The author is a neuroscientist and psychologist who is also a concentration camp survivor. The first half of the book is split between an autobiographical description of his experience in the camps as well as some psychoanalysis on himself and other inmates and guards. After being released he founds a new school of psychology called “logotherapy”. The second half of the book talks more about what this school of psychology is and how it works. To boil down this guy’s philosophy is as follows:
- He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.
- Happiness is not something to strive for, but is instead a consequence
- The only thing one cannot take from a person is their ability to choose how to orient themselves in an experience. -The most certain type of being is your past -Live your life as if it was your second time and the first time you lived your life you acted as poorly as you are about to act. -Suffering is a catalyst for meaning (caveat: should not be sought on purpose)
- The question “what is the meaning of life” is asked in the wrong direction. It should instead be asked “what does my life require of me” Overall, a pretty good book but was almost unsurprising, because he was such an influential thinker that even without reading his thoughts, you hear them from other people all the time. Little did I know before reading this book, but he is also the father of reverse psychology although he did not call it by that name. In the book he talks about how a lot of the times when you try to control your mental problems you tend to make it worse. The phobia of something is also its inception. So, the example was if you are afraid of blushing in public, trying not to blush will only make it that much more inevitable. Instead, what you should do is try to set the world record in blushing. Try to blush as you’ve never blushed before! Doing this will reintroduce agency into your neurosis and may help in the narrating self to get control again.
#book #psychology #psychoanalysis #existentialism
- #mans_search_for_meaning
- #viktor_frankl
- #logotherapy
- #concentration_camp
- #resilience
- #meaning_of_life
- #existential_philosophy
- #personal_choice #freedom
- #happiness #suffering
- #psychotherapy_techniques
- #autobiographical_elements
- #beacon_press
- #neurosis_and_agency
- #reverse_psychology
- #coping_with_trauma #trauma
- #holocaust
- #philosophical_insights
- #mental_health_strategies
- #human_spirit #adversity