Viktor Frankl: Why Meaning Matters
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- Опубликовано: 5 июл 2024
- In this 1963 TV interview Viktor Frankl, author of "Man´s Search for Meaning" describes the basics of his meaning-centered psychotherapy also known as Logotherapy and Existential Analysis- the first in the field of resource-oriented, existential-, or positive psychology.
I listened to 'Man's search for meaning' on a warmly narrated audio book while out walking, it helped me through a period of emotional recovery. If there was ever a need for such a book, then it is now, while in this time of Global Lockdown, where perhaps many of us are questioning our priorities and our place in the World, and what it REALLY IS, that would give Meaning to our lives.
Matthew, that was so well said. I read the book and now want to hear the audiobook because you mentioned it. I hope that with this global lockdown, as you mention, people do question their priorities and what brings meaning to them in life. Many of us realize now how truly fragile life is and that fulfilling important goals, personal happiness, or being a better person in whatever way that means to someone, cannot be put off any longer.
@@VirtuesforLife Thank you Virtues for that lovely response; perhaps there is both micro and macro opportunities? The macro might refer to the Human Race en masse, taking back control of our World, and doing what is right for 'Everyone' now, as well as for future generations, and also for our precious environment.
Who narrated the audio book. I would like to get it
@@maureenwoodrich2983 I found it on Audible...I will let you know the author when I find it again
@@matthewdowling3866 thanks!
It's a pleasure to see also an interviewer doing a good job. Needless to say Dr Frankl is a phenomenal human being
In Frankl’s powerful description of the will to meaning, I also sense the importance of staying self aware, in the moment. It could be easy to lose yourself or sacrifice yourself in service to a cause or another person. One must be self aware enough to avoid this. I just lost my own wife to ovarian cancer less than 3 weeks ago. I devoted myself to her and yet haven’t lost myself, though the suffering is intense. His words are powerful and refreshing. It is different from modern psychiatry which would substitute pharmaceuticals for the real work of integrating the suffering which is given us by fate. How amazing is it that self actualization is a by product of the selfless act of devotion to something (or someone) outside oneself?
Fate? Only cowards and slaves believe in predestination. Most suffering is human- made and can be either prevented or eradicated.
@@claudiamanta1943 That would be a very hard thing to do, best we could do is strive to minimize it ... without suffering there could be no "growth".
If everything was perfect we would not need evolution in the first place ... what is evolution if not just an organism adapting to survive it's ever changing enviroment.
You could tell a child thousand times over to not touch the "hot stove" but until it gets "burned" until it experiences the pain for itself how could it ever learn ?
@@FreeStyleProjector I beg to differ. Yes, eliminating the human- made suffering would be a very difficult thing to do, but not impossible. It is NOT impossible, but it is made impossible by people who think in a way similar to you.
As for the necessity of suffering… no. I expect you to be careful and not let your child burn themselves. That would be negligence and abuse on your part. You don’t make pupils suffer; you present them with challenges that they would gladly accept and work really hard to solve/ achieve. Pedagogy is a dead art and there are no pedagogues left. And there’s another aspect to it- adults are not children and should not be treated as children. There are very significant differences in the teaching methods. Respect is shown differently in the education process. Ad baculum does not work and should not be employed. Clear boundaries, yes, lawful corrective punishments, yes- you can’t have a society without, but not terror, deceit, and lies.
@@claudiamanta1943 So you beg to differ ... yet you say yourself human suffering can never be abolished.
I'm not fighting against you i'm simply being realistic i've already mentioned without suffering there can be no growth.
That's one of the ways we learn as a species ... we try something it doesn't work out (whether it's physical or emotional pain that the failure caused it matters not) and we "adapt" our ways and try again.
Life on this planet itself has only evolved because things are not "perfect" and stable but always changing.
Change often time means pain but for those willing to endure it also means growth.
@@FreeStyleProjector Not all human natural suffering can or should be eliminated. Death and ageing for example- one own’s and their beloved ones’. Illness should be eradicated, but in a natural way- healthy life style, healthy diet, mental hygiene- not genetics, other technology, chemical medicines, or hallucinogenic substances. The social illness… I have made my position clear, I hope.
People learn very well without suffering. Effort? Of course. But it’s one thing to experience muscular pain after healthy exercise or after you have helped your neighbour to carry their shopping bags and another thing to experience back pain because somebody beat you with a stick. You must inspire people. I have seen it done. It does work. But you have to care and to be a skilled pedagogue.
I don’t know if you have children, but with your mentality I have reservations that you are a proper parent. Also, people who think like you should not be allowed in any position of authority. If you’re inclined to be masochistic, it’s terrible, but it’s your choice to be respected IF it doesn’t cause harm to others. You have no right to impose your worldview which is detrimental, on others or cause them harm in any way. I would not hesitate for a second to remove you from such position and remove the children or adults in your physical or symbolic care. You don’t know me 😄 but I assure you that I would (or die trying). I did remove abused children from their caregivers and I did raise hell for those who failed their duty of care. I will never hesitate to do it again and again and again, regardless of who is the abuser.
One of the few authors I read as a student in the sixties that I thought was beyond brilliant. Did it make me successful? Nope but kept me alive- Brilliant man.
I am young in my twenties,but this book is helping me alot from coping negative thoughts to improving success and happiness!
@@vivekvare9603 That's so cool- Best to your journey!
Nah don’t say that
The fact you’re alive, you have your sound mind and 5 senses as well as able bodied
YOU ARE SUCCESSFUL!!!
You might not have as much trivial, quantifiable successes as you wanted to , but you have the greatest of all, you're alive, nobody gets to achieve that, it's not quantifiable, and therefore not trivial, but rather the greatest success of all, it's for you to decide what to do with it, it's the best thing to do something with, and the best things are only done with it, so it's the main thing
The kind of in-depth interview we rarely see on TV anymore, in which the interviewer allows the guest to make his point, with little interruption. This is a treasure. Thank you for posting.
And thats why Podcasts are killing News & Talk Radio
Amazing to see him speak...what a remarkable human being!
Agreed, how does the interviewer not get him,
Without meaning people cannot engage in life
We as humans are all remarkable, but some of us forget that, which we see in their behaviours sadly 🙏🏽
So incredibly smart to NOT give a pill & let the man process his feelings! Very smart!
So excellent! Appropriate now April 2020. Truth is always truth. 😇
PhaQue
But what true are you speaking of the big lie truth known as alternative facts? Or truth from the actual media that we see in the news live
@@jasonbossert8821 go to sleep
@@themandalorian7352 fU
Great summary at 12:14. “We can not find our identity except by devoting, committing, ourself to something or someone. We can not struggle for self-actualization except through ...devoting ourselves to the cause ...not by direct intention (attention?) to ourselves.”
Summary: You find your meaning when you commit yourself to a person (someone you love) or to a cause; not when you direct attention to yourself (do not be too self-absorbed). But this can lead you to become a “doormat”; you can be taken advantage of; you can become a workaholic; etc.
After many years of helping others in my community, One can have a kind of burn-out: alone, single (no spouse/partner because one didn’t make time for personal relationships), no children, no immediate family members. So, although it is great to commit yourself to a loved one (I guess one’s spouse or one’s child) or a cause, there must be some boundaries or limits. Unless that person you commit to is your spouse, you could end up alone (if your child eventually leaves you). Committing to a cause wholeheartedly could lead to burn-out. And one doesn’t get those years back; time you commit to a cause is time not spent with your spouse or your children. You can commit to a cause to such an extent that you don’t even have a spouse/partner and, therefore, don’t even have children.
I think there must be a balance. One must take care of one’s own needs and think about oneself, as well. How to reach that balance? How to realize that a certain moment I should help others or whether, at that moment, I am being taken advantage of and that I should protect myself and look to my own needs?
I totally agree. I endured both a toxic workplace and a toxic marriage and it left me a hollow shell. Sadly, I really dont think frankl is right about having to find meaning in a cause or a person. I have had both, but it didn't give me enough. Now I have neither and have no meaning whatsoever and with no way to obtain any, since I already know that causes and people don't do it for me.
@@someonesomeone25 thank you
You confuse finding meaning with co-dependance and giving up oneself. He doesn't suggest the latter. With meaning comes great empowerment.
I feel that Frankl wasn't wanting us to be obsessive or codependent although this could happen. I believe having a healthy devotion to that assigned meaning is how I interpret his Logotherapy. I think his attitude in a concentration camp speaks volumes. We can survive anything and possibly thrive if we stay on that path despite all the pitfalls. Attitude is everything...very compelling.
I'd say, listen to yourself, mostly to your own resentment. It is an excelent and natural internal signal for when you're taking care more for others than your own self. My two cents, cheers!
What a fantastic Human being was Dr. Viktor Frankl.. and a memorable interview.. Fantastic!!
Just reading his book for the first time. And it helped not to get depressed after giving birth to a baby which is such a positive thing in itself but it is similar to the state when you are finally liberated from pain of carrying and delivery but you realise that a hard work is still to be done, no time to relax
??? Why have a baby if you think of it as a burden ? I was thrilled to take care of my babies even when they were newborns and I was up every few hours at night feeding them. I loved them so much it was ok with me.
@@angelwings7930 Just want to say there's a subspecialty of psychiatry called perinatal psychiatry for a reason. It's not that they're bad mothers, but if I'm not mistaken the surge of hormones can play tricks on the mind
In going through an existential crisis, and Viktor Frankl's book has been helping me greatly
Look how close they sit in this sharing of such valuable knowledge..NO FEAR..
Yes, man continues to reach out for meaning. Without meaning & purpose we die alive. "Survival for what?" Frankl states. He gives a profound understanding of our purpose here & meaning through suffering
This is wonderful and very useful to hear the doctor speak directly instead of someone else’s interpretation. Thanks for uploading!
Frankl was a true saviour. His message is alive unique and VERY demanding. Possibly the only valid explanation of human 'humaness'. See how involved the interviewer became.
Rabbi, I am very interested in hearing your thoughts on meaning and action. What do you think of Masada in the context of Isaiah 59:17?
It's not about sacrifice, above all not. It is about owning one's creation of one'S life, and the 100% responsability that is the definition of freedom in action....
Thank you for uploading this interview!
Ironic: I read his book, MAN'S SEARCH FOR MEANING 30+ years ago when I was a student. And recently I found it in box full of old books. I recall that he was a survivor of a Nazi concentration camp.
You might not have the power to change circumstances, but you may be able to find various ways of re-framing the situation. Right now during quarantine, people have the time to clean out drawers and closets. Trash nights around here are great for the scavenger types!
PhaQue
Excellent interview with Victor Frankel.
Ouote: It is through the idealism of youth that man catches sight of truth, and in that idealism, he possesses a wealth which he must never exchange for anything else.
Albert Schweitzer
thx for the upload!
Excellent interview.
Thank you. I’ll have to read Man’s search for meaning.
Excellent interviewer-clarifying and summarizing.
To be or not to be,
To sleep per chance to dream,
Weather it's nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to take up arms against a sea of troubles.
This is Victor 's premise
awesome...
He reminds me so much of my grandfather, born 1901, who went to school in Vienna, studied at three places and endet up to become a pharmacist. Definitely also an interesting character, who had to go through a lot of suffering in his life. But very difficult to tell as his grandson, what’s the meaning of all that 🤔
PhaQue
Possibly the Best podcast I’ve ever listened to. Tremendous!
Thanks.
❤️❤️❤️❤️ This man
Meaning matters only to those that believe it will to something better .
Better is good ,,,, but Being is better than better.
This kind of deep introspection and examining the human condition remind me of presidential debates where the candidates discuss the best policies for moving humanity forward.
When did you ever see a presidential debate like that?
@@Grimenoughtomaketherobotcry I couldn’t have been more sarcastic. (Could I have?)
Amen to that brother...
He meant to survive the camps to come out and write a book for how to survive life! His book is my new Torah, Bible and Quran!
Remarkable.
He says - not reducing the pain but to endure it for the meaning we have (when we realize that). @4.50 min. Right on...In case of Buddhism, the pain/suffering is tied to ego, this no ego is the "meaning' for the sake of awakening. Yet it is actually not for the sake of it. It is just to follow the laws of nature - which is the meaning in case of Buddha's teaching. So, I think.... Any comment?
Its almost like he saw 2020 coming
he survived the worst incarceration possible
@@rosemma34Yes. incarceration, slavery, and abuse :(
Where is the end? I would love to watch it
Sure, meaning gets you through things… but it remains a construct of your mind.
Peter F as long as one has it.
Or is it something real, that we can only know in limited form through representation in our mind? And if there is no meaning but the meaning we generate for ourselves, then do we not have extreme creative power?
@@elibain250
It’s indeed an immense creative power. The individual mind produces meaning and/or subscribes to a meaning present in his culture. And it will help him/her experience and organize his/her reality (which to an extent is also the product of the mind).
Still it remains a construct that is meant to serve the individual (or a group of individuals sharing the same reality). So, on a practical level Frankl is right. In his case, finding a powerful meaning, helped him survive the holocaust. But his guards and torturers also had a powerful meaning to do what they did. Leonard Cohen sings beautifully about this in his song Puppets.
What does he mean by “unnecessary suffering” at 9:41? I could not catch his words there at about 9:40. This statement starts at 9:33 with “The fact that even suffering may have a meaning. Of course, no suffering which (take/fate chose it in a matter of an artistic way)...unnecessary suffering.” The words I put in brackets are those words which I could not really catch/hear exactly. That is why I do not understand this section of the interview. I would appreciate any help you could give, thanks.
Jango “masochistic “
aba g oh, that makes sense. Thanks very much
EVERY ONE SHOULD READ THIS BOOK .... PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD AND THE BOOK :...
Yes we cannot justify how important this book is for mankind
Logo therapy works!
MEANING the beginning, the middle the continuum
Now thats am applause..
Dumbfounded:
Frankl’s promotional book tour for “Man’s Search for Meaning”.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🙏🏾🙏🏼
Earth is our home
Truth by any other proceas.
Is the interviewer Rev. Otis Maxyfield, senior Minister, of First Community Church in Columbus, Ohio?
good
Regarding the old doctor, what if they had both died together or within a very small timeframe of each other? Why does it have to be one or the other waiting and lingering on (and suffering) for ages after the other goes? I'd still be mad at God for that as one person loses no matter what and I'm not sure there's a question Frankl could ask me that would assuage that.
Im right it's about evolve not revolve ❤❤🎉🎉
in other words briefly glass half full
😊....
i need help understanding his argument - the gp he speaks of was still suffering in vain? his suffering wasnt 'for' his dead wife, as she was dead. maybe if his suffering allowed her to live in some way
the doctor was suffering because he lost his wife. he missed her and he was depressed and in pain. he felt guilty that he lived and she died. he probably felt... 'why her, why not me' and was stuck with this 'meaning' for the experience. Frankl got him to see that if he died had died and not the wife, that SHE would be suffering now with the loss, thus by by being the survivor, the doctor is sparing his wife the pain. In short, he gave meaning to the doctor's pain that made sense . Knowing that he's sparing his wife's pain... by living... spares his own pain because now there's a reason and purpose that he survived her. it was a relief.
All he said was- we need to find meaning in our sufferings. The doctor understood that if he would have died instead of his wife. His wife would have to suffer the exact pain he is going through.So isn't it wonderful that she being dead was saved from experiencing the pain he was suffering. This made him find meaning in his suffering. Finding meaning in our suffering makes it less painful. 🌼🙏🏻 Namaste.
@@chrislandis6873 I wish I cud date you. Finally someone understand Logotherapy in 2020. 🌼🙏🏻 Namste.
@@GBisht111 in today's world of marketing ,there are really less people who are preaching logotherapy,if anyone seeks for self help on internet,they are misguided,not even given the chance to suffer proudly
He was missing his wife,was in depression for years,he was at such a stage where we ask why me?why this pain was inflicted on me?(a general question everyone asks themselves in self loathing)so frankl asked what would have happened if you had dies first?would she be able to survive your loss?will you be happy knowing is going to miss your presence?this meaning orientation behind the pain gave him a reason to live for.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Frankl
Very Stoic…
Quarantine 2020?
This mans situation happened to me three years ago. I told her that I wished that I should be the one to go first. Not that I am a heroic type, far from it. My reasoning was that she would be more of a benefit to the family than me. I might say that she was a widow with two children ages 7 and 9 when we got married. There are now two grand kids and we chose not to have any kids of our own. In the end life goes on if we agree with it or not.
Seems like so much of this philosophy and others is needlessly complex. The basic facts of life are that it’s difficult and at times painful. If we have a story to tell ourselves about why we suffer and it seems to be a good enough reason then we can bear it. What is the meaning of all this suffering?
It’s wild that we have to find or make up this story for ourselves!
I guess it's typical of mass market TV, that he keeps interrupting Mr. Frankl.
What would he say to a Korean who's spouse is on the other side of the North South division?
I am stuck away from my fiance.
The interviewer should've not interrupt Frankl so much! Good interview tho!
Αγάπη, με τη χριστιανική της έννοια, που δίδει νόημα και στον πιο ανόητο βίο. Ιδού μια απάντηση εκ του προχείρου.
Nobody is able to love in that way. And Christianity is a lie.
(m no Christian, dear Anti-adore muslim art andoomed that one-however!)
Why Need be an Absolutist..?
Surely: Question..; yet to carelessly proceed answer (Via Publicus) as firmly(?) ..Inadequate and too short a Thought. (No?)
Thanking thee for the bold comment and hoping for a reply🥹 for myself an impossible exerciser.
Meaning can have negative effects, too. Think of all the MAGA’s. Our social impulses have negative consequences, too - tribalism. Personally, I think status is a key driver of human actions. No easy way forward.
From an evolutionary biologist’s standpoint, I don’t think his argument holds water. The Meaning is to survive and thrive, as it is for all creatures, why should it be different for humans?
Because humans are the only animal that has to grapple with those thoughts. Every animal has differences from one and another and humans needing deeper meaning to thrive in the complex society it has built up is one of those differences
Wow could the subtitles be any more wrong. If you have dodgy hearing, worth perservering over the audio to figure out the beauty of what is being said! Google AI is clearly very very far from a capable tool!
Read Lovecraft. These guys are like playing. Having lived 65 years I can say life is a joke. So many dead, so many meaningless lives, so much suffering. The survivors feel a need to find some meaning in this, it doesn't exist, you're just lucky. It could've been them, it could've been you. As I get older I get more religious, not because I believe in an all encompassing compassionate God, but because I believe in fate. The best we can hope for is some sort of good end, and by that I don't mean a good death, but that we leave those left after the means to carry on, at least for a few years, until their own death. If everyone I've known, the SO, and the dogs, don't suffer too much, I will be happy. After that, it's someone else's responsibility.,
Well said and I agree 100 % !! I'm 67 and have come to basically the same conclusion. I've always chanced giving more of myself in everything and live a life of honesty by words and example towards people that are worth it, the animals and the environment. That's a great part of my legacy.
I'm curious...what's SO ?
@@karenryan78 Significant Other
I'd love to hear long speeches by Frankl, uninterrupted, so he can flesh out his thoughts.
(I find this particular interviewer particularly obnoxious...)
Well... honestly Water is water and fire is fire, but fire is not water so.... there's meaning to fire not being water...and so... I have meaning. I have a meaning in life, and this comment has a meaning. This comment's meaning is to entice you with nonsense and brag my nonsense to you guys. I am literally awake at 1:31am trying to write a report on trauma counselling lol.
How could you not mention Jung who has towered over all the others?
PhaQue
Perhaps he's not relevant to Frankl's theories
PhaQue ALL
Nietzsche said it first.
Frankl said it with the authority of direct experience
There is a long line of philosophy and theology with related principles, including the Stoics. These are ideas that can and should be developed in every age, but tailored to the facts and demands of the particular age.
What did Einstein say? I still don't see how you find meaning in life if you've lost everything that means something to you. I guess I'm a slow study!
..maybe then still one may hold onto oneself, somewhere within ..there, ‘meant’ find a final remainder-Significance.
Hard times shaped this man to speak in a meaningful way
Now we have she he them dogs cats and other crap with no meaning
Easy times make confused people
I will die of absurdism.
What a guy what part of Scotland did he come from..why do I do what I do why I foretold my danger would come from the NHS they made it so easy to recognise the 3rd rate psychopath and still put my arm out why do I harm myself in many ways thanks to 3 years plus of using yous as therapy I know ,costly just a little 😮 it would tell yous the secrets of the world but that to personal,I hope I helped yous sharpen your use of the technology and all those resources after al what good is it all if don't have a target a fox to chase ..trade of
He just repeats the words of Nietzsche.
Such as?
That interviewer is awful 🙈
Frankl’s teachings that man needs meaning in something greater than himself is genius. This principle was taught almost 2,000 years earlier by Jesus of Nazareth.
@therusfosterso
BLESS YOU
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
this teaching is the foundation of Sanatan Dharma, which Jesus learnt and propagated.
@izzycrux48
How do you spell 'ignorance'?
Ostrich with head in ground
No offense
You find your own meaning..as you mature your goals become different.
It’s actually way before that. It’s a Torah principle that the very fact that we are created is proof that G-d wants us to partner with Him in making this world a place that He can feel comfortable dwelling with us. That is accomplished by fulfilling the commandments for all of humanity called The 7 Noahide Laws that G-d gave through Moses and the Jewish people on Mount Sinai. The 613 commandments He gave to the Jewsish people also contain those 7 laws. Each human being doing their particular commandments and more good deeds is what makes this world into a better place and helps
G-d to feel comfortable here. That is the ultimate purpose of man.