Historians of science, philosophers and intellectual historians have shown renewed interest in Erich Rothacker (1888–1965) in recent years. Alongside Scheler, Plessner and Gehlen, the philosopher and psychologist with a wealth of cultural history is one of the great thinkers of philosophical anthropology and had a great influence on the German humanities of his time. This overall biography fulfills a research desideratum in that it contextualizes Rothacker's sociobiographical living conditions, his personal attitudes and his scientific work on a broad source basis. His thinking and work during the Nazi era is illuminated in detail and consciously embedded in the analysis of the entire "lifespan" in order to comprehensively understand the diverse interdependencies between scientific and pre-scientific awareness at Rothacker. Another focus is the historical classification of Rothacker's personality psychology. Awarded the Max Dessoire Prize for outstanding work on the history of psychology in 2013.