kickerdad - , reviewed on 3/30/2011 + 123 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 4

In "Man's Search for Meaning", Dr. Frankl utilizes his experiences in Auschwitz to establish the backdrop for a brief study of his psychotherapeutic doctrine Logotherapy. Being generally aware of the content, I was originally hesitant to order the book. I had been reading upbeat material and was hesitant about reading what promised to be 'darker' material.

Once I started reading "Man's Search for Meaning" it was difficult to put down. The book is hopeful and positive. It is very well written and easy to read. Dr. Frankl does not go into in-depth detail about concentration camp life, choosing to leave that for historians and other authors, but writes about his experiences effectively to illustrate points, and every one is shared with a purpose. This is done in the first half of the book where he covers his concentration camp experience from 'registration' to release.

The second half of the book was added in later years, the primary portion is a brief summary of his logotherapy theories was added in 1963. Then a subsequent section was added in 1984 which outlined specific topics of interest relating to his approach, titled "The Case for A Tragic Optimism."

His psychotherapy model presents an alternative to the more classic Freudian and slightly less known Adlerian approaches - suggesting man's "will to meaning" is the foundation for his mental health and not his "will for pleasure" or "will for power".

Personally, I find his approach appealing to both my rational and intuitive selfs and find myself wanting to learn more about his theories. Regardless of whether you agree or not, his theories represent a more hopeful approach to human psychology. The primary question that I am left with, being a psychology graduate - why was this not required reading somewhere along the way? Great book, highly recommended.

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