Book Recommendation: Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
Viktor Frankl is known as the father of logotherapy. That term was just a footnote in my theories text book. It was encapsulated in existential theory, one I’ve grown quite fond of in my personal and professional life. I’m sure more educated people than me can find the nuisance differences between these branches, but for me I see them as interchangeable.
Existential theory looks at four domains of a person’s life. Basically, if any of these 4 things are out of whack, there will be some struggles. The four areas are freedom, purpose, connection, and death anxiety. Freedom sounds like a fully positive thing, but in this context it’s more of a mixed bag. It comes with a burden of responsibility that we are responsible for our own choices and actions, and to an extent our own situations (or at least part of it). Purpose has its own burden too. People within this camp think there’s no pre-ordained purpose, it’s up to us to search and find it; luckily, the search itself has some meaning in it. Connection/isolation is the third domain, and it centers around the fact that we are both alone in our own experiences but can have a closeness to others. Death anxiety is the reality that we are all going to die, and the anxiety that may be associated with it. The anxiety is usually addressed by focusing on the other three domains.
Wait, this is supposed to be a book recommendation, not a post on some counseling theory! Well there is a big overlap. Frankl’s book is both memoir and theory. Some background on him is that he was a Jewish psychologist in Vienna in the 1930’s. Context tells us this is an unfortunate place and time to hold that identity. Because of his work, he had the ability to leave for America, but chose to stay behind to support his parents. The contents of the book take place after that, when he is forced into concentration camps. He applies, practices, and develops his theories in these horrific environments. He claims his pursuit of meaning, living with purpose, utilizing his freedom, and focusing on community (along with luck) is what allowed him to make it through the end.
On a more personal anecdote, I used to do a recovery book club when I worked at UGA. This was one of the better books we did. While the conversation was great and insightful, my poor memory (without taking notes) leaves me with only one real standout comment. One student jokingly complained that she can’t have pity-parties anymore: that Frankl went through the ultimate hardship and isn’t complaining about it. While the point of the book isn’t meant to invalidate one’s own struggles, it hopefully can empower one to know that these struggles can be survived and persevered through with certain perspectives.
My practice has a deep focus on individual meaning. While I may not go to the extreme of Socrates’s statement that “the unexamined life is not worth living,” I do think examination can make life more joyous and fulfilling. But more than that, I can find that examination healing. While that is not always a pressing concern for my clients, usually at some point or another these topics come up. Purpose, freedom, and connection make for a life worth living.