2026 Invited Speaker: Alfreid Längle, M.D., PhD, Dr. h. c. mult.

Presenting: Authenticity and the Mystery of Being a Person

Being in the world can vary greatly, but to a large extent, it depends on us how we build our house of existence. Existential theory emphasizes one’s capacity and responsibility to shape one’s life through decision-making. But how can we orient ourselves so that our being here becomes our true existence? How can we resonate inwardly with what we do and how we live, and be fully present? A prerequisite to reaching that point is becoming truly oneself and finding the path to the true self. Otherwise, we lose ourselves and feel dependent, alienated, and “not at home” in our existence.

The presentation will focus on how we can find out who we actually are on theoretical and practical levels. What role does the deciding ego play in reference to being a person? What does it mean to be a person? Then, practically speaking, how can I live my true self and bring it into the world? How can I remain true to the actual, original me—not the educated or socially trained me—over time?

If we can live in congruence with our true self and our personhood, we can find existential purpose and meaning.

Alfreid Längle, M.D., PhD, Dr. h. c. mult., professor, born in 1951 in Austria, studied medicine and psychology at the Universities of Innsbruck, Rome, Toulouse and Vienna. After years of hospital work in general medicine and psychiatry and in an outpatient department of social psychiatry he started a private practice in psychotherapy, general medicine and clinical psychology in Vienna (since 1982). Close collaboration with Viktor Frankl from 1982 to 1991. Founder (1983) and president (until 2017) of the International Society for Logotherapy and Existential Analysis (Vienna). Lecturer at the Universities of Vienna (1984 – 2006), Innsbruck (1994 – 2000), Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile, Salta, Moscow etc. In addition, he is a professor of applied psychology (psychotherapy) at the Moscow’s HSE-university (since 2004), at Vienna’s Sigmund Freud university (2011) and Docent at the psychological department of the university of Klagenfurt, Austria (since 2006). Founder of the training school of Existential-Analytical Psychotherapy, Counselling and Coaching. This training is stately approved by several states in Europe and by the leading psychotherapeutic organisations. He was Vice President of the oldest International Federation of Psychotherapy between 2002 – 2010 (IFP 1934). 6 honorary professorships in medicine and psychology, Golden Medal for Merits for the Republic of Austria.

Over 400 publications, including the following books:

– 1988 Sinnvoll leben. Angewandte Existenzanalyse. St. Pölten: NP-Verlag. (also in portug., spanish, kroatian, hungarian, russian translation)

– 1998 Viktor Frankl. Ein Porträt. München: Piper. (also in spanish 2000 and russian 2010 translation, English in preparation)

– 2014 Existentielles Coaching. Vienna: Facultas

– 2018 Sovremennyi ekzistencial‘nyj analiz. Istorija, teorija, praktika, issledovanija. Moskva: Jurait

– 2019 The Wiley World Handbook of Existential Therapy. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley, Eds: Van Deurzen E, Craig E, Längle A., Schneider K, Tantam D, du Plock S

– 2019 Woplo’shennaja Ekzistenzija. Razwitie, primenenie i konzepty ekzistenzial’nogo analiza. Char’kov: Gumanitarnyi Zentr

– 2025 Existenzanalyse. Existentielle Zugänge der Psychotherapie. Vienna: Facultas (also in Russian and soon in English)