Seven Lessons from Viktor Frankl on Finding Contentment and Meaning
- personal995
- Jul 12, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 2, 2025
Viktor Frankl, a renowned Austrian psychiatrist and neurologist, is best known for his groundbreaking work in existential psychology and his development of logotherapy. Born on March 26, 1905, in Vienna, Austria, Frankl pursued an early interest in psychology, eventually earning a doctorate in medicine from the University of Vienna. His early career was marked by significant contributions to psychiatry, particularly his work on suicide prevention.
Frankl's life took a dramatic turn during World War II when he, along with his family, was deported to Nazi concentration camps. Despite the unimaginable suffering and loss he endured, Frankl's experiences during the Holocaust profoundly shaped his understanding of human resilience and the search for meaning.
In his seminal work, Man's Search for Meaning, Frankl chronicles his harrowing experiences in the camps and introduces his existential approach to therapy, known as logotherapy. Central to this philosophy is the idea that life's primary drive is not pleasure, as Freud suggested, or power, as Adler proposed, but the pursuit of meaning. Frankl posited that even in the most horrific circumstances, individuals can find meaning through love, work, and courage in the face of suffering.
1. Finding Meaning in Suffering
Frankl argues that even in the direst circumstances, we can find meaning. He believes that suffering is an inevitable part of life, and how we choose to respond to it defines our character and our purpose.
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”
Viktor Frankl
2. The Power of Choice
Frankl emphasizes that between stimulus and response, there is a space where we have the power to choose our reaction. This ability to choose our attitude in any given set of circumstances is a fundamental aspect of human freedom.
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
Viktor Frankl
3. Purpose and Meaning
Frankl posits that life is primarily about finding meaning, and this meaning can be discovered in three ways: through work, through love, and through suffering.
“Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose.”
Viktor Frankl
4. Transcendence through Self-Transcendence
Frankl believes that true happiness is found when we transcend our own self-interests and dedicate ourselves to a cause greater than ourselves or to the service of others.
“For the meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to day and from hour to hour. What matters, therefore, is not the meaning of life in general but rather the specific meaning of a person's life at a given moment.”
Viktor Frankl
5. Responsibility to Life
Frankl suggests that we should live as if we were living a second time and had acted wrongly the first time. This mindset encourages us to act with greater intention and responsibility.
“Live as if you were living for the second time and had acted as wrongly the first time as you are about to act now.”
Viktor Frankl
6. The Importance of Goals
Setting and pursuing meaningful goals is crucial for a fulfilling life. These goals give us something to strive towards and help us navigate through life’s challenges.
“Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life; everyone must carry out a concrete assignment that demands fulfillment. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated. Thus, everyone’s task is as unique as his specific opportunity to implement it.”
Viktor Frankl
7. Attitude in Adversity
Frankl’s experiences in concentration camps taught him that while we cannot avoid suffering, we can choose our attitude towards it. When encountering setbacks or adversity, consciously choose a positive or resilient mindset. Focus on what you can control and let go of what you cannot.
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
Viktor Frankl
Incorporating these principles from Viktor Frankl into daily life can help cultivate a sense of meaning, purpose, and contentment, even in the face of challenges.
Further reading:
Man's Search for Meaning (Library: Biography)
Energy Management (Health)
Emotions (Potential)
Self (Relationships)
Detachment (Meaning)
