RECENSIÓNS LITERARIAS INGLÉS

CARMEN FERNÁNDEZ BELTRÁN – C1.2

 “MAN’S SEARCH FOR A MEANING”

I have chosen this outstanding book since many years ago it was recommended to me and it had an important impact on my attitude towards life. It is a mixture of a real- life book and a psychological essay written in 1946 by its own protagonist, the neurologist, psychiatric and philosopher Viktor E. Frankl. He was an Austrian doctor survivor of Auschwitz.

He reported his moving experiences as a prisoner during the World War II in Auschwitz concentration camp, describing his psychotherapeutic method, which involved identifying a purpose in life to feel positive about.

The book was initially released in German and it is divided in two parts. The first one constitutes Frankl analysis of his mesmerising experience in concentration camps, while part two introduces his ideas of meaning of life and his theory called Logotherapy.

According to Frankl, positive attitude is essential to survive. During his confinement in the camps, he interviewed his fellows to carry out his impressive studies. Through this research he identifies three psychological reactions experienced by all inmates to one degree to another: 1- a shock during the initial admission, 2- apathy after becoming accustomed to camp existence and, 3- depersonalization, bitterness, and disillusionment if he survives and is liberated. He concluded that “the inner hold a prisoner has on his spiritual self relies on having a hope in the future, and that once a prisoner loses his hope, he is doomed”.

I do not want to conclude without expressing what captivatesme the most about the work of Frankl. He believes that while man is certainly capable of doing evil, no individual human must be evil. Every human has the capability to change his behaviour and attitude in every possible situation.