Did you know Man's Search for Meaning was first published in German in 1946 as A Psychologist Experiences the Concentration Camp and Say Yes to Life in Spite of Everything? It wasn't until 1959 that the English translation was first published as what we've come to know as Man's Search for Meaning.
Viktor Frankl seems like a blast from the past, but he only passed away about 20 years ago. So, his insights are interesting because they are very recent—even compared to someone like Abraham Maslow who has been gone for 50 years.
The more I reread my notes from Man's Search for Meaning, the more I think we could almost create a hypothetical "Frankl's hierarchy of needs" to complement Maslow's. They both hit on some of the same key points—even self-actualization and transcendence.
This is perfect timing to tackle a how-to of Man's Search for Meaning because we'll be diving deeper into Maslow's take on self-actualization and transcendence next week. So, we'll be able to synthesize it all together.
Frankl was once asked to express in one sentence the meaning of his own life. He wrote the response on paper and asked his students to guess what he had written. After some moments of quiet reflection, a student surprised Frankl by saying, 'The meaning of your life is to help others find the meaning of theirs.' 'That was it, exactly,' Frankl said. 'Those are the very words I had written.'
— William J. Winslade (Afterword from Man's Search for Meaning)
Premium Post Contents:
- The Meaning Crisis
- The Crucial Role of Suffering
- Two Paradoxes: Tension for Mental Well-Being & Rich Inner Life for Survival
- Frankl's (Hypothetical) Hierarchy of Needs (+ Infographic)
- The Meaning(s) of Life (+ Infographic)
- Meaning is Unique to You
- Meaning is in the Moment
- Your Share of the Responsibility
