Some statements of Victor Frankl passed into the category of "popular". What is so special about this man and scientist?
From birth to speech therapy
Victor Frankl - a psychologist, neurologist and psychiatrist is a former prisoner of the fascist concentration camp. In the millstone of the war were his father, mother, wife. It is unlikely that a boy born in a Jewish family of servants could imagine himself the founder of the third Vienna school of psychoanalysis, be on a par with such scientists as Z. Freud and A. Adler.
Victor Frankl was born and raised in Vienna, where during this period of time there was heated debate between representatives of the first and second Vienna schools of psychoanalysis. An interest in psychology directs the young man to the University of Vienna, where he studies in the specialization of neurology and psychiatry. Frankl was particularly interested in the psychology of depression and suicide. This is not to say that the schools of Freud and Adler passed by the attention of Victor Emil Frankl. However, in his works there is no imitation, rather, a constant invisible dialogue in resolving issues of psychotherapy. Before the war began, the young doctor manages to publish several articles and works in the suicide prevention department at the Vienna Clinic. In Victor Frankl's life, books still occupied a secondary role, and speech therapy as a concept did not take its final shape.
Concentration Camps and Stubbornness
Despite the feasible help of former patients, Victor Frankl finds himself in a concentration camp "Theresienstadt". His parents and wife were sent to other camps, where they soon died. Many quotes of Victor Frankl began their existence precisely in this period of the prisoner's life. Having a proper education, the doctor tried to organize psychological support for prisoners. The questions that the prisoners asked daily could be formulated in three sentences:
- will we survive in a concentration camp;
- what is the meaning of suffering and death;
- why is everything arranged this way.
As a psychotherapist, Frankl understood that everyone should find the answers to questions for himself. And the answers will sound differently in different people, but from that they will not be less valuable. So the concept of logotherapy was born, the faceting of which Victor Frankl gave after the war.
According to the doctor’s observation, people who realized and accepted the meaning of their existence, who planned their goals “for tomorrow,” had a better chance of survival. The driving force in this case was not the principle of pleasure or dominance, but the search for the meaning of one’s own life, the possibility of realizing one’s abilities for the benefit of others.
In search and privation, Victor Frankl’s book Saying Yes to Life appeared. Stubbornness of the spirit. " This is a kind of reflection of the author. Circumstances forced the scientist to study human psychology in extreme situations immediately in practice, to identify patterns of survival. Therefore, in this book of Victor Frankl, there are no quotations that are recognized today by ear. This will happen with other publications.
Between the desire for pleasure and the will for power there is a place for finding meaning
Experiencing pressure from authorities, but without losing stubbornness of spirit, Victor Frankl first spoke about the meaning of life and logotherapy as a method of gaining it. Later it will be suggested that the three schools of Viennese psychoanalysis describe well the periods of a person’s life. The first is the principle of pleasure - infancy and childhood, the second - the will to power - adolescence and youth, the third - finding meaning - adulthood.
To determine the role of therapy, one can cite the statement of Victor Frankl (quote): “Each time has its own neurosis, and each time requires its own psychotherapy.”
Frankl's books
The actions of people, at times, bring unpredictable results. This happened with Victor Frankl’s book “Say Yes to Life,” which has been translated into many languages and has survived more than one reprint. After the overwhelming success of the book, the scientist outlines in other works the concept and principles of the work of logotherapy - these are “A Man in Search of Meaning”, “Doctor and Soul”, “Will for Meaning”, “Psychotherapy and Existentialism” and others. Today you can often hear statements from these books that capture Victor Frankl's beliefs (quote): "... we cannot learn values, we must survive values." Therefore, there is no moralizing in publications, but only a description of the formation process and the conclusions of the author. You can only find meaning and determine your values through experience in your own experience.