Dr. Viktor Frankl Book Analysis

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Dr. Viktor Frankl Book Analysis

When human beings are in difficult situations, they tend to feel hopeless, and at times they end up losing the meaning of life. Dr Viktor Frankl was an Australian psychiatrist, author, neurologist, holocaust survivor and philosopher. He was the mind behind logotherapy, and he concentrated on making people find the meaning of life at their darkest moment. The book “man’s search for meaning “was written by Frankl, and it can be helpful to every person who is experiencing a difficult moment in life. The author narrates his life experiences in a concentration camp and makes readers understand the importance of seeing a purpose even in their worst situations (Aquino, 2020). In this essay, a discussion of how the book has helped me understand the day-to-day experiences and the author’s most meaningful story will be outlined.

People who have gone to jail tend to have a difficult moment trying to cope with everyday life. The life experience of someone who has been jailed can be challenging, and when one lacks something that gives them hope to continue living day-to-day life, some tend to give up on life. Everyone has encountered people who have been jailed, and it is evident that once these individuals have been set free, blending into everyday life tends to be hard. My neighbour’s son was jailed for over three years because he was accused of murdering his long-time lover. People need to hear the untold stories of people who have survived jail because it will help them understand the victims instead of being judgmental. Society needs to show people from prison the purpose of having positive energy. When he came home from prison, he used to spend most of the time alone in his room because no one was ready to mingle with him. Some of his family members still judged him, and instead of showing him love, they distanced themselves from him.

Dr Frankl narrates how his love for his people kept him going in the concentration camp. Despite his sickening experience, he still had to fight for the sake of the people he loved.

In my neighbor’s son’s case, the family members should focus on how to make their loved one find a reasonable living as a free human again. Judging and not associating with him will affect him mentally and can make him end his life. One day I decided to pay a visit to my neighbor to find out how they were taking the situation and what I saw was not pleasing. My neighbor’s son was mentally sick, and he was starting to be a burden to his family members. He had reached a point where he became frustrated and was so destructive. From the leaving room, the sounds of things being broken could be heard. The situation was so disturbing, and I found myself empathizing with the man.

The most meaningful part of the book is the part named the case for a tragic optimism. In this chapter, the author outlines how people should accept what comes their way and find a purpose in life even at the most miserable and difficult moment. Tragic optimism can be termed as one accepting the kind of tragedy they are in, and instead of accepting to be overwhelmed by the situation, one should be hopeful to see the end of the hardships (Lewis, 2019). Frankl focuses on empowering people to try to find meaning even in their worst situations. The author gives hope to the readers and encourages people to be optimistic about their situation. Instead of feeling wrong about the experience, they should be proud for overcoming the difficult moments.

Reference

Aquino, T. A. A. D. (2020). Viktor Frankl: beyond their memories. Revista da Abordagem Gestáltica, 26(2), 232-240.

Lewis, M. H. (2019). Viktor Frankl: A Search for Meaning. Wipf and Stock Publishers.