However, in law school he struggled with the desire to do well academically while, deep down, he knew that he was being called to serve greater social causes. Upon his return to the United States, he was strongly encouraged by his family and friends to enroll in law school which he did. Army during the Vietnam era and working with soldiers as a mental health specialist, he witnessed the horrors and casualties of war in unforgettable, life-changing ways. His journey to Meaning began at an early age, studying existential philosophy and psychology while still in high school as a way of making sense of the complex family life and world around him.
Throughout his life, Alex has always felt the call to advance human potential and societal transformation through Meaning. Pattakos was awarded the title of Honorary Professor by the Moscow Institute of Psychoanalysis in Russia, for his contributions to the development of Viktor Frankl's System of Logotherapy & Existential Analysis and for advancing the search for meaning in life, work, and society. Now Alex has founded the Global Meaning Institute "to help people discover new meaning in their lives and work, and at a systems level, connect to the deeper meaning in organizations, communities, and societies." As a leader of the Meaning Movement, he continues to spread the inspirational message of Meaning around the world. He is a subject matter expert and columnist on the Search for Meaning for Psychology Today, and a columnist for the Public Administration Times on the topic of “ Meaning in Government.” He is currently writing a new book, entitled Public Administration and the Search for Meaning: Rediscovering the Soul of Government, that will be published by Routledge, the global leader in academic book publishing in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Dr. Viktor Frankl (author of the classic bestseller, Man's Search for Meaning).
A prolific author, he has written two international best-selling books on the human quest for Meaning: The OPA! Way, inspired by Greek philosophy, mythology, and culture, and Prisoners of Our Thoughts, written at the personal urging of the world-renowned psychiatrist, Dr. presidents and to the commissioner of the U.S. In addition to grooming students to become the new vanguard - leaders more aware of the greater need for Meaning throughout society - Alex also served as an advisor to governments to affect policy change, including service to the White House under three U.S. in Political Science and became a full-time professor of public and business administration, including graduate program head. Wanting to change the system and assist in broader societal transformation, Alex received his Ph.D. His unique background bridges political science, public policy, and innovation management, along with existential philosophy, psychology, and meaning. Meaning," is Founder of the Global Meaning Institute.
Meaning," Founder of the Global Meaning Institute, Political Scientist, Professor, International Best-Selling Author.Īlex Pattakos, Ph.D., aka "Dr.