Man's Search for Meaning Chapter Summary & Analysis - "Logotherapy in a Nutshell" (through page 157) Summary

"Logotherapy in a Nutshell" (through page 157) Summary and Analysis

Part two of the book moves to a more clinical style of writing. Frankl mentions he considers himself a psychotherapist rather than psychoanalyst and that his specific approach is deemed logotherapy. He describes logotherapy as less retrospective and introspective than psychoanalysis. Logotherapy is defined as a meaning-centered psychotherapy that focuses on meanings to be fulfilled by the patient in the future. In this approach, the patient is confronted with the meaning of his life, so as to provide an awareness that will allow him or her to overcome weaknesses. As it is derived from the Greek word Logos ("meaning"), Frankl considers it to represent his view that striving to find meaning is a person's primary motivational force.

Man's search for meaning can lead to an aspect of logotherapy known as existential frustration, an aggravation based on the difficulty of determining the meaning of one's existence. Existential frustration can lead to...
(read more)