Victor Frankl

Extracted Attributes

• Education

  University of Vienna (MD, 1930; PhD, 1948)

• Full Name

  Viktor Emil Frankl

• Birth Date

  1905-03-26

• Death Date

  1997-09-02

• Key Theory

  Logotherapy (Third School of Viennese Psychotherapy)

• Nationality

  Austrian

• Books Authored

  39 books

• Field of Study

  Neurology, Psychiatry, Philosophy

Timeline

• Born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1905-03-26

• Published first scientific paper in Internationale Zeitschrift für Psychoanalyse. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1924-01-01

• Earned Medical Degree (MD) from the University of Vienna. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1930-01-01

• Married first wife, Tilly Grosser. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1941-01-01

• Deported to Theresienstadt concentration camp by Nazi forces. (Source: Pursuit of Happiness)

  1942-01-01

• Published the autobiographical book "Man's Search for Meaning" (Ein Psycholog erlebt das Konzentrationslager). (Source: Britannica)

  1946-01-01

• Married second wife, Eleonore Katharina Schwindt. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1947-01-01

• Earned PhD from the University of Vienna. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1948-01-01

• The Viktor Frankl Institute was founded in Vienna to further his work. (Source: Britannica)

  1992-01-01

• Died of heart failure in Vienna, Austria. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1997-09-02

Viktor Frankl

Viktor Emil Frankl (Austrian German: [ˈfraŋkl̩]; 26 March 1905 – 2 September 1997) was an Austrian neurologist, psychiatrist, philosopher, and Holocaust survivor, who founded logotherapy, a school of psychotherapy that describes a search for a life's meaning as the central human motivational force. Logotherapy is part of existential and humanistic psychology theories. Logotherapy was promoted as the third school of Viennese Psychotherapy, after those established by Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler. Frankl wrote 39 books. The best-selling autobiographical book Man's Search for Meaning is based on his experiences in various Nazi concentration camps.

Web Search Results

• Viktor Frankl | Biography, Books, Theory, & Facts | Britannica

  Viktor Frankl (born March 26, 1905, Vienna, Austria—died September 2, 1997, Vienna) was an Austrian psychiatrist and psychotherapist who developed the psychological approach known as logotherapy, widely recognized as the “third school” of Viennese psychotherapy, after the “first school” of Sigmund Freud and the “second school” of Alfred Adler. The basis of Frankl’s theory was that the primary motivation of an individual is the search for meaning in life and that the primary purpose of psychotherapy should be to help the individual find that meaning. [...] # Viktor Frankl Austrian psychologist Also known as: Viktor Emil Frankl Written and fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated •History ## News • Her kidnapped son was killed in a Gaza tunnel. A new memoir gives a searing account of her grief • Apr. 21, 2026, 8:46 PM ET (AP) Top Questions [...] See all related content Following liberation, Frankl returned to Vienna, where he became head of the neurological department at the General Polyclinic hospital. He produced the classic book Ein Psycholog erlebt das Konzentrationslager (1946; “A Psychologist Experiences the Concentration Camp”; published in English as Man’s Search for Meaning), which he dictated to a team of assistants in nine days and which went on to sell millions of copies in dozens of languages. Frankl also taught at the University of Vienna until 1990 and at a number of American universities. A few months before his death, he published Man’s Search for Ultimate Meaning and Recollections: An Autobiography. The Viktor Frankl Institute in Vienna was founded in 1992 to further his work.

• Viktor Frankl | Happiness and Meaning |Pursuit of Happiness

  Viktor Frankl was an Austrian neurologist and psychologist who founded what he called the field of “Logotherapy”, which has been dubbed the “Third Viennese School of Psychology” (following Freud and Alder). Logotherapy developed in and through Frankl’s personal experience in the Theresienstadt Nazi concentration camp. The years spent there deeply affected his understanding of reality and the meaning of human life. His most popular book, Man’s Search for Meaning, chronicles his experience in the camp as well as the development of logotherapy. During his time there, he found that those around him who did not lose their sense of purpose and meaning in life were able to survive much longer than those who had lost their way. William James would have considered this life changing event to be a [...] ## Frankl’s Background Victor Emil Frankl (1905 – 1997), Austrian neurologist, psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor, devoted his life to studying, understanding and promoting “meaning.” Viktor FranklViktor Frankl Viktor Frankl Viktor Frankl His famous book, Man’s Search for Meaning, tells the story of how he survived the Holocaust by finding personal meaning in the experience, which gave him the will to live through it. He went on to later establish a new school of existential therapy called logotherapy, based in the premise that man’s underlying motivator in life is a “will to meaning,” even in the most difficult of circumstances.

• Viktor Frankl - Wikipedia

  Austrian neurologist (1905–1997) | Viktor Frankl | | Image 4 Frankl in 1965 | | Born | Viktor Emil Frankl (1905-03-26)26 March 1905 Vienna, Austria-Hungary | | Died | 2 September 1997(1997-09-02) (aged 92) Vienna, Austria | | Resting place | Vienna Central Cemetery | | Alma mater | University of Vienna (MD, 1930; PhD, 1948) | | Occupations | neurologist, psychiatrist, philosopher, and author | | Known for | Logotherapy Existential analysis | | Spouse(s) | Tilly Grosser, m. 1941 – c. 1944–1945 (her death) Eleonore Katharina Schwindt, m. 1947 | | Children | 1 | [...] In 1924, Frankl's first scientific paper was published in the _Internationale Zeitschrift für Psychoanalyse._( In the same year, he was president of the _Sozialistische Mittelschüler Österreich_, the Social Democratic Party of Austria's youth movement for high school students. Frankl's father was a socialist who named him after Viktor Adler, the founder of the party.( During this time, Frankl began questioning the Freudian approach to psychoanalysis. He joined Alfred Adler's circle of students and published his second academic paper, "Psychotherapy and Worldview" (_"Psychotherapie und Weltanschauung"_), in Adler's _International Journal of Individual Psychology_ in 1925.( Frankl was expelled from Adler's circle( when he insisted that meaning was the central motivational force in human [...] In 1947, Frankl married Eleonore "Elly" Katharina Schwindt, who was a practicing Catholic. The couple respected each other's religious backgrounds, both attending church and synagogue, and celebrating Christmas and Hanukkah. Although it was not known for 50 years, his wife and son-in-law reported after his death that he prayed every day and had memorized the words of daily Jewish prayers and psalms.( Viktor and Elly Frankl had one daughter, Gabriele, who went on to become a child psychologist.( Frankl's grandson, Alexander Vesely, is a licensed psychotherapist, producer and documentary film director, who co-founded the Viktor Frankl Institute of America.( Alexander Vesely produced, filmed, and edited the documentary _Viktor & I_.(

• Viktor Frankl

  That young doctor was, of course, Viktor Emil Frankl. Viktor Frankl was born in Vienna on March 26, 1905. His father, Gabriel Frankl, was a strong, disciplined man from Moravia who worked his way from government stenographer to become the director of the Ministry of Social Service. His mother, Elsa Frankl (née Lion), was more tenderhearted, a pious woman from Prague. The middle of three children, young Viktor was precocious and intensely curious. Even at the tender age of four, he already knew that he wanted to be a physician. [...] Therapy Viktor Frankl is nearly as well known for certain clinical details of his approach as for his overall theory. The first of these details is a technique known as paradoxical intention, which is useful in breaking down the neurotic vicious cycles brought on by anticipatory anxiety and hyperintention. Paradoxical intention is a matter of wishing the very thing you are afraid of. A young man who sweated profusely whenever he was in social situations was told by Frankl to wish to sweat. “I only sweated out a quart before, but now I’m going to pour at least ten quarts!” (1973, p. 223) was among his instructions. Of course, when it came down to it, the young man couldn’t do it. The absurdity of the task broke the vicious cycle. [...] In 1992, friends and family members established the Viktor Frankl Institute in his honor. In 1995, he finished his autobiography, and in 1997, he published his final work, Man’s Search for Ultimate Meaning, based on his doctoral dissertation. He has 32 books to his name, and they have been translated into 27 languages. Viktor Emil Frankl died on September 2, 1997, of heart failure. He is survived by his wife Eleonore, his daughter Dr. Gabriele Frankl-Vesely, his grandchildren Katharina and Alexander, and his great-granddaughter Anna Viktoria. His impact on psychology and psychiatry will be felt for centuries to come. Theory

• The Life of Viktor E. Frankl - The Viktor E. Frankl Institute of America % %

  With a lifetime that spanned most of the 20th Century, Viktor Emil Frankl (March 26, 1905 –September 2, 1997) was witness to a transformative period in world history. He is most known for being a Holocaust survivor, but in reality, this represented a short period in his long life. By the time he entered the concentration camps at 37 years old, he had already spent much of his adult life as a psychiatrist and neurologist, specializing in the treatment of suicidal patients. He had also developed his own psychotherapy school called Logotherapy (Greek for “healing through meaning”). His lasting contribution has been to the field of psychology, with his recognition of _meaning_ as a central factor in mental health and his advocacy that the psychologist’s role was to help their patients find [...] Image 9: Viktor Frankl, at the age of 24, in 1929 Viktor Frankl, at the age of 24, in 1929. ### His views about meaning brought him into conflict with Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler, the founders of modern psychology. As a teenager, he corresponded with Freud and then joined Adler’s school for a time. Both published his writings on psychology. While still in his early 20s, he not only understood the principles of the new science of psychology, he sought to improve upon the ideas of Freud and Adler. Although he acknowledged the importance of their work, he went on to establish his own theory, Logotherapy, which is often referred to as the Third School of Viennese Psychology. [...] Viktor Frankl, at the age of 24, in 1929. ### His views about meaning brought him into conflict with Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler, the founders of modern psychology. As a teenager, he corresponded with Freud and then joined Adler’s school for a time. Both published his writings on psychology. While still in his early 20s, he not only understood the principles of the new science of psychology, he sought to improve upon the ideas of Freud and Adler. Although he acknowledged the importance of their work, he went on to establish his own theory, Logotherapy, which is often referred to as the Third School of Viennese Psychology. #### Prior to the war, Frankl gained extensive experience at Steinhof Psychiatric Hospital where he was in charge of the “pavilion for suicidal women”.