Viktor Frankl

1
Viktor Frankl

• An introduction

2
Early Life

• In 1905, Frankl was born in Vienna into a Jewish
  family of civil servants. His interest in
  psychology and philosophy emerged early.
• In 1924 he created a special program to counsel
  students during the time they were to receive
  their grades. During his tenure, not a single
  Viennese student committed suicide.

3
Early Career

• From 1933 to 1937 he headed the "suicide
  pavilion" of the General Hospital in Vienna.
  Here, he treated over 30,000 women prone to
  suicide.
• Starting in 1938, he was prohibited from treating
  Aryan patients due to his Jewish ethnicity.
• Later worked as a brain surgeon.

4
Deportation

• On September 25, 1942 he, along with his wife,
  and his parents were deported to the
  Theresienstadt concentration camp
• Worked there as General Practitioner and set up a
  suicide watch for prisoners.
• Gave lectures on mental and physical health, and
  set up clinics and psychiatric care wards.
• Transported to Auschwitz and then Türkheim in
  October, 1944.

5
Liberation

• On April 27, 1945, Frankl was liberated by the
  Americans.
• He returned to Vienna and wrote Mans Search for
  Meaning in 1945.
• Among his immediate relatives, the only survivor
  was his sister.
• After publishing 32 books, Frankl died in 1997.

6
Logotherapy (logos meaning)

• It was due to his and others' suffering in these
  camps that he came to his hallmark conclusion
  that even in the most absurd, painful and
  dehumanized situation, life has potential meaning
  and that therefore even suffering is meaningful.
• If a prisoner felt that he could no longer
  endure the realities of camp life, he found a way
  out in his mental life  an invaluable
  opportunity to dwell in the spiritual domain, the
  one that the SS were unable to destroy. Spiritual
  life strengthened the prisoner, helped him adapt,
  and thereby improved his chances of survival.