Roberto Assagioli
1888–1974 · Italian psychiatrist and founder of psychosynthesis
Roberto Assagioli (Venice, 1888 – Capolona, 1974) was an Italian psychiatrist and one of the pioneers of humanistic and transpersonal psychology. He founded psychosynthesis, an integrative approach that serves as a method of self-development as well as a school of psychotherapy, aimed at integrating and harmonising the different elements of the personality.
He trained in medicine in Florence, graduating in 1910 with a thesis on psychoanalysis. Fluent in several languages, he corresponded with German-speaking analysts and befriended Carl Jung. He soon distanced himself from Freud, whose work he saw as a necessary but not final stage of psychological integration. Rather than dwelling on pathology, Assagioli turned his attention to health, to people's inner potential and to the growth of latent qualities.
In 1926 he first used the term psychosynthesis and founded the Institute of Culture and Psychic Therapy in Rome. His central idea is that personality is organised around a unifying centre, with the help of the will, and that each person contains sub-personalities that often conflict with one another. The fascist government forced the institute to close in 1938, and Assagioli was imprisoned in 1940. After the war he reopened the centre in Florence. His influence continues through schools, centres and publications around the world.
Key ideas
- Unifying centre: the personality is organised and harmonised around a core that directs and orders its components.
- Sub-personalities: each person contains several parts that often conflict and of which we are not always aware.
- Integration: the goal is to recognise, accept and transform these parts into a harmonious synthesis.
- Will: the faculty that allows the unifying centre to guide the process of self-formation.
Curiosities
A gifted child
According to his biographers, by the age of 18 he spoke eight languages, many of which he had taught himself.
Avoiding the front line
During the First World War, because of his physical disabilities he served in the rear, and he reportedly carried a replica weapon made of soap or wood in a holster to appear compliant with military requirements.
Original Filopedia text based on Wikipedia (es) and Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.