Today we continue to explore some insights from Austrian Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist Viktor E. Frankl (1905-1997), who is probably best know for his book Man’s Search for Meaning. He was also the founder of logotherapy – a form of existential analysis that suggests that the greatest existential stress is meaninglessness. Frankl’s own conclusion from the extreme suffering in the concentration camps was that even in the most dehumanizing situations life continues to have potential meaning – and that suffering can actually contribute to this. His PhD dissertation, The Unconscious God, examines the relationship between psychology and religion.
- The meaning of life is to give life meaning – Viktor E. Frankl
- The last of human freedoms – the ability to choose one’s attitude to a given set of circumstances – Viktor E. Frankl
- He who would give light must endure burning – Viktor E. Frankl
- No man should judge unless he asks himself in absolute honesty whether in a similar situation he might not have done the same – Viktor E. Frankl
As always, nice chatting…
