draw a slight analogy in approaching toughest times in one's life with this attitude。It also talks about Logotherapy and compares it to older schools of psychology。 A short book， definitely worth the read。 Frankl very well narrates a concentration camp prisoner's account and describes one of the world's worst human experiences。 The book talks more about how finding meaning in one's life gave Frankl and other prisoners the motivation to move through nothingness。 One can draw a slight analogy in approaching toughest times in one's life with this attitude。It also talks about Logotherapy and compares it to older schools of psychology。 A short book， definitely worth the read。 。。。more
Josie
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This is kind of a meaning of life book。 It is worth the read but can be difficult at times to get through due to the disturbing atrocities of WW2。 It is one of those books that I personally like to read slowly to really let it sink in and think about。
Frans van der Mark
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Impressive account of a man as he survives the concentration camps and re-writes in his head the manuscript that was taken from him。 After the war he places it all in a psychological frame。
A M Saffat-ee Huq
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A must read。 Feast for thought。 Man is beyond his circumstances， above his situation。 Will and choice are man's own; undeterminable。 We all have the ability to take control of our 'selves'， no matter where and how we are。 A must read。 Feast for thought。 Man is beyond his circumstances， above his situation。 Will and choice are man's own; undeterminable。 We all have the ability to take control of our 'selves'， no matter where and how we are。 。。。more
Ethan
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Read for two reasons。 First， it answers the redundant "what is the meaning of life" question in an actually intelligent way， though it may be interpreted as somewhat of a dismissal of the question itself。 Second， it gives you immense gratitude， not just for material comfort， but for freedom。 To have a grounded mindset， I think， it is essential to visit the darkest places from time to time。 The memoir serves as a lengthy "negative visualization，" if you will， and sheds light on the horrors which Read for two reasons。 First， it answers the redundant "what is the meaning of life" question in an actually intelligent way， though it may be interpreted as somewhat of a dismissal of the question itself。 Second， it gives you immense gratitude， not just for material comfort， but for freedom。 To have a grounded mindset， I think， it is essential to visit the darkest places from time to time。 The memoir serves as a lengthy "negative visualization，" if you will， and sheds light on the horrors which took place under Hitler's Germany。 This book is a very practical read and will equip you with a better perspective on life。 。。。more
Utsob Roy
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This book gave me a mixed feeling。Firstly， I admire E。 Frankl， for his unbending will to live， his intellectual attitude- the ability to build something out of utmost discomfort， even in the face of almost certain death。 It's not an easy feat to psychoanalyze and create a theory， a whole new school of psychotherapy （logotherapy） while one himself is part of the subjects。 He did and did it excellently。However， I can't agree with him regarding meaning。 Now， there can be meaning， self-imposed， self This book gave me a mixed feeling。Firstly， I admire E。 Frankl， for his unbending will to live， his intellectual attitude- the ability to build something out of utmost discomfort， even in the face of almost certain death。 It's not an easy feat to psychoanalyze and create a theory， a whole new school of psychotherapy （logotherapy） while one himself is part of the subjects。 He did and did it excellently。However， I can't agree with him regarding meaning。 Now， there can be meaning， self-imposed， self-explored as he suggested。 Those don't need to be intrinsic。 However， he also believes in ultimate meaning and didn't put any argument on behalf of his belief。 I think I can safely assume that it is due to his faith and perhaps upbringing。 He is faithful， and he draws his strength from faith tremendously。 His metaphysics is primitive in my opinion。Still， logotherapy has a virtue。 Unlike， other schools， it doesn't treat people as machines with libido， repressions etc but take a real interest in one's current status and environment。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Man's Search for Meaning
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Man's Search for Meaning&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft