Background. Posttraumatic growth refers to the positive psychological changes following a traumatic event. One of the most important and traumatic histories in modern civilization was The Holocaust, and yet to discover meaning even from the most painful experience has been the legacy of many Holocaust survivors. While the search and the presence of new meaning in life were an important part of the journey toward posttraumatic growth experience, only a number of studies have closely examined these subjects from survivors’ perspective. Therefore, this study aims to answer: (1) How did the search and the presence of meaning in life contribute to the posttraumatic growth experience of the Holocaust survivors? (2) What survivors’ personal characteristics and circumstances did contribute to their posttraumatic growth experience? (3) How to facilitate trauma survivors to experience posttraumatic growth in clinical settings?

Methods. Psychobiography was used as a method to analyze the autobiographies of Viktor Frankl and Elie Wiesel. We focused on their subjective interpretations about their life at the camp and compared it with the life before-and-after the camp. Theory of posttraumatic growth and meaning in life were used as a framework to interpret their autobiographies. Frankl, one of the key figures in existential approach and the founder of Logotherapy, and Wiesel, a celebrated writer, a humanitarian activist, and a Nobel Laureate for Peace, were purposefully chosen considering that both were well-known Holocaust survivors with influential and internationally recognized professional works. Moreover, their thorough narratives were also regarded as one of the best in depicting the life of a camp prisoner, hence understanding their narratives may help to understand the psychological mechanism of other people underwent similar traumatic experiences.

Results. Examination on autobiographies of Frankl and Wiesel revealed that: (1) Holocaust had undoubtedly challenged Frankl and Wiesel fundamental schemas about life. At the same time, the event was also set in motion the process of cognitive restructuring. Abrupt changes of life circumstances had forced Frankl and Wiesel to engage in a constant process of searching and finding the reasons to keep them alive. For Frankl, it was the love for his wife and his passion for science. For Wiesel, the reason was the presence of his father. Their constant engagement to search and find meanings that were able to accommodate the changed reality of their life was an important contribution to the redevelopment of their life narrative. (2) Frankl and Wiesel differences in personal characteristics and circumstances had differently influenced their posttraumatic growth experiences. These differences include the developmental stages they were at when the traumatic event occurred, how sudden the traumatic event was perceived by them, their personality, their ability to handle the distress, and the presence of supportive others. (3) Clinicians can help survivors experiencing posttraumatic growth by providing an environment where survivors can talk openly about their internal struggle, helping survivors to cope with emotional distress, encouraging them to engage in deliberate cognitive processing, and focusing more on the struggle rather than the suffering when rebuilding their personal narrative.

Conclusions. Engagement in searching and finding for new meaning was a central cognitive process for the posttraumatic growth to occur. However, individual characteristics and circumstances also need to be considered. This knowledge could be utilized to promote posttraumatic growth in clinical settings.

Added-values. Posttraumatic growth was mostly studied through empirical methods which were less adept to capture survivors’ subjective experiences. Psychobiography analysis allows readers to study and appreciate Holocaust survivors’ narratives in a more in-depth, personal, and reflective manner. Thus, not only this study helps readers to gain a deeper understanding of the subject, it also helps them to be more empathetic as well as to promote readers’ self-awareness.

Contribution to the society. This study elucidates on how notable Holocaust survivors transformed their suffering into psychological growth. Furthermore, the lesson-learned could help individuals or society to reflect on any personal or collective crisis they have encountered and to use this study as a reference on how to rebuild meaning and go beyond the hardship.

Keywords: Holocaust, posttraumatic growth, life narrative, presence of meaning, searching for meaning