Essay Questions

What is Logotherapy?

Logotherapy was invented by the author of Man's Search for Meaning, neurologist and psychiatrist Viktor Frankl during and after his time in Auschwitz. He drew on his experiences throughout his life and in Auschwitz to create Logotherapy, which supposes that an individuals primary "motivational source" is to find "meaning" in their life.

There are three main principles of Logotherapy (as dictated by Frankl):

• "Life has meaning under all circumstances, even the most miserable ones."
• "Our main motivation for living is our will to find meaning in life."
• "We have freedom to find meaning in what we do, and what we experience, or at least in the stance we take when faced with a situation of unchangeable suffering."

Although not as popular as other forms of therapy, Logotherapy is no doubt a powerful tool. Frankl himself used it to survive his experiences in Auschwitz (as did others around him).

How could Frankl say that there were "good Nazis?"

To most, the terms "good Nazi" is oxymoronic. To Frankl, however, the term "decent Nazi" is not.

Frankl theorized that there are only two types of people in the world: "decent" and "indecent" men. Just as there were good prisoners and bad prisoners, he said (the Kapo -- indecent men -- were Jewish prisoners who acted despicably for their own personal interests), there were decent and indecent Nazis. Some Nazis treated prisoners with as much respect and kindness as they could given the circumstances; other Nazis went out of their way to be inhumane and cruel.