In “Man’s Search for
Meaning” Victor Frankl contends that every individual has an innate propensity
to search for the meaning of his existence. He further contends that proper
counseling, in the form of logotherapy (the word Logos is defined as
"meaning"), will help the individual find the will to meaning. The
author’s experiences in a NAZI death camp are used quite effectively to
demonstrate how focusing on the reasons behind a situation rather than the
results that follow, allows a person to survive even the most torturous
circumstances. Appropriate counseling, according to Frankl, removes the
obstacles that are preventing individuals from using this capability and
identifying and/or expressing their will to meaning. This will to meaning is
distinctive in that only unique individuals can discover the source of their
own unique significance. Yet the counselor can assist in guiding the individual
towards recognizing this innate need to find meaning and can then help them
overcome the obstacles that are keeping them from exploring the possible
answers.
According to Frankl, when
a person is obstructed from connecting with his will to meaning, it can result
in extreme frustration and eventually a mental breakdown. Thus the role of
logotherapy is vitally important in helping the individual to uncover the
veiled meaning of his existence and consequently restore and sustain mental
health. Conversely, non-existentialists like Sigmund Freud viewed the conflict
between sexual needs and societal mores as the source of mankind’s propensity
for dissatisfaction, aggression, hostility and ultimately, violence. Thus for
Freud, the greatest struggle in life is the conflict between the reality that
we have created within ourselves and the society which has been created for us.
Frankl's logotherapy, therefore, is much more compatible with Western religions
than Freudian psychotherapy.
In Freud’s perception,
harmony and inner peace can only be attained when we have learned to control
our aggressive impulses by resolving this incongruity. Under this guise,
society functions as an expansive terrain designed to further extend the
symbolic distance between the metaphoric and the authentic. This implies that
the most insurmountable barrier between discovering the true meaning of our
existence and the perceived meaning of our existence rests in the mores of
society.
Frankl disagrees with
this perspective, purporting that it is the individual’s inner struggle to find
meaning that frustrates him; not how his purpose aligns with the goals of
society. In other words, it is man’s lack of ability to find meaning on a
personal level rather than a comparative one that drives him to feel hopeless
and distraught. Thus Frankl's logotherapy specifically attempts to restore a
sense of meaning to replace feelings of worthlessness and alienation common in
people with depression. He achieves this primarily by helping individuals to
see that the power of the human spirit is more powerful than any other force on
earth.
"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."
The message that is
prevalent is that no matter what type of suffering a person endures, as long as
they hold onto their faith that everything happens for a reason, they can
survive. This scenario goes all the way back to the Bible and the story of Job
and the lesson is the same as well; that no matter what tragedies befall the
faithful, as long as they don’t let go of their faith, they are reaping life’s
greatest rewards. By believing that everything happens for a reason,
individuals are able to weather the storms of their lives with the strength and
determination to overcome.
Since the beginning of
time, mankind has searched to find reasons and explanations for the seemingly
inexplicable suffering of so many good people. Frankl perceives his theories
not as a defense of suffering, but more as a way of validating its existence. I
personally agree with Frankl that believing that everything happens for a
reason can make even the direst of circumstances seem bearable. Man has always
sought to find meaning for his existence and a counselor can play a significant
role in helping individuals travel down the path of understanding. Many experts
feel however, that the desire to find meaning in life is the only force driving
man; there are certainly valid points in Freudian perspectives as well in that
it is human nature to compare oneself with others in society. Frankl places a
great deal of confidence in the power of the human mind. Yet in order to wholly
validate his suppositions, one would have to conclude that society provides little
more than an extraneous influence on self-image. This seems implausible,
however such a construct would constitute and ideal state of being.