Having a Why to live for

Having a Why to live for

Purpose and resilience in life

“The ’why’ is the purpose in life. The ‘how’ is all the circumstances that made life in the concentration camps so difficult that only with hindsight can a ‘why’ be sustainable.” Viktor E. Frankl

“People who have a purpose in life can withstand almost anything” – this motto is the basis for Viktor Frankl’s look at how fulfilment can be found even in the face of severe set-backs and enables people to remain psychologically stable in times of crisis. Purpose and resilience are at the heart of Frankl’s logotherapy and his analysis of young people with suicidal tendencies, holocaust survivors and the inner void created by the modern consumer society. This book serves as an invitation to rediscover the great Humanist writer. Penned over the course of six decades, Frankl’s words show that, in various life circumstances, psychotherapy can only be successful if it is paired with a philosophical savoir vivre.