Editing Viktor Frankl (section)

==Career==

===Psychiatry===
Between 1928 and 1930, while still a medical student, he organized youth counselling centers<ref>{{Cite book|editor-last=Batthyány|editor-first=Alexander |title=Logotherapy and Existential Analysis. Proceedings of the Viktor Frankl Institute Vienna, Volume 1|publisher=Springer International|year=2016|isbn=978-3319805689|pages=3–6}}</ref> to address the high number of teen suicides occurring around the time of end-of-the-year report cards. The program was sponsored by the city of Vienna and free of charge to the students. Frankl recruited other psychologists for the center, including [[Charlotte Bühler]], Erwin Wexberg, and [[Rudolf Dreikurs]]. In 1931, not a single Viennese student died by [[suicide]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Frankl, Viktor E. (Viktor Emil), 1905–1997|title=Frühe Schriften, 1923–1942|date=2005|publisher=W. Maudrich|others=Vesely-Frankl, Gabriele|isbn=3851758129|location=Wien|oclc=61029472}}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=January 2021}}

After earning his M.D. in 1930, Frankl gained extensive experience at [[Steinhof (Vienna)|Steinhof Psychiatric Hospital]], where he was responsible for the treatment of suicidal women. In 1937, he began a private practice, but the [[Anschluss|Nazi annexation of Austria]] in 1938 limited his opportunity to treat patients.<ref name="FranklRecollections" /> In 1940, he joined [[Rothschild Hospital]], the only hospital in Vienna still admitting Jews, as head of the neurology department. Prior to his deportation to the concentration camps, he helped numerous patients avoid the Nazi euthanasia program that targeted the mentally disabled.<ref name="Klingberg2001" /><ref>{{Cite book|last=Neugebauer|first=Wolfgang|title=Von der Zwangssterilisierung zur Ermordung. Zur Geschichte der NS-Euthanasie in Wien Teil II|publisher=Böhlau|year=2002|isbn=978-3205993254|location=Wien/Köln/Weimar|pages=99–111}}</ref>

In 1942, just nine months after his marriage, Frankl and his family were sent to the [[Theresienstadt concentration camp]]. His father died there of starvation and pneumonia. In 1944, Frankl and his surviving relatives were transported to [[Auschwitz concentration camp|Auschwitz]], where his mother and brother were murdered in the gas chambers. His wife Tilly died later of typhus in [[Bergen-Belsen concentration camp|Bergen-Belsen]]. Frankl spent three years in four concentration camps.<ref name="obit" />

Following the war, he became head of the neurology department of the [[General Polyclinic Vienna]] hospital, and established a private practice in his home. He worked with patients until his retirement in 1970.<ref name="Klingberg2001" />

In 1948, Frankl earned a PhD in philosophy from the University of Vienna. His dissertation, ''[[The Unconscious God]]'', examines the relationship between psychology and religion,<ref>Boeree, George. [http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/frankl.html "Personality Theories: Viktor Frankl."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191103032504/http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/frankl.html |date=3 November 2019 }} Shippensburg University. Accessed 18 April 2014.</ref> and advocates for the use of the [[Socratic dialogue]] (self-discovery discourse) for clients to get in touch with their spiritual unconscious.<ref>Lantz, James E. "Family logotherapy." ''Contemporary Family Therapy'' 8, no. 2 (1986): 124–135.</ref>

[[File:Grave of Viktor Frankl 02.jpg|thumb|Grave of Viktor Frankl in Vienna]]
In 1955, Frankl was awarded a professorship of neurology and psychiatry at the [[University of Vienna]], and, as [[visiting professor]], lectured at [[Harvard University]] (1961), [[Southern Methodist University]], Dallas (1966), and [[Duquesne University]], Pittsburgh (1972).<ref name=":0" />

Throughout his career, Frankl argued that the [[reductionist]] tendencies of early psychotherapeutic approaches dehumanised the patient, and advocated for a rehumanisation of psychotherapy.<ref name="FranklUltimateMeaning">{{cite book|author=Frankl, Viktor|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_hcQAQAAMAAJ|title=Man's search for ultimate meaning|year=2000|publisher=Perseus Pub.|isbn=978-0738203546|access-date=24 May 2016|archive-date=22 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170322130255/https://books.google.com/books?id=_hcQAQAAMAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[American Psychiatric Association]] awarded Frankl the 1985 [[Oskar Pfister Award]] for his contributions to religion and psychiatry.<ref name="FranklUltimateMeaning" />

===''Man's Search for Meaning''===
While head of the Neurological Department at the general Polyclinic Hospital, Frankl wrote ''[[Man's Search for Meaning]]'' over a nine-day period.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://viktorfranklamerica.com/viktor-frankl-bio/|title=The Life of Viktor Frankl|website=Viktor Frankl Institute of America|access-date=24 April 2020|archive-date=6 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806130308/https://viktorfranklamerica.com/viktor-frankl-bio/|url-status=live}}</ref> The book, originally titled ''A Psychologist Experiences the Concentration Camp'', was released in German in 1946. The English translation of ''Man's Search for Meaning'' was published in 1959, and became an international bestseller.<ref name="Klingberg2001" /> Frankl saw this success as a symptom of the "mass neurosis of modern times," since the title promised to deal with the question of life's meaningfulness.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Frankl|first=Viktor|title=The Feeling of Meaninglessness|publisher=Marquette University Press|year=2010|isbn=978-0874627589}}</ref> Millions of copies were sold in dozens of languages. In a 1991 survey conducted for the [[Library of Congress]] and the [[Book of the Month Club]], ''Man's Search for Meaning'' was named one of the ten most influential books in the US.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Fein|first1=Esther B.|date=20 November 1991|title=New York Times, 11-20-1991|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/20/books/book-notes-059091.html|access-date=21 April 2020|archive-date=28 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200428021311/https://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/20/books/book-notes-059091.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Logotherapy and existential analysis===
Frankl developed logotherapy and [[Existential therapy|existential analysis]], which are based on philosophical and psychological concepts, particularly the desire to find a meaning in life and [[free will]].<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.viktorfrankl.org/logotherapy.html|title=What is Logotherapy/Existential Analysis|access-date=24 April 2020|archive-date=13 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200513201732/https://viktorfrankl.org/logotherapy.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Frankl identified three main ways of realizing meaning in life: by making a difference in the world, by having particular experiences, or by adopting particular attitudes.

The primary techniques offered by logotherapy and existential analysis are:<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|last=Frankl|first=Viktor|title=The Doctor and the Soul. From Psychotherapy to Logotherapy|publisher=Vintage Books|year=2019|isbn=978-0525567042|location=New York}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Frankl|first=Viktor|title=The Will to Meaning: Foundations and Applications of Logotherapy.|publisher=Penguin/Plume|year=2014|isbn=978-0142181263|location=New York}}</ref><ref name=":2" />
* [[Paradoxical intention]]: clients learn to overcome obsessions or anxieties by self-distancing and humorous exaggeration.
* [[Dereflection]]: drawing the client's attention away from their symptoms, as hyper-reflection can lead to inaction.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Frankl|first=Viktor E.|date=1975|title=Paradoxical intention and dereflection.|journal=Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice|volume=12|issue=3|pages=226–237|doi=10.1037/h0086434}}</ref>
* [[Socratic dialogue]] and attitude modification: asking questions designed to help a client find and pursue self-defined meaning in life.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ameli, M., & Dattilio, F. M.|date=2013|title=Enhancing cognitive behavior therapy with logotherapy: Techniques for clinical practice.|journal=Psychotherapy|volume=50|issue=3|pages=387–391|doi=10.1037/a0033394|pmid=24000857}}</ref>

His acknowledgement of meaning as a central motivational force and factor in mental health is his lasting contribution to the field of psychology. It provided the foundational principles for the emerging field of [[positive psychology]].<ref>[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/294286062_Viktor_Frankl's_Meaning-Seeking_Model_and_Positive_Psychology Viktor Frankl’s Meaning-Seeking Model and Positive Psychology] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210719224356/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/294286062_Viktor_Frankl%27s_Meaning-Seeking_Model_and_Positive_Psychology |date=19 July 2021 }} Chapter from book 'Meaning in Positive and Existential Psychology' (pp. 149–184)</ref>  Frankl's work has also been endorsed in the [[Chabad philosophy]] of [[Hasidic Judaism]].<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Biderman |first=Jacob |title=The Rebbe and Viktor Frankl |url=https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1201321/jewish/The-Rebbe-and-Viktor-Frankl.htm}}</ref>

=== Statue of Responsibility ===
In ''Man's Search for Meaning'', Frankl states'':''<blockquote>''Freedom, however, is not the last word. Freedom is only part of the story and half of the truth. Freedom is but the negative aspect of the whole phenomenon whose positive aspect is responsibleness. In fact, freedom is in danger of degenerating into mere arbitrariness unless it is lived in terms of responsibleness. That is why I recommend that the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast be supplemented by a Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast''.<ref name="FranklUltimateMeaning" /></blockquote>Frankl's concept for the statue grew in popularity, and drew the affection of [[Stephen Covey]], author of ''[[The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People]].'' Covey teamed up with Kevin Hall to push the idea of the statue forward in the 1990s, and eventually commissioned the sculptor [[Gary Lee Price]] who came up with the concept of two hands clasped together. The design was approved by Frankl's widow, and they began looking for a location to construct it. Their first choice was [[California]], to have it in a Pacific Ocean harbour to complement the [[Statue of Liberty]]'s position in the Atlantic harbour of New York. However, the state regulations proved difficult to navigate, and the governor of [[Utah]], [[Spencer Cox (politician)|Spencer Cox]], suggested a location in his state for the project, which was approved in 2023. Construction has not yet started.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Us – Statue of Responsibility |url=https://statueofresponsibility.org/about-us/ |access-date=2024-06-09 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Viktor Frankl and the Statue of Responsibility {{!}} Psychology Today Canada |url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/the-meaningful-life/201908/viktor-frankl-and-the-statue-responsibility |access-date=2024-06-09 |website=www.psychologytoday.com |language=en-CA}}</ref>