Biographical Sketch Born Viktor Emil Frankl, 26 March 1905, died 2 September 1997, a Medical Doctor in neurology and psychiatry, an acclaimed author as well as a Holocaust survivor. As the son of a prominent Jewish family in Vienna, Austria, studied medicine at the University of Vienna and later focused on the topics of depression and suicide. Although influenced by Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler in Vienna he eventually diverged from their principles. Frankl was the sole founder of Logotherapy, a form of psychoanalysis that became known as the "Third Viennese School of Psychotherapy". His book, entitled “Man's Search for Meaning”, journals his experiences in the role of a concentration camp prisoner. He further documents the importance …show more content…
A series of stories and examples are told purposely to emphasize several mental phases. The first phase is called ‘shock’ containing the concept and experience of the delusion of reprieve. An attitude of condemned men convinced of a pardon before execution in spite of witnessing the march of others to the gas chambers. Thoughts of suicide become endemic as 'apathy' replaces shock as the second psychological reaction. A coping device from the constant routine of abuse. The third phase addresses the ‘liberation’ of the concentration camps. Freedom is an out of body surreal state of mind that is difficult to grasp. Prisoners still act as if restricted, conditioned to the camp confines as prior to liberation only cautiously going beyond boundaries expecting to be brutalized by the now missing …show more content…
The crucial stage or spark for launching Logotherapy in my mind is when Frankl realizes that even great suffering is meaningful. This epiphany usually experienced by the religious in pursuit of purpose is instead existential, grounded in the human will rather than a transcendent spirit or god. His understanding of surviving the death-camps generates a need to share how it was done by formulating a particular psychology. Furthermore, these extreme experiences as a holocaust survivor are transformed into creeds for generalization to his future patients at large in support of his treatment. To mention just a few: • “Life has meaning under all circumstances, even the most miserable ones.” • “Our main motivation for living is our will to find meaning in