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Man's Search for Meaning [Mass Market Paperback]

Viktor Frankl , Harold S. Kushner , William J. Winslade
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (173 customer reviews)
Price: CDN$ 8.95 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 25. Details
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Book Description

Jun 1 2006
With a new Foreword by Harold S. Kushner
and a new Biographical Afterword by William J. Winslade

Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's memoir has riveted generations of readers with its descriptions of life in Nazi death camps and its lessons for spiritual survival. Between 1942 and 1945 Frankl labored in four different camps, including Auschwitz, while his parents, brother, and pregnant wife perished. Based on his own experience and the experiences of others he treated later in his practice, Frankl argues that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward with renewed purpose. Frankl's theory-known as logotherapy, from the Greek word logos ("meaning")-holds that our primary drive in life is not pleasure, as Freud maintained, but the discovery and pursuit of what we personally find meaningful.

At the time of Frankl's death in 1997, Man's Search for Meaning had sold more than 10 million copies in twenty-four languages. A 1991 reader survey for the Library of Congress that asked readers to name a "book that made a difference in your life" found Man's Search for Meaning among the ten most influential books in America.

Beacon Press, the original English-language publisher of Man's Search for Meaning, is issuing this new paperback edition with a new Foreword, biographical Afterword, jacket, price, and classroom materials to reach new generations of readers.

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Man's Search for Meaning + The Will to Meaning: Foundations and Applications of Logotherapy + Man's Search For Ultimate Meaning
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Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl is among the most influential works of psychiatric literature since Freud. The book begins with a lengthy, austere, and deeply moving personal essay about Frankl's imprisonment in Auschwitz and other concentration camps for five years, and his struggle during this time to find reasons to live. The second part of the book, called "Logotherapy in a Nutshell," describes the psychotherapeutic method that Frankl pioneered as a result of his experiences in the concentration camps. Freud believed that sexual instincts and urges were the driving force of humanity's life; Frankl, by contrast, believes that man's deepest desire is to search for meaning and purpose. Frankl's logotherapy, therefore, is much more compatible with Western religions than Freudian psychotherapy. This is a fascinating, sophisticated, and very human book. At times, Frankl's personal and professional discourses merge into a style of tremendous power. "Our generation is realistic, for we have come to know man as he really is," Frankl writes. "After all, man is that being who invented the gas chambers of Auschwitz; however, he is also that being who entered those gas chambers upright, with the Lord's Prayer or the Shema Yisrael on his lips." --This text refers to an alternate Mass Market Paperback edition.

Review

One of the great books of our time. —Harold S. Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People

"One of the outstanding contributions to psychological thought in the last fifty years."—Carl R. Rogers (1959)

"An enduring work of survival literature." —New York Times

"An accessible edition of the enduring classic. The spiritual account of the Holocaust and the description of logotherapy meets generations' need for hope."—Donna O. Dziedzic (PLA) AAUP Best of the Best Program

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THIS BOOK DOES NOT CLAIM TO BE an account of facts and events but of personal experiences, experiences which millions of prisoners have suffered time and again. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
After years of hearing others praise this book, I finally read it for myself, and found it is worth reading! Dr. Victor Frankl, an author-psychiatrist, experienced first-hand the horrible atrocities that were forced upon the Jews in Nazi Concentration Camps, and lived to tell about it. He shares the truths he learned as a prisoner, including man's search for meaning in life, and his ability to survive extreme physical and emotional hardships, despite the odds. In the process he developed a new approach to psychotherapy, known as "logotherapy." At the root of the theory is the value of helping others find their unique purpose or mission in life.

What was the key to the survival in the Nazi death camps? It wasn't survival of the fittest in the traditional sense of those who were the most physically robust of the human species. Rather it tended to be those individuals, described below, who found inner survival strength as follows:

(1.) Those who had a meaning in life, a sense of purpose, or intent to accomplish a goal. It was Dr. Frankl's desire to survive the death camps so that he could write and publish his experiences and truths learned through his suffering.

(2.) Those who had a spiritual belief in God and a faith that there was a divine plan for them. They believed God would help them through their difficulties. Dr. Frankl said: "In spite of all the enforced physical and mental primitiveness of the life in a concentration camp, it was possible for spiritual life to deepen."

(3.) Those who had an intellectual life to fall back on (in their thoughts) during the monotonous, strenuous, and most painful times of endurance. He states: "Sensitive people who were used to a rich intellectual life may have suffered much pain... but the damage to their inner selves was less. They were able to retreat from their terrible surroundings to a life of inner riches and spiritual freedom." This was something their oppressors were not able to take away from them.

(4.) Those who held on to the cherished bonds of loved ones. Dr. Frankl often found strength by carrying on imagined conversations with his beloved wife who had been taken to another death camp. His ability to communicate his love for her in his thoughts, and receive back her love, gave him the incentive to hold on to life during the toughtest of times. Unfortunately his wife was not able to survive, but he didn't know this at the time. (Perhaps it was her Spirit he was communicating with afterall.)

I was impressed with the description Dr. Frankl gave of a few of the prisoners, who despite being in a starving and sickly state, managed to go around offering aid and moral encouragement to others. Such individuals often gave of their meager piece of daily bread to keep another fellow prisoner alive. Such selfless service in the face of death, was truly admirable.

In the second half of Dr. Frankl's book he distinguishes the difference between his theory of logotherapy and that of traditional approaches to physcho-analysis. At the core of his theory is the challenge to help individuals discover for themselves their reason for being, even a worthwhile goal. He quotes Nietzche who said: "He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how." Dr. Frankl says: "The meaning of life always changes, but it never ceases to be." This book can be a great resource for readers to evaluate their own purpose in life, and perhaps in the process choose a path that is worthwhile not only to them but that will benefit others as well.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
If you were assigned to read this book in school years ago, maybe you can't remember what all the fuss is about. At last count, 152 Amazon reviewers gave this book an average of 5 stars. It is undoubtably on the short list for "Books that Changed My Live" for countless people. I suggest that the real wisdom to be found in this book comes not on the first reading, but upon re-reading (luckily, the book is short and moves quickly, too). All of the self-help books out there, from Deepak Chopra to Stephen Covey to Dr. Phil, are mere twaddle compared to this book. There is more truth and wisdom in one sentence of Frankl than in many volumes of other books. Do yourself a favor and buy this book (and pass a copy on to a friend afterward). You will immediately see positive changes in your life. And don't be dissuaded by the context, believe it or not, this is a life-affirming book that happens to take place in a concentration camp.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Probably one of the best books I have read April 17 2013
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I don't usually take the time to do a review of a book I have read, but this is a book that I think everyone should read. I recently visited Auschwitz and have read a number of books following my visit. That is how I came across this book. I must admit it was not what I expected, but am very glad I read it. I have not found many books that I can say have changed my life, but this one certainly has changed how I look at adversity and how I will live my life.
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Most recent customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Truly inspiring!
Not only do we get a first person account of life in Auschwitz during WWII, but we get it from a person trained in psychiatry and developing already upon theories that will become... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Irini
5.0 out of 5 stars What is the meaning of life?
I chose this rating because this book is a groundbreaking text written in clear, accessible language. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Gail McCabe
5.0 out of 5 stars An attitude changer
Dr. Frankl relates his experience in a straight forward manner. For those who take the time to absorb and reflect on the book, they will realize that any difficulty can be... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Elaine
5.0 out of 5 stars You think you've got problems?
A must read when it comes to what the human spirit can overcome. Can you imagine living in Hitler Germany's concentration camps and still have a positive outlook on life? Read more
Published 3 months ago by Al O'Grady
5.0 out of 5 stars A concise, meaningful book
There is a great deal of substance to every word of this book. Frankl had his life crushed down to the bare essentials in the Holocaust, and in reflection he concluded that man's... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Rodge
5.0 out of 5 stars Great
I can't count the number of books I have read in my life but I can say with certainty that this book, along with one or two others, changed my life. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Brad
5.0 out of 5 stars I only read the first section.
This book is divided into two sections: his experiences through the Holocaust and his theory for therapy as a mental health professional. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Molly Gladwell
1.0 out of 5 stars Terrible
Never buy this product.

If you think that you are going to experience Viktor Frankl's wisdom in his own words, you are sadly mistaken. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Discboy
1.0 out of 5 stars Never showed up!
This book never showed up, super disappointed! This seller had good reviews so I figured it would get to me. I also sent a message and got no reply. Boo
Published 15 months ago by Ahann
5.0 out of 5 stars Sobering and inspiring.
An unforgettable book from a man who lived a remarkable life. You will never permit yourself to whine again after reading this truly inspiring work.
Published on Dec 12 2010 by Berenice Freedome
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