Reflection paper

1. Ingeniero, Joven Loyd M.
BS in Architecture
I'm a little unhappy with myself for taking so long to read this book. Victor E.
Frankl, a survivor of possibly the worst instance of extended suffering in contemporary
human history, offers wisdom and insight in Man's Search for Meaning.
The very first half of the book covers his time in Nazi Germany's concentration
camps. In the second half, he discusses Logotherapy, a branch of psychotherapy he
founded as a result of his personal pain and his observations of others' suffering during
the Holocaust.
The Greek word "logos" has several meanings, but according to Frankl, it is
used to describe "meaning." Logotheraphy is concerned with the meaning of human
existence and man's search for that meaning.
Frankl explains the "existential void," which every human being encounters from
time to time. "no instinct tells one what he has to do, and no tradition tells one what he
ought to do; sometimes one does not even know what he wishes to do" in the existential
vacuum, which often shows itself as a condition of ennui. Instead, he either wants to do
what everyone else is doing (conformism) or does what everyone else wants him to do
(totalitarianism)."
Therefore, what is the purpose of life? "The meaning of life," according to
Frankl, "is to be discovered in the world rather than within man or his own psyche, as if
it were a closed system." It denotes the fact that being human always points to
something or someone other than oneself — whether it's a meaning to fulfill or another
human being to meet. The more one forgets himself — by devoting himself to a cause
or another person to love — the more human he becomes and the more he actualizes
himself. What is referred to as self-actualization is not an attainable goal for the simple
reason that the more one strives for it, the more he misses it. In other words, self-
actualization is only attainable as a byproduct of self-transcendence."
The meaning of life changes all the time, yet it never goes away. According to
logotherapy, it can be discovered in three ways: (1) by making a work or doing a deed;

2. (2) by experiencing something or meeting someone; and (3) by our attitude facing
inescapable hardship. To summarize, meaning is present at all times and in all places.
Logotherapy is defined by the technique of 'paradoxical intention,' which is
founded on the two-fold reality that fear causes what one is scared of, and that 'hyper-
intention' makes what one wishes unattainable. These technical expressions explain a
fundamental human phenomenon: when we dread something, we raise the likelihood of
it occurring; and when we work too hard to make something happen, we decrease the
likelihood of it occurring. Consider the usual examples of sleeplessness and anticipatory
worry that Frankl outlines. Both of these unpleasant feelings can be alleviated by using
paradoxical intention. If you have trouble falling asleep, try staying awake. If you're
worried about having a sweat attack, "resolve deliberately to show people how much
[you] can sweat," adopting a mindset shift that takes the wind out of the sales of fear.
"Conscience is conceived of in logotherapy as a prompter that, if necessary,
signals the path in which we must travel in a particular life scenario." To carry out such a
work, conscience must apply a measuring stick to the circumstance at hand, and this
scenario must be appraised in light of a set of criteria, based on a hierarchy of values.
These beliefs, however, cannot be consciously championed and embraced by us – they
are a part of who we are. They have solidified over the course of our species' evolution;
they are based on our biological past and are entrenched in our biological depth."
I definitely suggest this book, especially for people suffering from existential
ennui, and I believe everyone should read it at least once because it provides some
important ideas on life and living.