Logotherapy Analysis in Man’s Search for Meaning

Logotherapy comes from the Greek word logos, which Frankl defines as “meaning.” Also known as the Third Viennese School of Psychotherapy, logotherapy is a type of psychology that focuses on helping patients find meaning in their lives. Frankl, the founder of logotherapy, says that the search for meaning is the fundamental motivating force in a human’s life. Through logotherapeutic practices, therapists can help their patients deal with mental problems by encouraging them to think about their futures and helping them accomplish their goals in meaningful ways.

Logotherapy Quotes in Man’s Search for Meaning

The Man’s Search for Meaning quotes below are all either spoken by Logotherapy or refer to Logotherapy. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

The emphasis on responsibleness is reflected in the categorical imperative of logotherapy, which is: “Live as if you were living already for the second time and if you had acted as wrongly the first time as you are about to act now!”

Page Number and Citation: 109

Explanation and Analysis:

It is one of the basic tenants of logotherapy that man’s main concern is not to gain pleasure or avoid pain but rather to see a meaning in his life. That is why man is even ready to suffer, on the condition, to be sure, that his suffering has a meaning.

Page Number and Citation: 113

Explanation and Analysis:

Logotherapy Term Timeline in Man’s Search for Meaning

The timeline below shows where the term Logotherapy appears in Man’s Search for Meaning. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...be taken to concentration camps, or with his work and promotion of the theories of logotherapy. If he left Austria, he would be able to write about logotherapy from abroad. (full context)

...the reader that the original version of this book did not include a discussion of logotherapy, but he has added one on because so many people have asked for it. His... (full context)

Frankl named his practice logotherapy after the Greek word logos, which means “meaning.” His form of therapy is oriented around... (full context)

...be hampered by “existential frustration,” which can in turn cause “noögenic neuroses.” Noögenic is a logotherapeutic term that comes from the Greek word noös, or “mind,” and refers to anything connected... (full context)

Freedom, Optimism, and Responsibility Theme Icon

...with the will to meaning. Frankl says that the only treatment for these issues is logotherapy, which deals with “the specifically human dimension.” (full context)

Like psychoanalysis, logotherapy involves an analytical approach that seeks to help a patient figure out and orient towards... (full context)

...as the tension between what one has accomplished and what one hopes to achieve. Thus logotherapists should not shy away from challenging their patients and helping them find this tension between... (full context)

...what his meaning will be. Man is responsible to life to discover this meaning. In logotherapy, “responsibleness” is the “essence of human existence.” (full context)

The “categorical imperative” of logotherapy—the fundamental action that it promotes—is to “live as if you were living already for the... (full context)

Frankl compares a logotherapist’s job to a painter and an eye doctor. A painter tries to explain his vision... (full context)

...and focusing on an encounter with something else, man finds more meaning in his life. Logotherapy states that meaning can be found in three ways: through purposeful work or creations, through... (full context)

Logotherapists believe that man’s will to meaning is stronger than his desire for pleasure or need... (full context)

...Hebrew prayer, Shema Yisrael. He interpreted this moment as a challenge to live out his logotherapeutic ideas instead of just writing about them. Frankl argues that if suffering does not have... (full context)

Frankl encourages logotherapists not to give the super-meaning a more specific name like God, but if they have... (full context)

Frankl sees logotherapy as an “activistic” rather than pessimistic field. Instead of thinking about the shrinking number of... (full context)

Frankl explains that logotherapy is well-suited to treating “anticipatory anxiety,” in which a person’s fear of something makes that... (full context)

Logotherapy uses “paradoxical intention” to counteract these two tendencies. By instructing patients to bring about that... (full context)

Man’s Search for Meaning

Victor Frankl

Logotherapy Term Analysis

Logotherapy Quotes in Man’s Search for Meaning

Logotherapy Term Timeline in Man’s Search for Meaning