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- NURS 600 Assignment 3.1: Frankl Book Critique
Student Name
Maryville University
NURS-600
Professor Name
Submission Date
Introduction
Viktor E. Frankl describes the meaning that emerges in life, even during a reduction in understanding of life, in his existential psychological book Man’s Search for Meaning. Frankl was exposed to German Concentration Camps as well as being a psychologist. He argues that pleasure, or power, is not the primary motivational force in life, but meaning (2006). This shows the significance of the meaning in your psychological (as well as your personal) recovery (primarily in the suffering and oppressive circumstances).
Additionally, during his internment, Frankl came up with his theory of Logotherapy, where he realized that individuals who had a purpose could deal with the concentration camp conditions as opposed to individuals with no purpose (Okewu, 2026). He is further supported in more recent studies, which report that having a sense of purpose in life will result in psychological well-being. Finally, the book by Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning, contains not only a philosophical means but also has therapeutic connotations concerning various professions (e.g., nursing, psychology).
Primary Thesis and Development of Logo-therapy
As a survivor of the concentration camps and a scientist in the field of psychology, Viktor E. Frankl demonstrated that humans find meaning and can find it even when they are tortured or murdered (Frankl, 2006). He found that concentration camp survivors who found meaning even in the most abominable of conditions were able to cope more effectively with their suffering than those who did not. This finding paved the way for his logotherapy method of psychotherapy: finding meaning in life is critical to survival (Frankl, 1969). But more recent research has also verified the critical role of meaning in life; individuals who have meaning are often better suited to cope with difficulties in life than those who lack it (Fullerton et al., 2021).
Frankl outlined three main sources for finding meaning in life: creative work and accomplishment, love, and the freedom to choose one’s own way of life in the face of inevitable pain. All of these sources for generating meaning demonstrate that pain can also generate meaning; thus, virtuous actions and resilience play a role in generating meaning from these sources. Therefore, Frankl’s conclusions echo those of some ancient philosophers (like those mentioned in Plato’s Symposium) in stating that human desires are tied to suffering and pain.
Development of Nursing Theory
Nursing theories are based on a combination of personal, clinical, and research experiences. Theorists are then able to generate theories that explain the nursing practice by examining situations and events in health care, observing patterns in clinical trends, and then critically evaluating and defining clinical examples of their theories (Schaffer et al., 2021). Theories are able to lend structure to clinical reasoning and provide evidence-based clinical practice tools to enhance health service delivery quality.
Theories also have a holistic perspective in the sense of not only taking into consideration the physical health of the patients but also their psychological and spiritual well-being. The holism of human health is the fact that it is multidimensional. For instance, Viktor E. Frankl’s theories about life’s purpose and meaning are applicable to the meeting of patients’ psychological and existential needs, as well as their physical needs. Theories in nursing are continuing to evolve as an interdisciplinary discipline that incorporates the human experience and supports holistic and compassionate nursing care.
Relevance of Logo-therapy to Nursing Theory and Development
Certain implications of logotherapy to nurse practice are related to the relationship between spiritual and physical well-being of the patient, which has numerous positive benefits and contributions to overall care of the patient, who is in need of the help of a nurse. His/her purpose of logotherapy as a hidden purpose can also be helpful to the holistic care of patients, as it will contribute to the support of the psychological as well as existential needs of patients. Considering the works of Viktor E. Frankl through the lenses of the views of some of the earliest nursing theorists, one must admit that the principle of potential to resilience against suffering, anchored on the will to meaning in a person, is present in a number of various nursing theoretical approaches as well. Some of them are:
Theory of Human Caring Jean Watson:
This theory puts into the limelight the important role the caring transpersonal relationship between the patient and the nurse plays. She does not speak about the technical or even clinically based usage of nursing practice, but speaks about subjective and emotion-based needs of an individual and the importance of empathy, listening, etc. This aligns with the human dignity and meaning in the disease and life that is brought up by Frankl.
From Novice to Expert by Patricia Benner:
This theory describes how nursing competency develops on the basis of experience, practice, and good demonstrations with patients. According to her, competency is never constructed based on technical aspects only in nursing, but on personal experience as well.
Relevance to Nursing Knowledge and Advanced Practice
The literature is very pertinent to nurses and advanced nursing practice because it shows the necessity of dealing with the emotional, spiritual, and existential needs of the patients, along with the physical needs. By assisting patients to achieve meaning in their pain and encouraging hope and stressing the emotional and spiritual comfort of patients, nurses are employing the principles of logotherapy (Herea, 2022). The use of these principles contributes to fostering holistic care and establishing the nurse-patient therapeutic relationship as well.
- In the instance of a clinical case, nurses can support the patient in his struggle to discover meaning and value in his life so he can better cope with the chronic and terminal illness, and enhance the quality of life lived by the patient.
- The nurse can also apply personalized communication techniques and psychotherapeutic interventions to support the personal goal setting and positive attitude towards life of patients (e.g., in case of depression and anxiety patients).
Opinion of the Book
Viktor E. Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning is an extraordinary book that offers lessons on resilience and the capacity for meaning-making during times of hardship and difficulty. Frankl’s personal experiences as a concentration camp prisoner form the foundation of his theory of meaning and how it is essential for surviving life’s most challenging circumstances. His narrative draws on personal interactions and psychological theories to highlight the role of finding meaning in life in improving survival and as a source of courage (Deeg & May, 2021). This blend of experience and theory has resulted in a book pertinent to the fields of psychology, philosophy, and healthcare.
This book is especially important to the nursing profession as it reinforces the importance of person-centred care and attending to the emotional and spiritual needs of patients as well as their physical needs. It encourages health professionals to help patients make meaning of their experiences, which can help them cope, develop resilience, and enhance well-being.
Conclusion
The book Man’s Search for Meaning is a powerful work by Viktor E. Frankl that demonstrates the strength of the human spirit and the capacity to survive with meaning in the face of difficult circumstances. Through his experiences of suffering in the concentration camps and ghettos of the Nazi regime, Frankl was able to develop a therapeutic approach, called logotherapy, that focuses on the need to find meaning in order to maintain psychological health and survival.
This model is supportive of various aspects of nursing theory, particularly those that promote a holistic, unified, and person-centred nursing care approach. The message in Frankl’s book is still very relevant to the nursing profession as it highlights the need to support patients in developing a sense of purpose (or meaning) despite experiencing difficult health-related problems and offers ways to help them identify that meaning and purpose, thereby improving their coping and resilience in these times of hardship.
References
Deeg, M. D., & May, D. R. (2021). The Benefits to the Human Spirit of Acting Ethically at Work: The Effects of Professional Moral Courage on Work Meaningfulness and Life Well-Being. Journal of Business Ethics, 181(2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-021-04980-4
Fullerton, D. J., Zhang, L. M., & Kleitman, S. (2021). PLOS ONE, 16(2), e0246000. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0246000
Herea, S.-G. (2022). Meaning in life: confessions of suicidal patients and the need for a logotherapy-based nursing. Revista Médico-Chirurgicala, 126(3), 311–326. https://doi.org/10.22551/msj.2022.03.03
Okewu, M. (2026). Article Open Access JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY AND CONTEMPORARY ISSUES VIKTOR FRANKL’S MEANING OF LIFE: LOGOTHERAPY AND THE HUMAN SEARCH FOR MEANING. Journal of Philosophy and Contemporary Issues, 2(1), 48–57. https://jppssuniuyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/VIKTOR-FRANKLS-MEANING-OF-LIFE-JPCI.pdf
Schaffer, A. L., Dobbins, T. A., & Pearson, S.-A. (2021). BMC Medical Research Methodology, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-021-01235-8
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