Viktor frankl holocaust experience

With a lifetime that spanned most of the 20th Century, Viktor Emil Frankl March 26, —September 2, was witness to a transformative period in world history. He is most known for being a Holocaust survivor, but in reality, this represented a short period in his long life. By the time he entered the concentration camps at 37 years old, he had already spent much of his adult life as a psychiatrist and neurologist, specializing in the treatment of suicidal patients.

Viktor frankl meaning of life pdf

He was an honor student prior to beginning his self-directed education and his grades subsequently dropped. He studied philosophy and learned hypnosis at the age of Frankl had his first article published when he was 18 and by 22, he was lecturing on the meaning of life. In , at the age of 25, he organized free youth counseling centers in Vienna that successfully combated the epidemic of teen suicides occurring around the time of report cards.

Within a year, suicides dropped to zero. Both published his writings on psychology. While still in his early 20s, he not only understood the principles of the new science of psychology, he sought to improve upon the ideas of Freud and Adler. Although he acknowledged the importance of their work, he went on to establish his own theory, Logotherapy, which is often referred to as the Third School of Viennese Psychology.

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Over a four-year period — , he treated no less than 3, patients each year. In , he began his private practice, but with the Nazi invasion, his ability to treat patients became limited. In , he joined Rothschild Hospital as head of the neurology department. It was the only hospital in Vienna still admitting Jews.