Viktor E. Frankl (1905 to 1997) was an Austrian psychiatrist and neurologist, a survivor of the Nazi concentration camps and the founder of logotherapy. His book Man’s Search for Meaning, which describes how people can find meaning even in the hardest circumstances, has inspired readers around the world for generations. [1]
Who is Viktor Frankl?
Viktor Emil Frankl was born in Vienna on 26 March 1905. Interested in psychology from an early age, he studied medicine at the University of Vienna and first used the term logotherapy in 1926. Between 1928 and 1930 he organised youth counselling centres in Vienna, and he went on to specialise in neurology and psychiatry. [1]
In 1942 Frankl was deported with his family to Theresienstadt, and later held in Auschwitz and in Kaufering and Türkheim, camps linked to Dachau. In the camps he reconstructed the manuscript of his first book on small slips of paper. He was liberated on 27 April 1945. [1]
Back in Vienna, in 1946 he dictated the book now known in English as Man’s Search for Meaning in just nine days. The same year he became director of the Vienna Neurological Policlinic, a post he held for 25 years. [1] In 1947 he married Eleonore Schwindt, and in 1948 he earned a PhD in philosophy. [1]
His approach became known as the “Third Viennese School of Psychotherapy”. He lectured around the world, became a professor at the University of Vienna in 1955 and a guest professor at Harvard University in 1961. A curious, energetic man, he began taking flying lessons in 1971 and earned his solo flight certificate in 1973. He died in Vienna on 2 September 1997. [1] The Viktor Frankl Institute in Vienna continues his work today. [2]
His ideas in brief
- The will to meaning. Our deepest motivation is to find meaning in life, not only pleasure or power.
- Meaning can be found anywhere. Through what we create, what and whom we love, and the attitude we take to what we cannot change.
- Freedom of attitude. Even when circumstances are beyond our control, we can still choose how we respond.
- Look beyond yourself. Fulfilment comes as a side effect of dedication to a cause or a person.
- Responsibility. Life asks questions of us, and we answer by how we live.
At a glance
Born: 26 March 1905, Vienna
Died: 2 September 1997, Vienna
Education: MD and PhD, University of Vienna
Founded: Logotherapy
Legacy: Viktor Frankl Institut Wien
Good fit if
You are looking for meaning or direction, you are going through loss or a hard season, or you want to understand one of the most influential books of the 20th century and the therapy behind it.
Our take
A deeply humane thinker whose message, that life can hold meaning in any circumstance, has helped countless readers through hard times. Start with the short video on this page, then read Man’s Search for Meaning.
Viktor Frankl’s key ideas
Logotherapy, takes its name from the Greek word logos, which Frankl translated as meaning, and it is built on a few clear ideas. Tap a card to read more.
The will to meaning
Frankl believed that the search for meaning is the primary motivation in human life. Where earlier Viennese schools emphasised the drive for pleasure or for power, logotherapy focuses on the will to meaning, which is why it became known as the Third Viennese School of Psychotherapy. [1] His book The Will to Meaning sets out these foundations.
Three paths to meaning
In Man’s Search for Meaning, Frankl describes three main ways people find meaning: by creating a work or doing a deed; by experiencing something or encountering someone, especially through love; and by the attitude we take towards unavoidable suffering.
In practice, this means meaning is not reserved for special moments. It can be found in your work, your relationships and in how you face what life brings. Our guide to life purpose and meaning offers practical exercises.
The last of the human freedoms
From his experience in the camps, Frankl concluded that even when almost everything is taken away, a person keeps the freedom to choose their attitude to their circumstances. This idea has given hope to many people facing illness, loss or hardship.
If you are going through a time of loss, our guide to grief and loss offers gentle support, and perseverance explores how to keep going.
Paradoxical intention
Paradoxical intention is a logotherapy technique for anxiety and fear. The person is encouraged, with humour, to wish for or exaggerate the very thing they fear. This can loosen the grip of the fear and break the cycle of anticipatory anxiety. One of the videos on this page explains how it works.
Dereflection
Dereflection helps people who are stuck in excessive self-focus. Instead of monitoring a problem anxiously, the person is helped to turn their attention outwards, towards meaningful activities and other people. Frankl taught that happiness and fulfilment tend to follow when we are absorbed in something beyond ourselves.
Videos with Viktor Frankl
Hand-picked and checked one by one: Frankl speaking in his own words, plus clear introductions to his ideas.
Start here
Frankl in his own words
Introductions to his ideas
Articles about Viktor Frankl
Books by Viktor Frankl
Frankl wrote many books on logotherapy. Man’s Search for Meaning is by far the best known, and in 1991 the Library of Congress named it one of the ten most influential books in America. [1]
Buy Man’s Search for Meaning in your country: US · UK · Canada · Australia · India.
Institutes and free resources
Logotherapy training is offered by accredited institutes in many countries, usually for health and mental health professionals; the Viktor Frankl Institute in Vienna is a good starting point. [2]
What the Research Shows
Frankl’s ideas helped inspire a family of meaning-centred therapies that researchers continue to study.
- Meaning-centred therapies. A 2018 meta-analysis of 60 trials found that meaning-centred therapies were linked with large improvements in quality of life and reductions in psychological stress, compared with control groups. [3]
- Meaning and stress. The same analysis found that increases in meaning in life predicted decreases in psychological stress. [3]
Frequently asked questions
Who was Viktor Frankl?
An Austrian psychiatrist and neurologist (1905 to 1997), Holocaust survivor and founder of logotherapy, best known for Man’s Search for Meaning.
What is logotherapy?
A meaning-centred approach to psychotherapy founded by Frankl, based on the idea that the search for meaning is our primary motivation.
When was Man’s Search for Meaning written?
Frankl dictated it in nine days in 1946, the year after his liberation.
How influential is Man’s Search for Meaning?
In 1991 the Library of Congress named it one of the ten most influential books in America.
What are Frankl’s three sources of meaning?
Creating or doing something, experiencing something or loving someone, and the attitude we take towards unavoidable suffering.
What is paradoxical intention?
A logotherapy technique for fear and anxiety in which a person, with humour, intends the very thing they fear.
Where can I learn more about Viktor Frankl?
The Viktor Frankl Institute in Vienna has a detailed biography, a bibliography and information about logotherapy.
Sources
- Viktor Frankl Institut Wien: Biography
- Viktor Frankl Institut Wien
- Vos and Vitali, The effects of psychological meaning-centered therapies on quality of life and psychological stress: a metaanalysis, Palliative and Supportive Care 2018
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