1905

March 26: Viktor Emil Frankl is born in Vienna; he is the second of three children. 

1915-1923

In his high school years Frankl eagerly reads the "Nature Philosophers" and attends public lectures on Applied Psychology. He gets in contact with Psychoanalysis.

1921

First public lecture by Frankl: "On the Meaning of Life". He becomes a functionary of the Young Socialist Workers.

1923

High school graduation essay: "On the psychology of philosophical thought" (a psychoanalytically oriented study on Arthur Schopenhauer)

1924

Frankl's essay "On the mimic movements of affirmation and negation" is published in the "International Journal of Psychoanalysis". Frankl is studying medicine and acts as spokesman of the Austrian Socialist High School Students Association. A year later he meets Freud in person, but becomes more and more involved with Alfred Adler.

1925

Frankl's article "Psychotherapy and Weltanschauung" is published in the "International Journal of Individual Psychology".

1926

Frankl presents public lectures on congresses in Duesseldorf, Frankfurt, Berlin; for the first time he uses the word LOGOTHERAPY.

1927

His relationship to Alfred Adler is declining. Frankl becomes involved with Rudolf Allers and Oswald Schwarz (the founder of psychosomatic medicine). He is enthusiastic about Max Scheler's book "Formalism in Ethics and Non-formal Ethics of Values". Against his intention he is excluded from the Adler circle. Adler's daughter Alexandra, Rudolf Dreikurs and other important Adlerians keep up friendly relations with him.

1928 - 1929

In Vienna and in six other European cities Frankl organizes youth counseling centers where adolescents in need may obtain advice and help free of cost. Individual psychologists such as Charlotte Buehler and Erwin Wexberg join Frankl's project, and the anatomy professor and Vienna councilman Julius Tandler provides financial support.

1930

He organizes a special counseling program at the end of the school term, whereupon, for the first time in years, no student suicide occurs in Vienna. Frankl gains international attention: Wilhelm Reich invites him to Berlin, the universities of Prague and Budapest want him for lecturing. At the Adult Education Center he presents a course on psychological hygiene. Shortly before earning his M.D. he starts to work at the Psychotherapeutic Department of the Psychiatric University Clinic; after his doctorate he is promoted to "Assistant".

1931 - 1932

Frankl obtains training in neurology. He works at the "Maria Theresien Schloessl" in Vienna

1933 - 1937

Frankl becomes chief of the "Female Suicidals Pavilion" at the Psychiatric Hospital in Vienna, with some 3000 patients annually passing through his hands.

1937

Frankl opens a practice as Doctor of Neurology and Psychiatry.

1938

Invasion of Austria by the Hitler troops - the "Anschluss".

1939

In his paper: 
"PHILOSOPHY AND PSYCHOTHERAPY. 
ON THE FOUNDATION OF AN EXISTENTIAL ANALYSIS" 
he coins the expression "Existential Analysis". Frankl obtains an immigration visa to America but lets it pass unused, not wanting to desert his old parents.

1940 - 1942

He becomes director of the Neurological Department of the Rothschild Hospital, a clinic for Jewish patients. In spite of the danger to his own life he sabotages Nazi procedures by making false diagnoses to prevent the euthanasia of mentally ill patients. He publishes several articles in Swiss medical journals, and starts writing the first version of his book "AERZTLICHE SEELSORGE" (THE DOCTOR AND THE SOUL) . In 1941 Frankl marries his first wife, Tilly Grosser.

1942

The nazis force the young couple to have their child aborted. In September Viktor and Tilly Frankl are arrested and together with his parents are deported to the Theresienstadt Ghetto, north of Prague. His sister Stella has shortly before escaped to Australia, and brother Walter and his wife are trying to escape via Italy. After half a year in Theresienstadt his father dies of exhaustion.

1944

Frankl and Tilly, and shortly later his 65 year old mother, are transported to the extinction camp Auschwitz. His mother is immediately murdered in the gas chamber, and Tilly is moved to Bergen-Belsen, where she is to die at the age of 24. In cattle cars Viktor Frankl is transported, via Vienna, to Kaufering and Türkheim (subsidiary camps of Dachau). Even under the extreme conditions of the camps Frankl finds his theses about fate and freedom corroborated.

1945

In the last camp he comes down with typhoid fever. On April 27 the camp is liberated by U.S. troops. In August Frankl returns to Vienna, where he learns, within a span of a few days, about the death of his wife, his mother and his brother who has been murdered in Auschwitz together with his wife.

1946

Frankl overcomes his despair; he becomes director of the Vienna Neurological Policlinic, a position he holds for 25 years. With his reconstructed book "ÄRZTLICHE SEELSORGE" he attains his "Habilitation", or teaching appointment, at the University of Vienna Medical School. He dictates, within 9 days, the book"EIN PSYCHOLOG ERLRBT DAS KONZENTRATIONSLAGER", which is later translated into English and published as "MAN'S SEARCH FOR MEANING". By 1997 more than 9 million copies of this book had been sold.

1947

Frankl marries Eleonore Schwindt; in December their daughter Gabriele is born. Frankl publishes his most practice-oriented book,"PSYCHOTHERAPIE IN DER PRAXIS" 

1948

Frankl obtains his Ph.D. in philosophy with a dissertation on "THE UNCONSCIOUS GOD".

1950

Frankl creates the "Austrian Medical Society forPsychotherapy" and becomes its first president. On the basis of a lecture series he writes the book, "HOMO PATIENS. VERSUCH EINER PATHODIZEE" with its central theme of how to give support and comfort to suffering people. At the "Salzburger Hochschulwochen" Frankl expounds his "10 THESES ON THE HUMAN PERSON".

1952

Together with Otto Pötzl, Frankl publishes a psychophysiological study about the experiences of a falling mountain climber.

1956

The theoretical and practical aspects of neuroses from the viewpoint of logotherapy are treated in the book "THEORIE UND THERAPIE DER NEUROSEN" nieder.

1959

A very systematic treatment of logotherapy and existential analysis appears as the book chapter:"GRUNDRISS DER EXISTENZANALYSE UND LOGOTHERAPIE" im "HANDBUCH DER NEUROSENLEHRE UND PSYCHOTHERAPIE", edited by Frankl, Gebsattel and Schultz.

1961

Guest professor at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

1966

Guest professorship at the Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas. Based on his lecture manuscripts Frankl publishes "THE WILL TO MEANING"

1988

At the Memorial Day commemorating the 50th year after the invasion by the Hitler troops, Frankl presents a widely noted public address at the Vienna "Rathausplatz".

1992

The "Viktor Frankl Institute" is founded in Vienna by a number of academic friends and family members.

1995

The autobiography "WAS NICHT IN MEINEN BÜCHERN STEHT" (What is not in my books) is published.

1997

Frankl's last book is published:
"MAN'S SEARCH FOR ULTIMATE MEANING". 

On September 2 Viktor Frankl dies of heart failure.

The search of the meaning of life for teenagers

The meaning of life is not something that you discover from one day to another, it is something you have to seek throughout years. It is not easy, but once you have discovered the meaning to your life you will know the meaning of your universe, your path throughout life. Life will be easier, perhaps not easy, but easier than if you ignore your way through life. A person with the sense of sight has, in a way, advantage over someone who has lost, or has never have this sense. In the same way a person who is aware of his reason for living has advantages over he who doesn´t know his. Also, a person can lose or forget the meaning of his life.                                 

The first step to discover the meaning of life is accepting oneself. A person who has not yet accepted himself will spend his time envying the success of other people rather than finding their own way to success.  Once accepting oneself, it will become easier to look and focus only in one´s path, and not in the other´s.

Always try to do new things and getting out of the comfort zone. It is important to challenge yourself once in a while, this way you will avoid routines and you will not be trapped in the same activities always. Doing this you increase your chances to find the path of your life to happiness.

If you ever feel hopeless of tired of life don´t give up, it will not last forever, unless you want it. There is only one life, and you are young, you still have hope. With the help of your friends, and family you can easily get out of sadness. If you ever feel lonely remember that there I always someone that is disposed to help you, even if you don´t have hundreds of friends, there is always someone. When you ever fall down and make something wrong instead of feeling sad or depressed just rise, remember that it doesn´t matter how many times you fall, but how many you are able to sand up again. Falls are the best ways to learn, “Good decisions come from experience, and experience comes from bad decisions” said someone. The more you fall the more experienced you will become at things.

Life is great and full of color, you just have to see it from the right perspective and it will be easier. Never forget that life has a mission for everyone, it is only question of time to find your own, never give up, always try to be better at everything, always quit your comfort zone and try something new, and never give up. Always seek your happiness, at any cost. 
-Josué

Frankl’s theory of success;
We disagree with his theory of success because he says success cannot be pursued, you have to forget about it and it will come eventually, we think that one cannot become successful that way, instead if we forget about success we will not achieve it and will become a failure since success equals to dedication and work except in some rare cases. One must focus their attention and work hard on their dreams and ambitions to become successful.


Success is desired by everyone and in order to get it, you must set a goal. If you don't think about it and just wait for it to happen, it will never do. To reach success you must take action, don't be passive, instead be active. 

-Aarón

 

                                                                                                      Monterrey, Nuevo León. April 19, 2013

 

Estimated Dr.Frankl:

 

         I’ve read your experiences in the concentration camps in your book titled “Man’s Search For Meaning”. I got awestruck when I kept reading how the Capos and the personal in the camps treated all the prisoners. But most importantly, I want to tell you that the fact that you could escape from the camp but decided to stay so you could help the sick prisoners makes you extremely humane. I believe that not everyone, in fact, the majority of the people who are or were presented to that kind of situation would rather escape than staying to help, even if it meant that your death probabilities were extremely high. In my personal opinion, you did the right thing making that decision and most importantly I really want to thank you for sharing your experience with the world, it is worth it because we need to make conscience as human race to never reach that point of inhumane conditions again. In respect with what you mentioned in the 1992 about not actually liking that “Man’s search for Meaning” became a bestseller is true. I agree with you because it becoming a bestseller means that people lack a meaning in life, well actually don’t know it yet, and try to find it in a book.

 

                                                                                                                         Wish you my best,

                                                                                                                                       Alonso