Viktor E. Frankl, M.D.

Viktor E. Frankl, M.D., Ph.D.
Neurologist and psychiatrist
Founder of Logotherapy and Existential Analysis

Paul Harris' vision and Victor Frankl’s thinking have guided my life as a Rotarian and caused the choice of my Presidential Theme: "Believe in what you do. Do what you believe in". Dr. Robert R. (Bob) Barth, RI Past President, Rotary Club Aarau, D. 1890, Switzerland (Find President Bob)

(C) Imagno / K. Vesely	¦ Viktor E. Frankl, M.D., Ph.D. Neurologist and psychiatrist Founder of Logotherapy and Existential Analysis

LIFE AND WORK

Born: March 26, 1905, Vienna Died: September 2, 1997, Vienna ¦ Academic titles M.D. (1930), Ph.D. (1949), Dr.h.c.mult. ¦ Family widowed; second marriage (1947) with Eleonore, b. Schwindt daughter Gabriele; 2 grandchildren, Katharina and Alexander; great-granddaughter Anna Viktoria Viktor Emil Frankl, M.D., Ph.D. was Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry at the University of Vienna Medical School. 1940-42 Frankl was director of the Neurological Department of the Rothschild Hospital 1946-70 he was director of the Vienna Neurological Policlinic. During World War II he spent 3 years at Auschwitz, Dachau and other concentration camps. He has been Visiting Professor at Harvard as well as universities in Pittsburgh, San Diego and Dallas. The U.S. International University in California installed a special chair for logotherapy - this is the psychotherapeutic school founded by Frankl, often called the "Third Viennese School" (after Freud's psychoanalysis and Adler's individual psychology.) He has received 29 honorary doctorates from universities in all parts of the world. The American Psychiatric Association has bestowed upon him the Oskar Pfister Award. Frankl has authored 32 books which were published in 32 languages. His last two books are "Viktor Frankl - Recollections" and "Man's Search for Ultimate Meaning", both published in 1997. Man's Search for Meaning has sold over five million copies in the USA alone. According to a survey conducted by the Library of Congress and the Book-of-the-Month Club it belongs to "the ten most influential books in America." (New York Times, November 20, 1991). The scientific literature on logotherapy has grown to an extent that a complete listing is no more possible. Frankl has given lectures at 209 universities on all 5 continents. The American Medical Society, the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association have officially recognized Dr. Frankl's Logotherapy as one of the scientifically based schools of psychotherapy. According to the American Journal of Psychiatry, his work is "perhaps the most significant thinking since Freud and Adler." Viktor Frankl was appointed Honorary Member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. Frankl held the Solo Flight Certificate and the Mountain Guide badge of the Alpine Club "Donauland". Three difficult climbing trails (on the Rax and Peilstein mountains) were named after him. In 1995 Frankl received the Honorary Citizenship of his native city Vienna. The following 29 universities conferred upon Dr. Frankl Honorary Doctor degrees Loyola University, Chicago (1970) Edgecliffe College, Cincinnati (1970) Rockford College, Illinois (1972) Mount Mary College, Wisconsin (1984) Universidade do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil (1984) Universidad Andres Bello, Caracas (1984) University of South Africa (1984) Universidad del Salvador, Buenos Aires (1985) Universidad Catolica Argentina, Buenos Aires (1985) Universidad de Buenos Aires (1985) Universidad Francisco Marroquin, Guatemala (1985) University of Vienna (1986) Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Argentina (1986) Universidad Nacional de Entre Rios, Argentina (1986) Universidad Nacional de San Luis, Argentina (1986) Universidad del Aconcagua, Argentina (1986) Universidade de Brasilia (1988) University of Haifa, Israel (1988) International Academy for Philosophy in Liechtenstein (1989) University of Kopenhagen (1989) University of Pretoria, South Africa (1990) Universidad Gabriela Mistral, Santiago de Chile (1991) University of Santa Clara, Kalifornien (1991) University of Ljubljana, Slovenia (1992) University of Prague (1994) University of Lublin (Polen) (1994) University of Salzburg (1994) Semmelweis-University Budapest (1996) Ohio State University, Columbus (1997) Honorary memberships Austrian Academy of Sciences Societies for Neurology and Psychiatry in Austria, Peru and Guatemala Awards etc. John F. Kennedy Star Oscar Pfister Award of the American Psychiatric Association Theodor Billroth Medal Albert Schweitzer Medal Cardinal Innitzer Prize City of Vienna Prize for Science Honorary Ring of the City of Vienna Honorary Citizen of the Capital of Texas Great Cross of Merit with Star (Germany) Lifetime Achievement Award of the Foundation for Hospice and Homecare Nomination for the Peace Nobel Prize by the Pontifical University of Porto Alegre (Brazil), a Texan university and the "Evolution of Psychotherapy Foundation" (Phoenix, Arizona). Viktor Frankl Catedra at the University of Caracas (Venezuela) Frankl has received the highest honor the Republic of Austria can confer on a scientist; it is the membership of an Order restricted to 18 Austrians and 18 citizens of other countries. Great Cross of Merit with Star of the Republic of Austria (1995) Great Badge of Honour of the Austrian Medical Society (1995) Maryland Psychological Association Outstanding Lifetime Contribution To Psychology Award Honorary Citizenship of Vienna (1995) A "Viktor Frankl House" has been founded in the vicinity of Hamburg (Germany); it is an open mental health institution whose inmates recruit from former patients of psychiatric institutions. Medicus Magnus Medal and International Golden Star "Merit for Humanism" (Polish Academy of Medicine, 1997) The 32 languages in which Frankl's books have been published Afrikaans \| Albanian \| Bulgarian \| Catalan \| Chinese \| Czech \| Croatian \| Danish \| Dutch \| English \| Estonian \| Finnish \| French \| German \| Greek \| Hebrew \| Hungarian \| Icelandic \| Iranian \| Italian \| Japanese \| Korean \| Lithuanian \| Norwegian \| Polish \| Portuguese \| Russian \| Slovakian \| Slovenian \| Spanish \| Swedish \| Turkish Logotherapy societies and institutes Logotherapy societies and institutes around the world Miscellany At the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley a "Frankl Library and Memorabilia" has been installed At the University of Caracas a "Viktor Frankl Chair for Medical Anthropology" was founded A "Viktor Frankl Chair for Philosophy and Psychology" was founded in 1994 at the International Academy for Philosophy in the Principality of Liechtenstein Near Hamburg a social-psychiatric institution called "Viktor Frankl House" was founded On Viktor Frankl's place of birth, Czerningasse 6, Vienna, a memorial plaque was unveiled by the Austrian Minister of Science On the Vienna University Campus (Altes Allgemeines Krankenhaus) a "Viktor Frankl Path" was opened in 2001 In Frankfurt a School for the Handicapped was named "Viktor-Frankl-School" (2001) On the front of Viktor Frankl's home, Mariannengasse 1, a memorial plaque was unveiled in 2002 Journals for Logotherapy are published in Argentine, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, USA. World Congresses for Logotherapy were held in San Diego (1980), Hartford (1982), Regensburg (1983), San Francisco/Berkeley (1984), Toronto (1986, 1993), Buenos Aires (1987), Kansas City (1989), Saratoga (1991), Dallas (1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003).