Man's Search for Meaning

Lore & Background

Frankl identifies three psychological reactions experienced by all inmates to one degree or another: shock during the initial admission phase, apathy after becoming accustomed to camp existence, and reactions of depersonalization, moral deformity, bitterness, and disillusionment if he survives and is liberated. He concludes that the meaning of life is found in every moment of living; life never ceases to have meaning, even in suffering and death. Frankl also concludes that there are only two races of men, decent men and indecent, and that no society is free of either.

Reader's Guide

The book's significance lies in its introduction of logotherapy, a theory linking people's health to their sense of meaning in life, and its analysis of how prisoners' psychological reactions are not solely the result of conditions but also from the freedom of choice they always have even in severe suffering. However, aspects of the book have garnered criticism, including that Frankl's idea that a positive attitude made one better equipped for surviving implies that those who died had given up, and accusations of self-aggrandizement and a general inhumane sense of studying-detachment towards victims of the Holocaust. Psychiatrist Thomas Szasz stated that Frankl's survivor testimony was written to misdirect and betrays an intent to conceal Frankl's actions and collaboration with the Nazis, though this criticism is not universally embraced.

Did You Know?

• The book's original German title is 'Ein Psychologe erlebt das Konzentrationslager' ('A Psychologist Experiences the Concentration Camp').
• Frankl observed that among fellow inmates, those who survived were able to connect with a purpose in life and immerse themselves in imagining that purpose, such as conversing with an imagined loved one.
• The book's concluding passage describes three stages of psychological reaction to liberation: depersonalization, danger of deformation, and bitterness and disillusionment.