Viktor Frankl on Meaning Meaninglessness is the central problem of the modern world We can’t find meaning in our lives and so we respond with depression, aggression, and addiction Meaning can never be found in self-focus and self-centeredness Meaning can only be found in Self-Trascendence

The Existential Vacuum

Classic Psychological Theories The Theories that Frankl Criticizes all depict human nature as self-focused and self-fixated.

Classic Theories Freud – We seek pleasure and only the gratification of pleasure can truly make us happy and fulfilled Adler- We seek self-esteem/power and on it can fulfill us Frankl- We seek neither power or pleasure primarily (although we do seek these things); rather, we seek meaning above all else. And Meaning cannot be found in self-focus but only in looking out beyond oneself

Frankl thinks that human nature can only be fulfilled by Self-Transcendence 1. Creating a work or doing a deed 2. Loving someone or serving a cause 3. Having the right attitude toward inevitable suffering

The Paradox of Intentionality When we consciously strive to achieve something we usually cannot achieve Only when we stop trying to achieve it can it then come to us “Happiness cannot be pursued it must ensue,” & “the cue to cure lies in finding oneself by forgetting oneself.” ~ Viktor Frankl