Language, Individual & Society, Volume 13, 2019

Rezumat: Today, the eternal question of finding the meaning of life is perhaps more present than ever. Regardless of our living situation, our material conditions of poverty or well-being, or our different life circumstances, there is still the need to answer questions such as: Why are we here What is the meaning of existence? What is the meaning of my life? What makes sense in what's going on around us? These questions are deeply rooted in human nature, are very complex, and put us into reality wider than any disease, as they have existed as long as humankind. Viktor E. The creator of logotherapy or, as it is often called, the third Vienna school of psychotherapy, provided answers to these and many other questions through his life and work. He came to the conclusion that we are people in the full sense of the word only when we realize a meaningful task, or when we forget ourselves because of love toward another, and place others in the center of our interest. In particular, he emphasized responsibility as a formal-ethical value, which in itself is a prerequisite for all other values, without determining their order. Looking at the upbringing of children and children's literature in a logotherapy context, the question arises as to how and to what extent literacy can help introduce pre-school and early school-age children into thinking about meaning and values. The paper explores logotherapeutic elements in works of children's literature, as well as the possibilities of mediating basic logotherapeutic concepts and values for pre-school and early school-age children. It also presents and analyses the results of the research conducted with the students of the final semester of the Faculty of Teacher Education, the values and literary works that transmit them, the hierarchy of values, i.e., the selection of literary works which contain logotherapeutic elements.