![[Book Review] Man’s Search for Meaning – Part II](https://anazarb.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/a-mans-search-for-meaning-e1569846004399.jpg)
by Ana Zarb | Feb 8, 2019 | Reviews
In the last part of this review I talked about the first section of Frankl’s book, A Man’s Search for Meaning, in which he describes the mechanisms used by the imprisoned men in the concentration camps to try to survive and overcome that situation. It is a pretty powerful story I think must be read in full.
In this post, I would like to take up on the second part of the book where he describes with some more detail how does the logotherapy works, using examples of his real-life patients to explicit some of the concepts.
I will focus on 3 main concepts which contextualize the primary field of work of logotherapy and that really gave me so many insights about life and society in general: the Noö-dynamics, the Noögenic neuroses and the existential vacuum.
Logotherapy tries to take a look into the future and find meanings to be fulfilled as this is man’s primary motivation in life, according to Frankl. Theses meanings are different for each person and therefore can only be fulfilled by him or her.
The process of finding meaning is not simple and does not come as natural for some people and can cause, what the author calls, an existential frustration. Basically, it is a type of existential anguish where the individual is frustrated due to the confusion in the seeking/discovering of the meaning of his/her life.
“Existential frustration is in itself neither pathological nor pathogenic. A man’s concern, even his despair, over the worthwhileness of life is an existential distress but by no means a mental disease.”
In fact, having some amount of conflict and frustration is not only normal but also healthy. This state is what Frankl describes as the Noö-dynamics, where the individual fluctuates between two sides of a spectrum: whether being in extreme existential conflict and having no conflict at all.
“I consider it a dangerous misconception of mental hygiene to assume that what man needs in the first place is equilibrium or, as it is called in biology, “homeostasis,” i.e., a tensionless state. What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for a worthwhile goal, a freely chosen task. […] What he needs is not the discharge of tension at any cost but the call of a potential meaning waiting to be fulfilled by him.”
The existential frustration can, however, in some cases, turn into a neurotic situation, more specifically a Noögenic kind of neurosis.
“In contrast to neuroses in the traditional sense of the word, i.e., psychogenic neuroses, Noögenic neuroses have their origin not in the psychological but rather in the “noölogical” (from the Greek noös meaning mind) dimension of human existence. […] Noögenic neuroses do not emerge from conflicts between drives and instincts but rather from existential problems. Among such problems, the frustration of the will to meaning plays a large role.”
Other than some kind of neurosis, Frankl argues that those who do not have a meaning to fulfill may find themselves in an existential vacuum, which reveal itself in a state of boredom.
“That feeling of which so many patients complain today, namely, the feeling of the total and ultimate meaninglessness of their lives. They lack the awareness of a meaning worth living for. They are haunted by the experience of their inner emptiness, a void within themselves.”
According to him, this feeling of existential vacuum is worsening due to the progression of automation. It basically means that technology advance increased its participation and importance in our lives but in order to do that it had to replace humans who used to perform their activity in the first place.
The humans were then offered more time. However, if they don’t know what to do with this “free-time”, they can find themselves feeling a little empty which can then turn into a more dangerous scenario.
“The pity of it is that many of these [average workers] will not know what to do with all their newly acquired free time. […] Not a few cases of suicide can be traced back to this existential vacuum. Such widespread phenomena as depression, aggression and addiction are not understandable unless we recognize the existential vacuum underlying them. This is also true of the crises of pensioners and aging people.”
Existential vacuum can also create other worrying consequences which are detailed in the book. Overall, I find it relevant to discuss these ideas because they are all part of the human experience and it is one to be lived and shared with others.
For me, these three concepts of the logotherapy were very perceptible in the 20th century and they seem to be even more apparent in our post-modern society. Where everything is so fluid and nothing is what is it is, everything can change their meaning in a blink of an eye.
In a way, this new world makes creating roots way harder and, therefore, trusting the meanings you are supposed to fulfill a much more difficult action. Frankl points out that for those who don’t have religious/spiritual beliefs, for instance, it becomes yet harder because they have to find their meaning by themselves.
It is important to reiterate that the fact that people find it hard sometimes to discover their purposes does not necessarily mean they have a mental condition, but the opposite that they are healthy, and they are human.
The book is much richer than what is portrayed in this brief review and there are some many other concepts I didn’t mention. It is a type of book that each page brings many ideas and ‘a-ha’ moments. I definitely recommend it to every single soul. It’s a 9/10 kind of book. And if you read it let me know your thoughts.
I will write yet another article about other ideas I got/learned/reaffirmed from this book and it was actually the reason I wanted to talk about this book in the first place.
At last, I would like to disclaim that I am not a psychiatrist/psychologist/doctor and I could have interpreted some of the concepts in the wrong way. Also, these articles should not by any means work as a diagnosis. If you need help, seek a professional. Be safe!
![[Book review] A Man’s Search for Meaning – Part I](https://anazarb.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/adult-art-backlit-316681-1080x675.jpg)
by Ana Zarb | Jan 28, 2019 | Reviews
A Man’s Search for Meaning was one of those books I discovered out of pure luck as I talked about on my
Instagram account. I had a written quote from the author, Viktor E. Frankl, in an old notebook of mine and one day I decided to investigate it. Good thing I did.
Turns out Frankl was an Austrian-Jewish neurologist and psychiatrist from the 20th century who was taught by the likes of Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler. One of his biggest accomplishments career-wise was being the father of the psychotherapy school called logotherapy.
Although less popular than Freud’s psychoanalysis and Adler’s individual psychology, his method was considered one of the most influential forms of existential analysis of his time and is still until today.
In life, though, he achieved a much bigger deed: surviving three holocaust concentration camps. In fact, his study was refined during the years in the camps by observing himself and the other imprisoned men. After the liberation, he returned to the practice of medicine and the treatment of patients and, at last, he writes a piece about all his learnings.
Young Frankl in 1945
The book is divided in two parts. In the first one Frankl talks about his experiences from the camp in a quite objective way. Well, as objective as he could be all facts considered. The second part was added in the latest editions and is where he explains the concepts involved in the logotherapy analysis process. For me, both parts are captivating for different reasons. The second one, however, brought me some real life insights and has changed my way of thinking and living.
The descriptions of the camp life, in part one of the book, are pretty intense and shocking. Of course, much has already been said, written, filmed and documented about this time in history, but one can’t avoid being impressed by the new perspectives brought by such powerful testimonies.
“Those who have not gone through a similar experience can hardly conceive of the soul-destroying mental conflict and clashes of will power which a famished man experiences.”
Hunger, diseases, poor hygiene and living conditions were not the only issues, when you considerer the dreadful mind games played by the nazi guards which led to mental exhaustion and a constant state of hopelessness.
Despite all horrors inflicted upon, some men found an inner strength to keep surviving. Many of them concentrated their efforts in the hope of being reunited to their loved ones. Others, in the potential life post-camp; some recurred to humor or religion.
Whichever the strategy was, as long as one found a reason, a meaning for that situation one could at least try not giving up. As he quotes Nietzsche on this: “He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how”.
Frankl then explains how we should find the meaning in everything in life, especially in suffering as it has a great potential to take us to a higher spiritual and mental levels. And that is basically the main argument of logotherapy: the search for meaning.
“The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross, gives him ample opportunity—even under the most difficult circumstances—to add a deeper meaning to his life.”
In this sense, human beings always have a choice to try to learn, grow and find meaning in every situation as we can always choose how to act despite all actions taken around us, for example: an imprisoned man could choose to be selfless and kind in the midst of the horror of the camps.
“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.”
And as we have a choice, we also have a responsibility.
“Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual. These tasks, and therefore the meaning of life, differ from man to man, and from moment to moment.”
.
.
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TO BE CONTINUED
by Ana Zarb | Jan 20, 2019 | Português
Mas espera aí… vocês estavam brigando?
Olha, para falar a verdade, sim. Em 2016, eu cheguei a pensar em sair de todas as redes sociais porque, na minha opinião, elas eram mais prejudiciais do que benéficas. E não, eu nunca fui o que se chamaria de “garota popular do Instagram” ou que qualquer outra rede, também nunca sofri com o uso desses aplicativos e, para ser honesta, sempre tive experiências positivas com todas as mídias que eu me envolvi. Mas, de alguma forma, eu comecei a acreditar que o mundo das selfies utilizava muito do meu tempo, era superficial e estressante.
Na época, eu estava escrevendo meu trabalho de conclusão de curso e lendo muitos artigos sobre comunicação e sociologia. Um em particular chamou muito minha atenção. Ele foi escrito por um dos meus professores de faculdade, o professor Luiz Martino, O artigo se chama “A atualidade mediática: o conceito e suas dimensões”, no qual ele define o conceito de atualidade mediática. Basicamente, se trata de uma esfera de acontecimentos sociais em que nós apenas consideramos um evento como algo que de fato aconteceu se ele tiver sido transmitido pelos meios de comunicação. Por exemplo: se um terremoto atingir o Japão neste momento e nenhum jornal falar sobre o fato, ele provavelmente ficará conhecido apenas por aquela comunidade afetada. Quando o evento passar a ser divulgado, então ele entrará nesse universo da atualidade mediática.
(Read this post in English)
Então apliquei este conceito ao uso das redes socais e é possível que eu tenha falhado, mas achei que valia a pena compartilhar a análise. E se a gente posta o que a gente posta na urgência de provar que nós fizemos o que fizemos? E se tudo o que postamos é apenas uma tentativa de tornar nossas vidas umas sucessão de eventos realmente “legais”? A cada semana, dia e hora atualizamos nossas redes na esperança de que as pessoas se lembrem de nós, que se importem com nossas opiniões e gostos, que nós achem bonitos e considerem nossas existências como algo valoroso. Ou pior, e se nós apenas postamos coisas para provar que estamos, de fato, vivendo e que, portanto nossas existências são válidas, como se se não o fizéssemos não poderíamos ser considerados reais? Eu não podia aceitar ser enganada desse jeito, para citar Walt Whitman: “I exist as I am. That’s enough“.
Estava decidida. Criei um plano para sair de todas as redes que eu participava e que agora me parece bastante impraticável: quer dizer coletar o email de todo mundo e tentar manter o contato simplesmente não ia acontecer (sim, essa era a minha ideia). Em vez disso, eu aprendi a lidar com elas de maneira a atender minhas crenças e me sentir confortável (e que é passível de mudança a qualquer momento). Algumas pessoas tem isso completamente resolvido, outras nunca chegaram a pensar sobre a questão. Em qualquer dos casos, eu não pretendo tentar te converter à minha forma de pensar, é apenas uma perspectiva. Você ê livre para fazer o que quiser. Seja feliz!
Chega de conversinha… Isso foi o que eu aprendi até agora por experiência e por tentativa e erro:
- Os seguidores e os likes, as postagens e as intenções:
Os seguidores, as curtidas, os compartilhamentos… Essas são as necessidades instantâneas da maioria delas. Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube… Com seus diferentes mecanismos, elas pretendem, no final das contas, nos encorajar a esperar essas reações. Eu não preciso falar sobre as consequências dessa dinâmica, para isso já existem vários artigos científicos e não científicos a respeito.
A ascensão dos influenciadores digitais, principalmente no Instagram, impactou profundamente essa “necessidade”. O fato dessas pessoas terem sido antes “pessoas como nós” nos fez acreditar, não apenas que poderíamos viver como eles, mas que deveríamos. Eles se tornaram o padrão, o modelo a ser seguido. E todo o respeito aqueles que estão buscando construir uma imagem ou carreira com as redes sociais. Eu? Eu não estava. Então por que me importava com a quantidade de pessoas que eu não conhecia que estava curtido minhas fotos? Por isso resolvi tornar todas minhas redes sociais privadas e restritas apenas as pessoas que eu conhecia.
Também comecei a me questionar o porquê de eu postar o que eu postava. Toda vez. Tanto que virou um hábito. Claro, eu ainda “espero” a reação das pessoas dentro do meu círculo social, mas eu sei que menos pessoas significa menos reações e mesmo que eu recebesse poucas e ou nenhuma eu ficaria bem porque sabia o motivo que me fez publicar algo novo. Eu passei a entender minhas intenções ao compartilhar e expor qualquer evento da minha vida. Fosse uma ótima foto ou um filme interessante que eu assisti, se o motivo estiver claro para mim eu compartilho.
Por fim, comecei a observar mais atentamente quem eu seguia e me deixava ser influenciada, porque não se trata apenas do uso, mas também do consumo das redes sociais. Eu ainda acompanho algumas celebridades, que possuem mensagens positivas e um conteúdo fresco. Com o tempo que me sobrou busquei e busco fazer qualquer coisa que seja produtiva.
E você, como utiliza as redes sociais? Já pensou sobre essas coisas?
Até a próxima,
Ana.
[Relançamento do texto de 10/07/2017]
by Ana Zarb | Jan 20, 2019 | Inspiration
Wait… were you guys fighting?
Well, as a matter of fact, we were. Last year, I even thought of quitting all social media because, in my opinion, it was more harmful than it was beneficial. And no, I have never been what you can call “a popular girl of Instagram” or any other network, also I haven’t suffered in consequence of it (as many Instagrammers have) and, to be honest, I have had positive experiences with all the social media I was involved with. But, somehow, I began to believe the self(ie) world was very time consuming, superficial, and stressful.
At the time, I was writing my final paper for Uni and I was reading so much Sociology and Communications articles. One, in particular, caught my attention, which was written by Professor Luiz Martino. In his piece, in Portuguese called “A atualidade mediática: o conceito e suas dimensões” ( I don’t know if there is an English version), he defines the concept of atualidade mediática which I will freely translate here as “mediatic actuality”. It is a sphere of social happenings that we only consider an event as a fact if transmitted by the means of communication. For example: if an earthquake reaches Japan right now and no news media talk about it, the event would probably stay known only within that affected community. When the event gets broadcasted then it enters the circle of the mediatic actuality.
(Leia este texto em Português)
I’ve managed to apply this concept to the usage of social media and it is possible I have failed miserably, but I still think it is worth sharing. What if we post what we post in the urge to prove that we have done the things we have done? What if everything we post is only an attempt of turning our lives into a succession of really “cool” events? Weekly, daily, hourly we update our social network in the hope people still remember us, in the hope people care about our opinions or what we like, in the hope they think we are pretty and highly consider our existence. Or worse, what if we only post things to prove we are living so that we validate our existence as if we didn’t do all that work we would simply not be “real”? I couldn’t accept to be “played” like that, to quote Walt Whitman: “I exist as I am. That is enough”.
I was decided. I made up a whole plan on how to quite it all which now seems very impractical: I mean, collect everybody’s email and try to stay in touch just was not going to happen (yes, it was my idea). Instead, I’ve learned how to deal with social media, in a way that attends my beliefs and also makes me feel comfortable (an approach that can change anytime). Some people have this all figured others have never really thought about it. In any case, by no means I am trying to convert you to my way of thinking, it’s just a perspective. You are free to do whatever you want. Be happy!
Enough small talk… This is what I learned so far from my experience and by trial and error:
- The followers and the likes, the posts and the intentions
The followers, the likes, the shares… These are the instant needs of most of them. Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube… With their different mechanisms, they ultimately encourage us to expect these reactions. I don’t need to say about some consequences of this dynamic, for that you have many scientific and non-scientific articles.
The rise of the digital influencers, and here I mean mainly on Instagram, have had a profound and special impact in this “necessity”. The fact these people were once “people like us” somehow made us believe, not only we could live like them, but that we should. They’ve become the pattern, the model to be followed. And all the respect for those who are trying to build an image or a career with social media. Me? I was not. Why was I caring about the number of people I don’t know that was liking my pictures? So, to solve that I made all my social media private and restricted to the people I know only.
Also, I started to question why I was posting what I was posting. Every time. So much it became a habit. Of course, I still “expect” the reaction of the people within my social circle, but I know with fewer people comes fewer likes and shares, etc. And even if I receive few likes or none at all on a picture I liked I would be okay because I know what made me post it. I began to understand my intentions in sharing and exposing any event in my life. Whether I thought it was a great picture or an interesting movie I’ve seen if I thought it was worth sharing I did it.
Last, but not least, I became way more observant of who I was following and letting influence me. It’s not only about the usage of social media, but it has a lot to do with its consumption as well. I keep following some celebrities, those who have fulfilling messages and refreshing content. With the time I have leftover I just go do anything… literally anything productive!
And you, how do you use social media? Have you ever thought about these things? Let me know!
See you,
Ana.
[Relaunched post from July 10, 2017]
by Ana Zarb | Sep 30, 2014 | Português
É simples: porque essa não é nossa prioridade. Não desenvolvemos a responsabilidade pela nossa nação. Cada um se sente obrigado com a sua própria educação, o seu negócio, o seu lucro. Nós nunca criamos o senso do público como pertencente a todos. Vivemos em estado de adoração aos países nos quais os cidadãos possuem um bem-estar elevado. A nós nos sobra lamentos, desacreditaçāo e autopiedade.
Não poderíamos estar em um cenário diferente. É cultural. O “jeitinho brasileiro” um vírus que nos infectou há muitos anos, exaltado por muitos estrangeiros e, para alguns brasileiros, motivo de orgulho. A cultura brasileira é muito calorosa; somos sorridentes, felizes e “supercool”. Mas em se tratando de cidadania, ainda somos ingênuos e imaturos.
A corrupção está enraizada em nós. Cada vez que um médico da rede pública cobra propina para atender seus pacientes, ou que requisitamos algum auxilio sem precisá-lo, ou até quando recebemos a mais de troco e não devolvemos a diferença. Parece extremo, não? Mas é verdade. Perpetuamos tais atitudes e já as consideramos insignificantes e corriqueiras.
As pessoas continuam com a mesma mentalidade de 1985, daqueles que pela primeira vez experimentavam a democracia. Nós, jovens, não temos menor interesse por politica, e mesmo quando queremos contestar essa afirmação clichê, nos encontramos sem muitos argumentos. Aqueles que saem da inércia, não ousam; ainda somos muito acomodados e desiludidos. Tudo nos soa falso, as propostas nos parecem irreais e utópicas, quando não cômicas; para nós, políticos são todos corruptos; e mesmo assim, são poucos os que põe a cara a tapa, talvez por medo de fazer parte da mesma corja, talvez falta de folego e de força vontade.
Hoje, percebo o quanto estamos desinteressados e preguiçosos. Levantamos a bandeira de um determinado meio de comunicação ou candidato sem avaliar seu histórico e seus projetos. Hoje, a cinco dias das eleições, foi a primeira vez que procurei saber um pouco mais sobre as propostas dos candidatos.
Como mudar o Brasil? A resposta também é simples: mudando essa mentalidade, mudando esse aspecto da nossa cultura, nos tornando mais presentes e responsáveis um pelo outro sem querer tirar proveito de todas as situações, e principalmente não aceitando o comportamento dos corruptos nem sendo influenciado por ele. Não esperando um salvador da pátria, pai/mãe de todos, mas sendo nós mesmo os agentes da mudança.
É com o tempo que os comportamentos mudam, já dizia o ditado: “old habits die hard”; mas gosto de acreditar que é possível, gosto de pensar que para nós, o ser humano é mais importante que dinheiro… Enfim, por mais pessimista que seja o texto, eu gosto de acreditar na humanidade, e reconheço que além dessas palavras, são necessárias mais ações. E por mais acomodada que eu esteja, não pretendo ser alheia ao mundo.
Minhas considerações podem estar equivocadas, banhadas a senso comum e serem reprodução de outros discursos, mas não deixa de ser uma maneira de me expressar. Não estou em posição de formar opiniões, muito menos de ditar tendências. Esse texto é apenas de uma reflexão que tive e desejei compartilhar. Peace.and.love.!
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