Viktor Frankl is a holocaust survivor and the author of Man’s Search for Meaning.

Positive psychology ftw?

I think there’s some important nuances to keep under consideration. We’ve heard lots about the pressure of too high expectations, consider pop culture examples of demanding parents driving their kids to madness. I don’t consider that to be a counter example though, just a caveat emptor about taking Frankl’s advice as a licence to make demands.

People have their own aspirations, their own internal spark. What Frankl is suggesting is to recognise that and encourage it, to believe in it, to provide an environment that encourages and nurtures internal aspirations such that the spark may grow into a flame — as opposed to pouring gasoline and lighting a match, which really doesn’t do the individual any good, even if he does burn really brightly in the short term.

Can you think of some nice examples of the contrast between overly demanding parents versus the positive encouragement of people believing in you? How about examples of nay-sayers crushing someone’s motivation and thereby potential to be great?