Becker had a much darker view of life than Frankl. His pessimism is reflected in the fact that, instead of focusing on the solution offered by therapy, Becker focused more upon the Denial of Death, or the cognitive fallacies and imaginative techniques human beings deploy to avoid death, such as idealizing another person, or trying to find something that they alone can uniquely excel at as a hero, even if this heroic ability is at something mundane. "The real world is simply too terrible to admit; it tells man that he is a small, trembling animal who will decay and die. Illusion changes all this, makes man seem important, vital to the universe, immortal in some way" (Becker 133). Frankl believed that the meaning of life, for the individual could not be created, but must be authentic. Becker believed that human beings were sustained by false, invented purposes and meanings on a daily basis. However, Becker also believed these false meanings could alleviate anxiety. But creating a purpose...
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