Will to live

The will to live (German: 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.

This is contrasted with the concept of the will to survive under life threatening conditions used in psychology[citation needed] since Schopenhauer’s notion of the will to live is more broadly understood as the “animal[istic] force to endure, reproduce and flourish.”[1]

There are significant correlations between the will to live and existential, psychological, social, and physical sources of distress.[2] Many, who overcome near-death experiences with no explanation, have described the will to live as a direct component of their survival.[3] The difference between the wish to die versus the wish to live is also a unique risk factor for suicide.[4]

  1. ^ Wicks, Robert (September 9, 2021). "Arthur Schopenhauer". In Zalta, Edward N. (ed.). Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2021 ed.).
  2. ^ "Understanding the Will to Live in Patients Nearing Death". The Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine (2005)
  3. ^ "What Is the Will to Live? (with picture)". The Health Board. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
  4. ^ Brown, Gregory K.; Steer, RA; Henriques, GR; Beck, AT (October 2005). "The Internal Struggle Between the Wish to Die and the Wish to Live: A Risk Factor for Suicide". American Journal of Psychiatry. 162 (10): 1977–1979. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.162.10.1977. PMID 16199851.