Man's Search for Meaning
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Viktor Frankl's book Man's Search for Meaning chronicles his experiences as a concentration camp inmate and describes his psychotherapeutic method of finding a reason to live. According to Frankl, the book intends to answer the question "How was everyday life in a concentration camp reflected in the mind of the average prisoner?" The first section of the book constitutes Frankl's experiences in the concentration camps, while the second half is an introduction to logotherapy.
Experiences in a Concentration Camp
In this section of the book, Frankl recalls what he has seen and observed while in several Nazi camps. He then goes on to draw conclusions about life and human nature. Frankl asserts that the meaning of life is found in every moment of living; life never ceases to have meaning, even in suffering and death. According to Frankl, somone is always looking down on us, be it a living or dead freind, family member, or even a God; Therefore, we should not dissapoint them. The book also concludes that are only two races of men, decent men and indecent. No society is free of either of them, and thus there were "decent" Nazi guards and "indecent" prisoners, most notably the capo who would betray their fellow prisoners for personal gain. The final chapter concerns the mindset of the prisoners after liberation. While marching through the fields around their former prisons, the prisoners become aware that they are unable to comprehend pleasure. Flowers, kindness, and the sense of freedom given to them after their liberation seems surreal and the prisoners are unable to grasp it. Even when he or she would return to "normal" life, a prisoner would feel disillusion and bitterness. As time passes, the prisoner's experience in a concentration camp seems nothing more than a nightmare.
Basic Concepts of Logotherapy
See also: Maslow's hierarchy of needs