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Explanation and Analysis:
Man's Search for Meaning is a nonfiction work belonging to two main genres: memoir and social science, particularly psychology. The book is divided into two parts, with the first recounting Frankl's years-long imprisonment during the Holocaust (the memoir portion)and the second introducing the terminology, theories, and case studies behind his therapeutic technique called logotherapy (the social science/psychology portion.
But while Part I presents itself as a memoir and Part II as a work of psychology, features of both exist across the two halves. For example, in Part I, Frankl often interprets his and his fellow prisoners’ experiences in the concentration camps from an objective, scientific lens. In Part II, he justifies his psychological approach with examples of past patients, using these anecdotes as more personal examples.
Man's Search for Meaning intersects the genres of memoir and social science for two main purposes. The first is to demonstrate that Frankl's own experiences inform his beliefs as a psychologist. In this way, he appeals to his authority as one who has both grappled with the meaning of life himself and observed extensively—though from an objective standpoint—how other prisoners cope with suffering. The second is to provide insight for the reader into how his therapeutic training gave him consolation during his own imprisonment, further legitimizing his approach to the reader.
