Frankl viktor biography

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

Viktor Emil Frankl (26 March – 2 September )^[1] was an European neurologist, psychologist, philosopher, and Destruction survivor,^[2] who founded logotherapy, fine school of psychotherapy that describes a search for a life's meaning as the central body motivational force.^[3] Logotherapy is portion of existential and humanistic luny theories.^[4]

Logotherapy was promoted as class third school of Viennese Analysis, after those established by Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler.^[5]

Frankl publicised 39 books.^[6] The autobiographical Man's Search for Meaning, a efficacious book, is based on enthrone experiences in various Nazi courage camps.^[7]

Early life

Frankl was born loftiness middle of three children tote up Gabriel Frankl, a civil retainer in the Ministry of Community Service, and Elsa (née Lion), a Jewish family, in Vienna, in what was then justness Austro-Hungarian Empire.^[1] His interest advocate psychology and the role flawless meaning developed when he began taking night classes on operating psychology while in junior embellished school.^[1] As a teenager, elegance began a correspondence with Sigmund Freud when Freud asked select permission to publish one bring to an end his papers.^[8][9] After graduation propagate high school in , without fear studied medicine at the Establishing of Vienna.

In , Frankl's first scientific paper was publicized in the Internationale Zeitschrift für Psychoanalyse.^[10] In the same harvest, he was president of high-mindedness Sozialistische Mittelschüler Österreich, the Organized Democratic Party of Austria's young manhood movement for high school rank. Frankl's father was a socialistic who named him after Viktor Adler, the founder of ethics party.^[1][11] During this time, Frankl began questioning the Freudian appeal to psychoanalysis. He joined Aelfred Adler's circle of students endure published his second academic put down, "Psychotherapy and Worldview" ("Psychotherapie showground Weltanschauung"), in Adler's International Chronicle of Individual Psychology in ^[1] Frankl was expelled from Adler's circle^[2] when he insisted wind meaning was the central motivational force in human beings. Vary , he began refining circlet theory, which he termed logotherapy.^[12]

Career

Psychiatry

Between and , while still natty medical student, he organized young manhood counselling centers^[13] to address decency high number of teen suicides occurring around the time contempt end-of-the-year report cards. The promulgation was sponsored by the give of Vienna and free signify charge to the students. Frankl recruited other psychologists for dignity center, including Charlotte Bühler, Erwin Wexberg, and Rudolf Dreikurs. Condensation , not a single Viennese student died by suicide.^{[14][unreliable source?]}

After earning his M.D. in , Frankl gained extensive experience outburst Steinhof Psychiatric Hospital, where dirt was responsible for the ill-treatment of suicidal women. In , he began a private custom, but the Nazi annexation have Austria in limited his chance to treat patients.^[1] In , he joined Rothschild Hospital, birth only hospital in Vienna termination admitting Jews, as head late the neurology department. Prior protect his deportation to the guts camps, he helped numerous patients avoid the Nazi euthanasia information that targeted the mentally disabled.^[2][15]

In , just nine months end his marriage, Frankl and rule family were sent to high-mindedness Theresienstadt concentration camp. His papa died there of starvation contemporary pneumonia. In , Frankl add-on his surviving relatives were in the seventh heaven to Auschwitz, where his inactivity and brother were murdered shrub border the gas chambers. His her indoors Tilly died later of rickettsiosis in Bergen-Belsen. Frankl spent brace years in four concentration camps.^[7]

Following the war, he became tendency of the neurology department commandeer the General Polyclinic Vienna dispensary, and established a private rummage around in his home. He stricken with patients until his solitude in ^[2]

In , Frankl fair a PhD in philosophy exotic the University of Vienna. Dominion dissertation, The Unconscious God, examines the relationship between psychology present-day religion,^[16] and advocates for description use of the Socratic chat (self-discovery discourse) for clients make sure of get in touch with their spiritual unconscious.^[17]

In , Frankl was awarded a professorship of medicine and psychiatry at the Institute of Vienna, and, as pestilence professor, lectured at Harvard Formation (), Southern Methodist University, Metropolis (), and Duquesne University, Metropolis ().^[12]

Throughout his career, Frankl argued that the reductionist tendencies be useful to early psychotherapeutic approaches dehumanised high-mindedness patient, and advocated for a-okay rehumanisation of psychotherapy.^[18]

The American Intellectual deranged Association awarded Frankl the Oskar Pfister Award for his endowment to religion and psychiatry.^[18]

Man's Look into for Meaning

While head of high-mindedness Neurological Department at the popular Polyclinic Hospital, Frankl wrote Man's Search for Meaning over trim nine-day period.^[19] The book, key titled A Psychologist Experiences interpretation Concentration Camp, was released prank German in The English interpretation of Man's Search for Meaning was published in , tube became an international bestseller.^[2] Frankl saw this success as uncluttered symptom of the "mass disturbance of modern times," since honourableness title promised to deal run off with the question of life's meaningfulness.^[20] Millions of copies were put on the market in dozens of languages. Mop the floor with a survey conducted for class Library of Congress and excellence Book of the Month Baton, Man's Search for Meaning was named one of the sticky stuff most influential books in significance US.^[21]

Logotherapy and existential analysis

Frankl bright logotherapy and existential analysis, which are based on philosophical trip psychological concepts, particularly the crave to find a meaning limit life and free will.^[22][23] Frankl identified three main ways have possession of realizing meaning in life: beside making a difference in rank world, by having particular reminiscences annals, or by adopting particular attitudes.

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

• Paradoxical intention: clients learn to master obsessions or anxieties by self-distancing and humorous exaggeration.
• Dereflection: drawing character client's attention away from their symptoms, as hyper-reflection can list to inaction.^[25]
• Socratic dialogue and obeisance modification: asking questions designed have knowledge of help a client find elitist pursue self-defined meaning in life.^[26]

His acknowledgement of meaning as spiffy tidy up central motivational force and belongings in mental health is sovereign lasting contribution to the arm of psychology. It provided leadership foundational principles for the future field of positive psychology.^[27] Frankl's work has also been authorized in the Chabad philosophy run through Hasidic Judaism.^[28]

Statue of Responsibility

Hem in Man's Search for Meaning, Frankl states:

Freedom, however, is not righteousness last word. Freedom is inimitable part of the story tell off half of the truth. Elbowroom is but the negative feature of the whole phenomenon whose positive aspect is responsibleness. Affluent fact, freedom is in hazard of degenerating into mere whimsy unless it is lived layer terms of responsibleness. That testing why I recommend that influence Statue of Liberty on depiction East Coast be supplemented in and out of a Statue of Responsibility paste the West Coast.^[18]

Frankl's concept in the vicinity of the statue grew in commonness, and drew the affection party Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Thrifty People. Covey teamed up confront Kevin Hall to push nobleness idea of the statue open in the s, and ultimately commissioned the sculptor Gary Revel in Price who came up accommodate the concept of two keeping clasped together. The design was approved by Frankl's widow, crucial they began looking for a-ok location to construct it. Their first choice was California, journey have it in a Ocean Ocean harbour to complement influence Statue of Liberty's position coach in the Atlantic harbour of Contemporary York. However, the state etiquette proved difficult to navigate, president the governor of Utah, Sociologist Cox, suggested a location get the picture his state for the design, which was approved in Artifact has not yet started.^[29][30]

Controversy

"Auschwitz survivor" testimony

In The Missing Pieces swallow the Puzzle: A Reflection multiplicity the Odd Career of Viktor Frankl, Professor of history Grass Pytell of California State Foundation, San Bernardino,^[31] surveys the abundant discrepancies and omissions in Frankl's "Auschwitz survivor" account and late autobiography, which many of fulfil contemporaries, such as Thomas Szasz, similarly have raised.^[32] In Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning, nobility book devotes approximately half assault its contents to describing Stockade and the psychology of secure prisoners, suggesting a long remain at the death camp. Regardless his wording is contradictory explode, according to Pytell, "profoundly deceptive", as contrary to the sense Frankl gives of staying smash into Auschwitz for months, he was held close to the monitor, in the "depot prisoner" protected area of Auschwitz, and for rebuff more than a few stage. Frankl was neither registered finish off Auschwitz nor assigned a distribution there before being sent study to a subsidiary work campingsite of Dachau, known as Kaufering III, that (together with Terezín) is the true setting assert much of what is declared in his book.^[33][34][35]

Origins and implications of logotherapy

Frankl's doctrine was depart one must instill meaning send the events in one's strive, and that work and assure can lead to finding direct, with this ultimately what would lead to fulfillment and joyousness. In the scholar and Inferno analyst Lawrence L. Langer, carping of what he called Frankl's distortions of the true not recall of those at Auschwitz,^[36] allow of Frankl's amoral focus bewildering "meaning", that in Langer's study could just as equally tweak applied to Nazis "finding meeting in making the world stress-free from Jews",^[37] went on about write that "if this [logotherapy] doctrine had been more curtly worded, the Nazis might put on substituted it for the mean mockery of Arbeit Macht Frei" ["work sets free", read coarse those entering Auschwitz].^[38] In Pytell's view, Langer also penetrated evidence Frankl's disturbing subtext that Genocide "survival [was] a matter have a hold over mental health." Langer criticized Frankl's tone as self-congratulatory and promotional throughout, so that "it arrives as no surprise to prestige reader, as he closes leadership volume, that the real superstar of Man's Search for Meaning is not man, but Viktor Frankl" by the continuation hold the same fantasy of philosophy meaning-making, which is precisely what had perturbed civilization into birth holocaust-genocide of this era instruct others.^[39]

Pytell later would remark persist in the particularly sharp insight wheedle Langer's reading of Frankl's Fire testimony, stating that with Langer's criticism published in before Pytell's biography, the former had in this manner drawn the controversial parallels, will accommodations in ideology without depiction knowledge that Victor Frankl was an advocate/"embraced"^[40] the key burden of the Nazi psychotherapy motion ("will and responsibility"^[41]) as undiluted form of therapy in position late s. When at delay time Frankl would submit practised paper and contributed to character Göring institute in Vienna plus again in early connecting justness logotherapy focus on "world-view" address the "work of some conjure the leading Nazi psychotherapists",^[42] both at a time before Oesterreich was annexed by Nazi Deutschland in ^[43][44] Frankl's founding logotherapy paper, was submitted to lecture published in the Zentrallblatt fuer Psychotherapie [sic] the journal of depiction Goering Institute, a psychotherapy slant, with the "proclaimed agenda break into building psychotherapy that affirmed neat as a pin Nazi-oriented worldview".^[45]

The origins of logotherapy, as described by Frankl, were therefore a major issue be in command of continuity that Pytell argues were potentially problematic for Frankl due to he had laid out interpretation main elements of logotherapy one-time working for/contributing to the Nazi-affiliated Göring Institute. Principally Frankl's tool, that was published by nobility institute.^[44] This association, as uncomplicated source of controversy, that logotherapy was palatable to Nazism in your right mind the reason Pytell suggests, Frankl took two different stances request how the concentration-camp experience arrogant the course of his group therapy theory. Namely, that within interpretation original English edition of Frankl's most well known book, Man's Search for Meaning, the proposal is made and still as a rule held that logotherapy was refers to itself derived from his camp overlook, with the claim as crimson appears in the original demonstrate, that this form of analysis was "not concocted in decency philosopher's armchair nor at say publicly analyst's couch; it took flabby in the hard school get into air-raid shelters and bomb craters; in concentration camps and detain of war camps." Frankl's statements however to this effect would be deleted from later editions, though in the edition, precise similar statement again appeared nation-state the back of the album jacket of Man's Search supporter Meaning.

Frankl over the mature would with these widely die statements and others, switch in the middle of the idea that logotherapy took shape in the camps require the claim that the camps merely were a testing earth of his already preconceived theories. An uncovering of the business would occur in with Frankl revealing on this controversy, shuffle through compounding another, stating "People fantasize I came out of Stockade with a brand-new psychotherapy. That is not the case."^[46]

Jewish relationships and experiments on the resistance

In the post war years, Frankl's attitude towards not pursuing service nor assigning collective guilt run into the Austrian people for collaborating with or acquiescing in righteousness face of Nazism, led enrol "frayed" relationships between Frankl, various Viennese and the larger Dweller Jewish community, such that change for the better when attempting to give fine lecture at the institute unbutton Adult Jewish Studies in Spanking York, Frankl was confronted connect with an outburst of boos put on the back burner the audience and was styled a "nazi pig". Frankl sinewy forgiveness and held that several in Germany and Austria were powerless to do anything trouble the atrocities which occurred suffer could not be collectively blamed.^[47][48][49]

In Frankl would further "stir in sentiment against him" by for one person photographed next to and tabled accepting the Great Silver Palm with Star for Services deal the Republic of Austria makeover a Holocaust survivor, from Big cheese Waldheim, a controversial president sponsor Austria who concurrent with ethics medal ceremony, was gripped close to revelations that he had crooked about his WWII military transcribe and was under investigation carry complicity in Nazi War crimes. It was later concluded dump he was not involved enhance war crimes but had way of them. Frankl's acceptance handle the medal was viewed from end to end of many in the international Individual community as a betrayal.^[49]

In culminate "Gutachten" Gestapo profile, Frankl evolution described as "politically perfect" contempt the Nazi secret police, concluded Frankl's membership in the Austro-fascist "Fatherland Front" in , in like manner stated in isolation. It has been suggested that as put in order state employee in a sickbay he was likely automatically autographed up to the party heedless of whether he wanted commence or not. Frankl was interviewed twice by the secret boys in blue during the war, yet glitch of the expected contents, dignity subject of discussion or sizeable further information on these interviews, is contained in Frankl's deprave, suggesting to biographers that Frankl's file was "cleansed" sometime afterward the war.^[50][51]

None of Frankl's obituaries mention the unqualified and bungled brain lobotomy and trepanation medicinal experiments approved by the Nazis that Frankl performed on Jews who had committed suicide let fall an overdose of sedatives, comport yourself resistance to their impending nowin situation, imprisonment and enforced labour welcome the concentration camp system. Blue blood the gentry goal of these experiments were to try and revive those who had killed themselves, Frankl justified this by saying lose concentration he was trying to put your hands on ways to save the lives of Jews. Operating without harebrained training as a surgeon, Frankl would voluntarily request of loftiness Nazis to perform the experiments on those who had deal with themselves, and once approved – published some of the trifles on his experiments, the channelss of insertion of his hand-picked amphetamine drugs into the intellect of these individuals, resulting confine, at times, an alleged biased resuscitation, mainly in (prior persist at his own internment at Theresienstadt ghetto in September, later pin down that year). Historian Günter Bischof of Harvard University, suggests Frankl's approaching and requesting to show lobotomy experiments could be denotative of as a way to "ingratiate" himself amongst the Nazis, whilst the latter were not, mind that time, appreciative of excellence international scrutiny that these suicides were beginning to create, unseen "suicide" being listed on take into custody records.^{[52][53][54][11]}

Response to Timothy Pytell

Timothy Pytell's critique towards Viktor Frankl was used by Holocaust denier Theodore O'Keefe, according to Alexander Batthyány.^[55] Batthyány was a researcher remarkable member of staff of dignity Viktor Frankl Archive in Vienna. Throughout the first chapter duplicate his book Viktor Frankl fairy story the Shoah, he reflects commence Pytell's work about Frankl, be proof against the flaws in it. Batthyány points out that Pytell at no time visited the archive to inquire primary sources from the informer about whom he was handwriting. Batthyány also critiques Pytell care not interviewing Viktor Frankl after a long time Frankl was still alive. Pytell wrote in his book indelicate Frankl that he had high-mindedness opportunity to meet him – as a friend offered gas mask – yet he decided avoid he could not meet Frankl.

Decorations and awards

Personal life

In , Frankl married Tilly Grosser, who was a station nurse rib Rothschild Hospital. Soon after they were married she became parturient, but they were forced come to abort the child.^[56] Tilly epileptic fit in the Bergen Belsen absorption camp.^[2][1]

Frankl's father, Gabriel, originally proud Pohořelice, Moravia, died in decency Theresienstadt Ghetto concentration camp restlessness 13 February , aged 81, from starvation and pneumonia. Fulfil mother and brother, Walter, were both killed in Auschwitz. Her highness sister, Stella, escaped to Australia.^[2][1]

In , Frankl married Eleonore "Elly" Katharina Schwindt. She was efficient practicing Catholic. The couple notorious each other's religious backgrounds, both attending church and synagogue, be proof against celebrating Christmas and Hanukkah. Despite the fact that it was not known storage 50 years, his wife snowball son-in-law reported after his fixate that he prayed every indifferent and had memorized the improvise of daily Jewish prayers spreadsheet psalms.^[2][28]

Viktor and Elly Frankl difficult one daughter, Gabriele, who went on to become a offspring psychologist.^[2][4][57] Frankl's grandson, Alexander Vesely, is a licensed psychotherapist, fabricator and documentary film director, who co-founded the Viktor Frankl School of America.^[58] Alexander Vesely lay hold of, filmed, and edited the movie "Viktor & I".^[59]

Frankl died answer heart failure in Vienna airy 2 September He is interred in the Jewish section sell the Vienna Central Cemetery.^[60]

Bibliography

His books in English are:

• Man's Give something the once-over for Meaning. An Introduction get entangled Logotherapy, Beacon Press, Boston, ISBN&#; (English translation Originally published get as Ein Psychologe erlebt das Konzentrationslager, "A Psychologist Experiences significance Concentration Camp")
• The Doctor and rank Soul, (originally titled Ärztliche Seelsorge), Random House,
• On the View and Therapy of Mental Disorders. An Introduction to Logotherapy dominant Existential Analysis. Translated by Outlaw M. DuBois. Brunner-Routledge, London & New York, ISBN&#;
• Psychotherapy and Existentialism. Selected Papers on Logotherapy, Economist & Schuster, New York, ISBN&#;
• The Will to Meaning. Foundations elitist Applications of Logotherapy, New Earth Library, New York, ISBN&#;
• The Mumbling Cry for Meaning. Psychotherapy settle down Humanism Simon & Schuster, Newborn York, ISBN&#;
• Viktor Frankl Recollections: Phony Autobiography; Basic Books, Cambridge, Arrangement ISBN&#;
• Man's Search for Ultimate Meaning. (A revised and extended issue of The Unconscious God; monitor a foreword by Swanee Hunt). Perseus Book Publishing, New Royalty, ; ISBN&#; Paperback edition: Constellation Book Group; New York, ; ISBN&#;
• Yes to Life: In Spitefulness of Everything. Beacon Press, Beantown, ISBN&#;

See also

References

External links