About this ebook
A book for finding purpose and strength in times of great despair, the international best-seller is still just as relevant today as when it was first published.
“This is a book I reread a lot . . . it gives me hope . . . it gives me a sense of strength.”
—Anderson Cooper, Anderson Cooper 360/CNN
This seminal book, which has been called “one of the outstanding contributions to psychological thought” by Carl Rogers and “one of the great books of our time” by Harold Kushner, has been translated into more than fifty languages and sold over sixteen million copies. “An enduring work of survival literature,” according to the New York Times, Viktor Frankl’s riveting account of his time in the Nazi concentration camps, and his insightful exploration of the human will to find meaning in spite of the worst adversity, has offered solace and guidance to generations of readers since it was first published in 1946. At the heart of Frankl’s theory of logotherapy (from the Greek word for “meaning”) is a conviction that the primary human drive is not pleasure, as Freud maintained, but rather the discovery and pursuit of what the individual finds meaningful. Today, as new generations face new challenges and an ever more complex and uncertain world, Frankl’s classic work continues to inspire us all to find significance in the very act of living, in spite of all obstacles.
A must-read companion to this classic work, a new, never-before-published work by Frankl entitled Yes to Life: In Spite of Everything, is now available in English.
“This is a book I reread a lot . . . it gives me hope . . . it gives me a sense of strength.”
—Anderson Cooper, Anderson Cooper 360/CNN
This seminal book, which has been called “one of the outstanding contributions to psychological thought” by Carl Rogers and “one of the great books of our time” by Harold Kushner, has been translated into more than fifty languages and sold over sixteen million copies. “An enduring work of survival literature,” according to the New York Times, Viktor Frankl’s riveting account of his time in the Nazi concentration camps, and his insightful exploration of the human will to find meaning in spite of the worst adversity, has offered solace and guidance to generations of readers since it was first published in 1946. At the heart of Frankl’s theory of logotherapy (from the Greek word for “meaning”) is a conviction that the primary human drive is not pleasure, as Freud maintained, but rather the discovery and pursuit of what the individual finds meaningful. Today, as new generations face new challenges and an ever more complex and uncertain world, Frankl’s classic work continues to inspire us all to find significance in the very act of living, in spite of all obstacles.
A must-read companion to this classic work, a new, never-before-published work by Frankl entitled Yes to Life: In Spite of Everything, is now available in English.
Ratings and reviews
4.7
40 reviews
A Google user
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September 14, 2011
Incredible book and a must read for anyone into psychology or psychotherapy. This book is split into two sections, the first detailing Viktor's life and lessons learnt in the concentration camp and the second dealing with Logotherapy.
The more interesting concepts/therories I took from this are the obvious (but overlooked) fact that we cannot change what happens to us, sometimes everything is taken from us, but the one thing that can never be taken away is our ability to CHOOSE HOW WE REACT TO THAT GIVEN SITUATION.
Secondly, paradoxical intention. This is the concept that anticipatory anxiety can be "fixed" by wishing in a mocking sort of way for the thing you fear to happen. He explains about a man who sweated profusely in social situations. In his head he was wishing to not sweat and worrying that he would, this triggered anticipatory aniety and it happend, thus re-enforcing the cycle. Paradoxical intention states that he should think I 'm going to show everyone jsut how much I can sweat, no-one will be able to sweat as much as me! His symptoms stopped in a week.
If you think that is rubbish, think about this, when you have trouble sleeping you wish to fall asleep, "I jsut want to fall asleep, please let me sleep etc." and you can't. How often have you dropped off to sleep when trying to stay awake? Paradoxical Intention :)
A Google user
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July 22, 2012
I recommend “Man’s Search for Meaning” to anyone that works with others in the community. Viktor Frankl applies his theory (Logotheropy) from experimental research, as a psychologist in a hospital, to a correlational / uncontrolled environment in the Nazi concentration camps as a Jewish prisoner. He uses his experience in the death camps to reach his audience for a better understand of his Logotheropy. Logotherapy takes an eclectic view in psychology, as the book draws from real life experience and many psychological philosophies. Frankl’s theory works well in all fields of social work, pastoral counseling, ministry, and support groups of all kinds, as it helps individuals search for the meaning of circumstances in life.
A Google user
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September 18, 2012
I am blown away at the human spirit, we have no idea, what we posses, in the human psyche. It is proving over and over again, rather it is demonstrous or an act of kindess. We can never say what we will and will not do. Put in certain circumstances we are capable of the unimaginable. Bruce Chester
About the author
Viktor E. Frankl was professor of neurology and psychiatry at the University of Vienna Medical School until his death in 1997. His twenty-nine books have been translated into twenty-one languages. During World War II, he spent three years in Auschwitz, Dachau, and other concentration camps.
Harold S. Kushner is rabbi emeritus at Temple Israel in Natick, Massachusetts, and the author of bestselling books including When Bad Things Happen to Good People, Living a Life That Matters, and When All You’ve Ever Wanted Isn’t Enough.
William J. Winslade is a philosopher, lawyer, and psychoanalyst who teaches psychiatry, medical ethics, and medical jurisprudence at the University of Texas Medical School in Galveston.
Harold S. Kushner is rabbi emeritus at Temple Israel in Natick, Massachusetts, and the author of bestselling books including When Bad Things Happen to Good People, Living a Life That Matters, and When All You’ve Ever Wanted Isn’t Enough.
William J. Winslade is a philosopher, lawyer, and psychoanalyst who teaches psychiatry, medical ethics, and medical jurisprudence at the University of Texas Medical School in Galveston.
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