Man's Search for Meaning: by Viktor E. Frankl | Key Takeaways, Analysis & Review

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Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl is a memoir of Frankl’s imprisonment in concentration camps during World War II, and a brief description of the principles of logotherapy, a school of psychotherapy that he founded.

Frankl and his family were imprisoned in concentration camps during the war. Frankl was held in several camps before he was liberated from the last in 1945. During his time in the camps, Frankl witnessed the extreme cruelty of camp guards and the prisoners who were given special status by them, also known as Capos. He also witnessed the cruelty of the prisoners to each other as they underwent the three stages of reaction to their imprisonment. These stages are denial, acceptance, and adjustment after their release.

Frankl discovered that, although the prisoners seemed completely powerless, they had the freedom to choose their reaction to their circumstances. Those prisoners who were most resilient were those who had something to live for…