Beyond Freud

Freud, Adler, Frankl.
3 Jews that revolutionized psychotherapy and the way we look at the human being and what drives him.
But what differentiated them?
Unfortunately, there isn't enough room here to do justice to each man's theories.
But let's take a quick glance, 1st into the outlook of Sigmund Freud:
Everything we do is out of a desire for pleasure, or alternatively out of a fear of pain.
Alfred Adler: By incorporating Nietzsche's Will to Power, Adler emphasized that every person desires to be heard; to succeed and reach the top. Power. Success.
Viktor Frankl: Founding "logo-therapy," Frankl, using evidence from his experiences in the concentration camps (see his bestselling book Man's Search for Meaning),
expounded his belief that it is the striving to find a meaning in one's life that is the primary, most powerful motivating and driving force in a human's life.
So here we have the will to pleasure, power, and meaning. What did Frankl see that Freud and Adler didn't?

To be happy, said Frankl, one MUST transcend his/herself, instead of focusing solely on one's self-centered needs.
(Adler emphasized "self-actualization" - to make sure everything is good for you 1st. For ex. give your child EVERYTHING: Good schooling, $, languages, music, leads to happiness).
But, argued Frankl, there will always be a flaw, someone that has more than me. No! A person's happiest time in life is when he forgot himself, even for just a moment,
and helped someone else, showed kindness to a spouse, contributed to a greater cause than just self. To leave one's constraints and go beyond self.
There's a book entitled "Generation Me" that shows through statistics that this generation is more self-centered than any before it.
But shouldn't emphasizing "me" lead to joy?
Maybe for the body; but not for the soul...


Which leads us to Jewish Mysticism.
We are taught that each of us possesses 2 souls: an animal soul, and a G-dly soul.
Freud and Adler peered deep into the human soul and found, essentially, dirt.
Desire, lust, power, selfishness, arrogance, ego.
And they were right.
They peered into the animal soul, and that's what they found.
But they failed to look a bit deeper. Beyond the animal soul and into the G-dly Aspect we all possess - the Divine Soul.
A soul which desires kindness, purpose, selflessness; a pursuit of truth and meaning.
Freud wasn't wrong; he just didn't peer deep enough.

What lies at the core of our being, as Frankl discovered in the hell of a concentration camp, is a desire for meaning. That's what keeps us going, that's what drives us.
Not the pursuit of, but rather the transcendence of - the mundane.
It was interesting to see Basketball star Amare Stoudemire, straight off one of the biggest deals in NBA history, searching for meaning here in Israel (see here if you think I'm lying).

Whether he's Jewish or not is still unclear, but regardless, here's a man who could, and has, attained most material fantasies & stardom any person could ever dream of, and yet is running off looking into the Torah & Mitzvot for meaning in his life.
This search for meaning is a trend seen by many of the world's "stars" and it signifies a human desire for something beyond the "self" - a truth and a deeper meaning to life.
The pursuit of pleasure alone cannot bring joy. It only encapsulates a minute part of our daily lives. And negativity is ALWAYS easier to remember. Rather, do for another, live a purpose filled life and happiness will come, for happiness is not attained, but is rather a by-product of purposeful living.

Shabbat Shalom!

-Daniel

P.S. To read a fascinating story regarding Frankl which I highly recommend, click here