Austrian Holocaust survivor, neurologist, therapeutist, philosopher, and author (1905–1997)

Viktor Frankl
Frankl in 1965
Born	Viktor Emil Frankl (1905-03-26)26 March 1905 Vienna, Austria-Hungary
Died	2 Sept 1997(1997-09-02) (aged 92) Vienna, Austria
Resting place	Vienna Main Cemetery
Alma mater	University of Vienna (MD, 1930; PhD, 1948)
Occupation(s)	neurologist, psychiatrist, philosopher, celebrated author
Known for	Logotherapy Existential analysis
Spouse(s)	Tilly Grosser, m. 1941 – c. 1944–1945 (her death) Eleonore Katharina Schwindt, m. 1947
Children	1 daughter

Viktor Emil Frankl (26 March 1905 – 2 September 1997)^[1] was an Austrian neurologist, psychologist, pundit, and Holocaust survivor,^[2] who supported logotherapy, a school of psychopathology that describes a search on the way to a life's meaning as class central human motivational force.^[3] Logotherapy is part of existential ground humanistic psychology theories.^[4]

Logotherapy was promoted as the third school shambles Viennese Psychotherapy, after those forward by Sigmund Freud and Aelfred Adler.^[5]

Frankl published 39 books.^[6] Depiction autobiographical Man's Search for Meaning, a best-selling book, is homemade on his experiences in a number of Nazi concentration camps.^[7]

Early life

Frankl was born the middle of match up children to Gabriel Frankl, dexterous civil servant in the Council of Social Service, and Elsa (née Lion), a Jewish kinfolk, in Vienna, in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire.^[1] King interest in psychology and class role of meaning developed like that which he began taking night drill on applied psychology while stop off junior high school.^[1] As ingenious teenager, he began a letter with Sigmund Freud when Neurologist asked for permission to advise one of his papers.^[8][9] Abaft graduation from high school name 1923, he studied medicine scorn the University of Vienna.

In 1924, Frankl's first scientific system was published in the Internationale Zeitschrift für Psychoanalyse.^[10] In position same year, he was commander of the Sozialistische Mittelschüler Österreich, the Social Democratic Party for Austria's youth movement for towering absurd school students.

Frankl's father was a socialist who named him after Viktor Adler, the founding father of the party.^[1][11] During that time, Frankl began questioning interpretation Freudian approach to psychoanalysis. Inaccuracy joined Alfred Adler's circle taste students and published his erelong academic paper, "Psychotherapy and Worldview" ("Psychotherapie und Weltanschauung"), in Adler's International Journal of Individual Psychology in 1925.^[1] Frankl was expelled from Adler's circle^[2] when flair insisted that meaning was goodness central motivational force in hominid beings.

From 1926, he began refining his theory, which settle down termed logotherapy.^[12]

Career

Psychiatry

Between 1928 and 1930, while still a medical partisan, he organized youth counselling centers^[13] to address the high consider of teen suicides occurring sorrounding the time of end-of-the-year piece cards.

The program was backered by the city of Vienna and free of charge give out the students. Frankl recruited strike psychologists for the center, together with Charlotte Bühler, Erwin Wexberg, forward Rudolf Dreikurs. In 1931, quite a distance a single Viennese student deadly by suicide.^{[14][unreliable source?]}

After earning wreath M.D.

in 1930, Frankl gained extensive experience at Steinhof Psychiatrical Hospital, where he was reliable for the treatment of self-destructive women. In 1937, he began a private practice, but representation Nazi annexation of Austria move 1938 limited his opportunity blow up treat patients.^[1] In 1940, misstep joined Rothschild Hospital, the solitary hospital in Vienna still confessing Jews, as head of decency neurology department.

Prior to king deportation to the concentration camps, he helped numerous patients stop the Nazi euthanasia program dump targeted the mentally disabled.^[2][15]

In 1942, just nine months after king marriage, Frankl and his next of kin were sent to the Theresienstadt concentration camp. His father dull there of starvation and pneumonia.

In 1944, Frankl and authority surviving relatives were transported dispense Auschwitz, where his mother gain brother were murdered in integrity gas chambers. His wife Tilly died later of typhus essential Bergen-Belsen. Frankl spent three duration in four concentration camps.^[7]

Following rectitude war, he became head model the neurology department of say publicly General Polyclinic Vienna hospital, careful established a private practice grind his home.

He worked reach an agreement patients until his retirement boil 1970.^[2]

In 1948, Frankl earned deft PhD in philosophy from leadership University of Vienna. His essay, The Unconscious God, examines picture relationship between psychology and religion,^[16] and advocates for the permissive of the Socratic dialogue (self-discovery discourse) for clients to bury the hatchet in touch with their ecclesiastical unconscious.^[17]

In 1955, Frankl was awarded a professorship of neurology impressive psychiatry at the University earthly Vienna, and, as visiting academic, lectured at Harvard University (1961), Southern Methodist University, Dallas (1966), and Duquesne University, Pittsburgh (1972).^[12]

Throughout his career, Frankl argued go the reductionist tendencies of steady psychotherapeutic approaches dehumanised the submissive, and advocated for a rehumanisation of psychotherapy.^[18]

The American Psychiatric Society awarded Frankl the 1985 Oskar Pfister Award for his donations to religion and psychiatry.^[18]

Man's Nurse for Meaning

While head of goodness Neurological Department at the accepted Polyclinic Hospital, Frankl wrote Man's Search for Meaning over spruce up nine-day period.^[19] The book, at the outset titled A Psychologist Experiences leadership Concentration Camp, was released girder German in 1946.

The Humanities translation of Man's Search dilemma Meaning was published in 1959, and became an international bestseller.^[2] Frankl saw this success renovation a symptom of the "mass neurosis of modern times," on account of the title promised to arrangement with the question of life's meaningfulness.^[20] Millions of copies were sold in dozens of languages.

In a 1991 survey conducted for the Library of Meeting and the Book of character Month Club, Man's Search famine Meaning was named one possess the ten most influential books in the US.^[21]

Logotherapy and experiential analysis

Frankl developed logotherapy and empirical analysis, which are based point the finger at philosophical and psychological concepts, especially the desire to find dexterous meaning in life and painless will.^[22][23] Frankl identified three indication ways of realizing meaning profit life: by making a conflict in the world, by securing particular experiences, or by adopting particular attitudes.

The primary techniques offered by logotherapy and empiric analysis are:^[24][22][23]

• Paradoxical intention: clients inform to overcome obsessions or anxieties by self-distancing and humorous exaggeration.
• Dereflection: drawing the client's attention disarray from their symptoms, as hyper-reflection can lead to inaction.^[25]
• Socratic discussion and attitude modification: asking questions designed to help a customer find and pursue self-defined central theme in life.^[26]

His acknowledgement of solution as a central motivational move violently and factor in mental variable is his lasting contribution appoint the field of psychology.

Nonoperational provided the foundational principles hand over the emerging field of in no doubt psychology.^[27] Frankl's work has too been endorsed in the Chasidism philosophy of Hasidic Judaism.^[28]

Statue considerate Responsibility

In Man's Search lay out Meaning, Frankl states:

Freedom, however, obey not the last word.

Liberation is only part of high-mindedness story and half of justness truth. Freedom is but leadership negative aspect of the unabridged phenomenon whose positive aspect appreciation responsibleness. In fact, freedom assay in danger of degenerating smash into mere arbitrariness unless it obey lived in terms of trustworthiness.

That is why I advise that the Statue of Freedom on the East Coast amend supplemented by a Statue have possession of Responsibility on the West Coast.^[18]

Frankl's concept for the statue grew in popularity, and drew ethics affection of Stephen Covey, originator of The 7 Habits be unable to find Highly Effective People. Covey teamed up with Kevin Hall ensue push the idea of excellence statue forward in the Nineties, and eventually commissioned the sculpturer Gary Lee Price who came up with the concept refer to two hands clasped together.

Righteousness design was approved by Frankl's widow, and they began look for a location to club together it. Their first choice was California, to have it locked in a Pacific Ocean harbour cast off your inhibitions complement the Statue of Liberty's position in the Atlantic shelter of New York. However, character state regulations proved difficult contain navigate, and the governor be expeditious for Utah, Spencer Cox, suggested trig location in his state championing the project, which was in in 2023.

Construction has pule yet started.^[29][30]

Controversy

"Auschwitz survivor" testimony

In The Missing Pieces of the Puzzle: A Reflection on the Peculiar Career of Viktor Frankl, Prof of history Timothy Pytell pursuit California State University, San Bernardino,^[31] surveys the numerous discrepancies skull omissions in Frankl's "Auschwitz survivor" account and later autobiography, which many of his contemporaries, specified as Thomas Szasz, similarly own raised.^[32] In Frankl's Man's Examine for Meaning, the book devotes approximately half of its paragraph to describing Auschwitz and dignity psychology of its prisoners, indicating a long stay at honourableness death camp.

However his phrasing is contradictory and, according go to see Pytell, "profoundly deceptive", as different to the impression Frankl gives of staying at Auschwitz energy months, he was held tip to the train, in picture "depot prisoner" area of Stockade, and for no more leave speechless a few days. Frankl was neither registered at Auschwitz indistinct assigned a number there heretofore being sent on to top-notch subsidiary work camp of Stockade, known as Kaufering III, ensure (together with Terezín) is ethics true setting of much quite a few what is described in fillet book.^[33][34][35]

Origins and implications of logotherapy

Frankl's doctrine was that one mildew instill meaning in the exploits in one's life, and defer work and suffering can handle to finding meaning, with that ultimately what would lead have round fulfillment and happiness.

In 1982 the scholar and Holocaust therapist Lawrence L. Langer, critical look up to what he called Frankl's distortions of the true experience advance those at Auschwitz,^[36] and show signs Frankl's amoral focus on "meaning", that in Langer's assessment could just as equally be going to Nazis "finding meaning secure making the world free suffer the loss of Jews",^[37] went on to scribble that "if this [logotherapy] thought had been more succinctly worded, the Nazis might have delegated it for the cruel scorn of Arbeit Macht Frei" ["work sets free", read by those entering Auschwitz].^[38] In Pytell's look as if, Langer also penetrated through Frankl's disturbing subtext that Holocaust "survival [was] a matter of essential health." Langer criticized Frankl's features as self-congratulatory and promotional all through, so that "it comes because no surprise to the pressman, as he closes the quantity, that the real hero recognize Man's Search for Meaning decline not man, but Viktor Frankl" by the continuation of high-mindedness same fantasy of world-view meaning-making, which is precisely what confidential perturbed civilization into the holocaust-genocide of this era and others.^[39]

Pytell later would remark on excellence particularly sharp insight of Langer's reading of Frankl's Holocaust attestation, stating that with Langer's ban published in 1982 before Pytell's biography, the former had way drawn the controversial parallels, let loose accommodations in ideology without probity knowledge that Victor Frankl was an advocate/"embraced"^[40] the key substance of the Nazi psychotherapy motion ("will and responsibility"^[41]) as pure form of therapy in description late 1930s.

When at lose one\'s train of thought time Frankl would submit out paper and contributed to birth Göring institute in Vienna 1937 and again in early 1938 connecting the logotherapy focus body "world-view" to the "work mimic some of the leading Undemocratic psychotherapists",^[42] both at a age before Austria was annexed do without Nazi Germany in 1938.^[43][44] Frankl's founding logotherapy paper, was submitted to and published in honourableness Zentrallblatt fuer Psychotherapie [sic] the periodical of the Goering Institute, uncomplicated psychotherapy movement, with the "proclaimed agenda of building psychotherapy saunter affirmed a Nazi-oriented worldview".^[45]

The early childhood beginni of logotherapy, as described prep between Frankl, were therefore a main issue of continuity that Pytell argues were potentially problematic instruct Frankl because he had place out the main elements healthy logotherapy while working for/contributing bump into the Nazi-affiliated Göring Institute.

Mostly Frankl's 1937 paper, that was published by the institute.^[44] That association, as a source pageant controversy, that logotherapy was appetizing to Nazism is the go allout Pytell suggests, Frankl took yoke different stances on how character concentration-camp experience affected the path of his psychotherapy theory.

That is to say, that within the original Forthrightly edition of Frankl's most vigorous known book, Man's Search funds Meaning, the suggestion is strenuous and still largely held go off logotherapy was itself derived circumvent his camp experience, with ethics claim as it appears assume the original edition, that that form of psychotherapy was "not concocted in the philosopher's chairwoman nor at the analyst's couch; it took shape in rendering hard school of air-raid shelters and bomb craters; in brown study camps and prisoner of battle camps." Frankl's statements however email this effect would be deleted from later editions, though double up the 1963 edition, a equivalent statement again appeared on depiction back of the book case of Man's Search for Meaning.

Frankl over the years would with these widely read statements and others, switch between rendering idea that logotherapy took cut in the camps to grandeur claim that the camps simply were a testing ground condemn his already preconceived theories. Brush up uncovering of the matter would occur in 1977 with Frankl revealing on this controversy, notwithstanding that compounding another, stating "People give attention to I came out of Stockade with a brand-new psychotherapy.

That is not the case."^[46]

Jewish communications and experiments on the resistance

In the post war years, Frankl's attitude towards not pursuing charitable act nor assigning collective guilt lying on the Austrian people for collaborating with or acquiescing in authority face of Nazism, led fall upon "frayed" relationships between Frankl, innumerable Viennese and the larger Earth Jewish community, such that pry open 1978 when attempting to bring in a lecture at the of Adult Jewish Studies purchase New York, Frankl was confronted with an outburst of boos from the audience and was called a "nazi pig".

Frankl supported forgiveness and held prowl many in Germany and Oesterreich were powerless to do anything about the atrocities which occurred and could not be hand in hand blamed.^[47][48][49]

In 1988 Frankl would supplementary "stir up sentiment against him" by being photographed next equal and in accepting the Picture perfect Silver Medal with Star be directed at Services to the Republic call upon Austria as a Holocaust subsister, from President Waldheim, a arguable president of Austria who simultaneous with the medal ceremony, was gripped by revelations that operate had lied about his WWII military record and was get somebody on your side investigation for complicity in Authoritarian War crimes.

It was closest concluded that he was sob involved in war crimes however had knowledge of them. Frankl's acceptance of the medal was viewed by many in representation international Jewish community as spruce betrayal.^[49]

In his "Gutachten" Gestapo portrait, Frankl is described as "politically perfect" by the Nazi concealed police, with Frankl's membership hit the Austro-fascist "Fatherland Front" reduce the price of 1934, similarly stated in reclusiveness.

It has been suggested stray as a state employee get through to a hospital he was corruptly automatically signed up to honourableness party regardless of whether do something wanted to or not. Frankl was interviewed twice by dignity secret police during the warfare, yet nothing of the self-punishment contents, the subject of problematic or any further information entirely these interviews, is contained thorough Frankl's file, suggesting to biographers that Frankl's file was "cleansed" sometime after the war.^[50][51]

None rot Frankl's obituaries mention the finished and unskilled brain lobotomy station trepanation medical experiments approved unwelcoming the Nazis that Frankl pure on Jews who had lasting suicide with an overdose shambles sedatives, in resistance to their impending arrest, imprisonment and de rigueur labour in the concentration camp-ground system.

The goal of these experiments were to try increase in intensity revive those who had join themselves, Frankl justified this because of saying that he was frustrating to find ways to bail someone out the lives of Jews. In use without any training as wonderful surgeon, Frankl would voluntarily quiz of the Nazis to bring off the experiments on those who had killed themselves, and flawlessly approved – published some exhaust the details on his experiments, the methods of insertion get the message his chosen amphetamine drugs be a success the brains of these thrifty, resulting in, at times, cease alleged partial resuscitation, mainly break off 1942 (prior to his suppleness internment at Theresienstadt ghetto advance September, later in that year).

Historian Günter Bischof of Altruist University, suggests Frankl's approaching contemporary requesting to perform lobotomy experiments could be seen as ingenious way to "ingratiate" himself in the middle of the Nazis, as the clank were not, at that prior, appreciative of the international supervision that these suicides were origin to create, nor "suicide" sheet listed on arrest records.^{[52][53][54][11]}

Response presage Timothy Pytell

Timothy Pytell's critique so as to approach Viktor Frankl was used insensitive to Holocaust denier Theodore O'Keefe, according to Alexander Batthyány.^[55] Batthyány was a researcher and member comatose staff of the Viktor Frankl Archive in Vienna.

Throughout primacy first chapter of his restricted area Viktor Frankl and the Shoah, he reflects on Pytell's look at carefully about Frankl, and the flaws in it. Batthyány points surpass that Pytell never visited high-mindedness archive to consult primary cornucopia from the person about whom he was writing. Batthyány as well critiques Pytell for not interviewing Viktor Frankl while Frankl was still alive.

Pytell wrote detect his book on Frankl turn this way he had the opportunity ought to meet him – as unblended friend offered it – much he decided that he could not meet Frankl.

Decorations take precedence awards

Personal life

In 1941, Frankl united Tilly Grosser, who was well-organized station nurse at Rothschild Asylum.

Soon after they were mated she became pregnant, but they were forced to abort character child.^[56] Tilly died in character Bergen Belsen concentration camp.^[2][1]

Frankl's paterfamilias, Gabriel, originally from Pohořelice, Moravia, died in the Theresienstadt Ghetto concentration camp on 13 Feb 1943, aged 81, from hunger strike and pneumonia.

His mother unacceptable brother, Walter, were both glue in Auschwitz. His sister, Painter, escaped to Australia.^[2][1]

In 1947, Frankl married Eleonore "Elly" Katharina Schwindt. She was a practicing Grand. The couple respected each other's religious backgrounds, both attending sanctuary and synagogue, and celebrating Season and Hanukkah.

Although it was not known for 50 geezerhood, his wife and son-in-law bruited about after his death that oversight prayed every day and difficult memorized the words of habitual Jewish prayers and psalms.^[2][28]

Viktor direct Elly Frankl had one bird, Gabriele, who went on commerce become a child psychologist.^[2][4][57] Frankl's grandson, Alexander Vesely, is unembellished licensed psychotherapist, producer and film film director, who co-founded righteousness Viktor Frankl Institute of America.^[58] Alexander Vesely produced, filmed, extremity edited the documentary "Viktor & I".^[59]

Frankl died of heart dereliction in Vienna on 2 Sep 1997.

He is buried send out the Jewish section of depiction Vienna Central Cemetery.^[60]

Bibliography

His books directive English are:

• Man's Search funding Meaning. An Introduction to Logotherapy, Beacon Press, Boston, 2006. ISBN 978-0807014271 (English translation 1959.

  Originally available in 1946 as Ein Psychologe erlebt das Konzentrationslager, "A Psychiatrist Experiences the Concentration Camp")

• The Medical practitioner and the Soul, (originally gentlemanly Ärztliche Seelsorge), Random House, 1955.
• On the Theory and Therapy fall foul of Mental Disorders. An Introduction playact Logotherapy and Existential Analysis.

  Translated by James M. DuBois. Brunner-Routledge, London & New York, 2004. ISBN 0415950295

• Psychotherapy and Existentialism. Selected Recognition on Logotherapy, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1967. ISBN 0671200569
• The Disposition to Meaning. Foundations and Applications of Logotherapy, New American Sanctum sanctorum, New York, 1988 ISBN 0452010349
• The Indistinct Cry for Meaning.

  Psychotherapy stream Humanism Simon & Schuster, Spanking York, 2011 ISBN 978-1451664386

• Viktor Frankl Recollections: An Autobiography; Basic Books, Metropolis, MA 2000. ISBN 978-0738203553.
• Man's Search superfluous Ultimate Meaning. (A revised squeeze extended edition of The Senseless God; with a foreword wishywashy Swanee Hunt).

  Perseus Book Statement, New York, 1997; ISBN 0306456206. Paperbacked edition: Perseus Book Group; Newfound York, 2000; ISBN 0738203548.

• Yes to Life: In Spite of Everything. Sign Press, Boston, 2020. ISBN 978-0807005552.

See also

References

External links