Viktor E Frankl Life with Meaning [Paperback]

William Blair Gould (Author), Gould (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1993

After studying the life and work of Viktor E. Frankl for decades, William Gould wrote this book so that sudents of counseling and psychotherapy who want to add a spiritual dimension the counseling process would have access to an easy-to-understand exposition of the theory. Viktor E. Frankl is well-known as an existential, pragmatic, metaphysical philosopher, and one of the primary tasks of this book is to show how and why this philosophical mix has made Frankl a unique and especially compelling voice. This in-depth, scholarly work describes Frankl's life and theories and compares them with other psychotherapy and philosophy theories, while revealing how those theories fit into current life.

Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company; 1st edition (January 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0534194702
• ISBN-13: 978-0534194703
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #152,122 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars First good broad approach to a symbol, March 26, 2000

By 

Josemar Maciel (Campo Grande, Brazil) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Viktor E Frankl Life with Meaning (Paperback)

William Blair Gould's (Univ. of Dubuque) book, in spite of its title, doesn't fall in the widespread trap of evaluating Viktor Frankl only as a "hero" of psychotherapy, in the name of his well-known journey to the undergrounds of world misery during World War II. His book is an animated picture of Frankl's influences, references and contacts with the world of Philosophy, trying to show how it affected his view of Science and Culture. A picture well put into paper, pleasurable to read and - what is a must to most readers - short, very (sometimes too) concise. In eight short chapters, Mr. Gould analyzes the connexions and influences between Frankl and other thinkers, such as: Freud (ch. I-II), Kant (III), James (IV), existentialism (V-VI), humanist psychology (VII). The book ends with a beautiful chapter, almost a "manifesto" (VIII), where Gould joins Frankl's voice for a renewed kind of psichology that bears attention to human beings, converting itself to a kind of supporting tool of human freedom. In short: well written book, good introductory reading about the thought of a very influential, insightful and constructive thinker of this century. Rated only tree stars, because it sometimes depends all too havily on second-hand sources, and because it's more suggestive than deep. But if you want to start thinking about "...Frankl's role as a philosopher and ... how his philosophy affects his theories and practice of meaning analysis" (page vii), go ahead. Absolutely.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Overview of Philosophies, May 19, 2002

By 

Gene (Arkansas United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Viktor E Frankl Life with Meaning (Paperback)

This book compares Frankl's teachings to many different psychologists and philosophers from Plato and Aristotle to BF Skinner, Carl Rogers, Freud, and many others who you may recognize. Each chapter compares and contrasts Frankl to different people.

'A good reminder of roots of Psychology in general, although I prefer, in studying Frankl, to read his own words more directly.

This is more of a textbook on psychology and a good review of philosophy and psychology from early times.

Not a quick and easy read unless you are already well versed in these areas.