Viktor Frankl was born on this day in 1905
Viktor Frankel was an Austrian psychiatrist who worked in Vienna leading up to The Second World war but in 1942 he along with most of his family were arrested and sent to a Nazi concentration camp. Over three years he was moved between four different camps including Auschwitz and most of his family died with the exception of one sister.
After the war Frankel used his experiences from being interred and the relationships that he made with others in the camps to create his theory of logotherapy. He had helped others in the camp who were struggling by encouraging them to think about positive memories.
Logotherapy was based on the idea that however much others may try to de-humanise people, life still had meaning and there is a purpose in suffering. Whatever the circumstances a person could escape using their own spirituality in order to survive.
His text “Man’s Search for Meaning” was a ground breaking book but is still very relevant today
