Man's Search For Meaning Summary

Frankl, the author describes the day-to-day brutality and humiliation in the Nazi concentration camps that robbed many prisoners of their self-worth and humanity. He talks about his own strive to retain a sense of meaning even in the face of such unpleasant situation. Frankl did so basically by concentrating on his wife and on his work which with great hope, to resume after he left the concentration camp. Frankl’s message in this book is primarily one of hope, as he seeks to encourage us to find meaning in life and suffering even in the most miserable, absurd and dehumanizing

The thoughts of what to eat that night, how well to trade his last cigarette and a better means to gain favor in the eyes of the Capo so he could secure a job instead of having to do the daily match engulfed him. These numerous problems irritated him and he got tired of thinking about them. He knew these problems seemed endless at that particular time and the only way to cope with it was to channel his thoughts to a different direction. He envisioned himself in a very comfortable lecture room standing in front of an undistracted audience giving lectures on the psychology of the concentration camps. At that point he began to see his troubles as a psycho-scientific study rather than a meaningless misery. His numerous problems ceased to be an issue to me but it found it as an interesting case study. He could see a little light in the darkness the moment he saw a cause to suffer. Finding meaning in our suffering helps to present one’s self with dignity even in great pain. The moment we create a lucid understanding of why our suffering is important to our greater disposition and justification, we begin to see meaning in our suffering and then life will begin to make more sense. In this example, it gave Frankl the courage to rise above the suffering of the moment and push forward with his