The will to live (German: der Wille zum Leben) is a concept developed by the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, representing an irrational "blind incessant impulse without knowledge" that drives instinctive behaviors, causing an endless insatiable striving in human existence.
[4] In psychology, the will to live is the drive for self-preservation, usually coupled with expectations for future improvement in one's state in life.
[5] The will to live is an important concept when attempting to understand and comprehend why we do what we do in order to stay alive, and for as long as we can.
[8] Viktor Frankl, who spent time in German concentration camps, developed psychotherapy called logotherapy, which may be translated as the therapy focused on the "will to meaning".
Maslow's hierarchy of needs highlights the innate appetite that people possess for love and belonging but before all this there is the very basic and powerful will to live.
There are also usually varying degrees of curiosity with regard to what may be termed the will to identity or establishing meaningful personal responses.
Organisms also evolve while adapting - even thriving - in a benign environment (for example, a marine sponge modifies its structure in response to current changes, in order to better absorb and process nutrients).
[14] Existential issues found to correlate significantly include hopelessness, the desire for death, sense of dignity, and burden to others.
[16] Findings on the will to live have suggested that psychological variables are replaced by physical mediators of variation as death draws nearer.
[18] An earlier study conducted in 2002 tested the idea in terminally ill cancer patients, with most participants being elderly.
[19] Anecdotal evidence also suggests a correlation between the individual will to live and survival in traumatic situations that include maltreatment.