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Psycfwsynthesis 'Typ0Co9y
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ROBERTO ASSAGIOLI N[D
Psycfwsyntliesis
'Typ0Co9y
(I TIPI UlVlANI)
PsycFwsynthesis ?v[onographs
Copyright© 1983
Institute of Psychosynthesis, London
ISSN 0309-4025
A compila tion of
unpublished writings by Roberto Assagioli
collated by
the Istituto di Psicosin tesi, Florence.
J o an I Eva ns Editor
Introduction 11
ffi
The Wi(( Type 17
@
The Love Type 25
8
The Active· Practica[ Type 38
~
The Creative· Artistic Type 50 ·
CB
The Scientific Type 59
0
The Devotiona( · Idea(istic Type 68
@
The Or9anisationa[ Type 77
Introduction
The practical i mportance o f the science o f human types
lies in its applicati o n to ourselves - the attempt to classify
ours e lv e s and o thers is an interesting and usefu l exercise
that should e nable us to refine our psychological perception.
How e ver, when we try to do this we disco v e r that, while it
is e asy t o identify some individuals, we b ec o m e doub tful
and c onfused ab o u t s o m e o th e r s o r, having o n c e c l assified
t h e m, we find w e need to r e consider our opinio n later.
The r e are s everal causes o f this problem and i t is valuabl e
to e x amine t h e m in order t o improve o u r understanding o f
t h e sub j e c t .
First, there are individuals who s e e m t o resist a l l
attempts a t classifica tion. T h e s e are sub-divided i n t o two
groups: one c o mposed o f l e ss w e l l- I ntegrated people who
co uld b e called apathe ti c i n the e xpression o f their latent
qualities, and another of more highly-developed individuals
who are many- sided and v ersatile and have reached a more
advanced s tage in the various aspec ts of their person
alities.
S ec o ndly, a stage o f life or a particular experience can
c o nc eal a p erso n ' s fundamental type for a c ertain l e ngth o f
t i m e a n d c a n give the impression that he b�lo ngs t o
a n o ther. For e xampl e , a pers o n o f the mental type can fall
in love (even the most arid s c i e ntist is not insensitive to
lov e!) and this fac t can give the impression for a time that
he b el o ngs to the love type , thus causing an error in
our classification.
Finally, there is ano ther reas o n for error that is more
interesting b ecause it arises fro m a fundamental principle
o f our psychol ogical life and this principle is in its turn the
manifestation o f a natural law. It has to do with the exis
tence of compensation and hypercompensation .
M edical science has discovered the existence o f the
Introduction 11
b ody's marvellous power o f s e l f-regulation and compen
satory reaction which always t e nds to maintain or restore
harmony and equilibrium i n physical functions and s tates.
An example o f this can be seen i n the ingenious way i n
which the b ody, b y the dilation and contraction o f t h e
b l o o d vessels a n d through the process o f respiration, main
tains a constant t e mp erature i n spite o f great variations
b etwe e n h o t and cold in the e xternal e nviro nment.
Ano ther exampl e is that o f the complicated reciprocal
influ e nce of the endocrine glands, whose well-regulated
p o larities result in a dynam ic equilibrium that makes
physical life possib l e .
T h e s a m e principl e i s active i n o ur psycho logical life i n
which i t tends to correct excesses a n d irregularities b y
aro using t h e e l em e n ts that are o pp os i te o r co mplementary
to the dominant o n e s . For several reasons, however, this
power o f s e l f-regulation and compensation doesn't always
functio n properly, e i th e r i n our physical or o ur psycho logi
cal life. S o m e times i t is i nadequate ; at o ther times it
op erates t o e xcess, producing e xaggerated reactions or
what we call hyperco mp ensation. In fact, we o ften have the
tendency to over- es ti mate precisely the quali ty that w e
lack.
Two famous exampl e s o f hyperco mpensation are those
o f Nie tzche and Tolstoy. N i etzche originally had a s e nsi
tive, p assio nate b u t rather weak nature and, i n his frantic
efforts to conqu er his l i mi tations, he o ver- e mp hasised the
value of p ower and of a stern and unyielding will, coming in
the e nd to justify crue l ty i t s e l f.
The case o f Tolstoy is at t h e opposite e xtrem e . B y
nature a man o f great vitality, Tolstoy was impulsive and
violent, with strong instincts and a great love o f b eauty and
physical well- b e i ng. He tried to master himself and in his
struggle against h is exub era n t nature, which w e may read
i n his diary - a human and p sycholo g ical docume n t of grea t
12 Psychosynthesis Typology
value - h e arrived at the g lorification o f non- resistance t o
evil and o f c e libacy a n d e ventually c a m e to an excessive
depreciation o f art and a t o tal condemnation o f modern
civilisatio n.
A part fro m these well-known examples we have many
cases, half amusing and half pathetic, of weak, timid and
uns u c c essful men who affe c t to possess Napoleonic
qualities.
These hypercompe nsatio ns can o ften be o b s e rved in
o u tward b ehaviour and thus we are familiar with timid peo
ple who b ehave arrogantly and aggressively in reactio n
against their inner natur e . L ess well k nown, p erhaps, are
p e o p l e o f the opposite kind who seem timid and irresolute
but who are essentially violent individuals. F e aring that
they cannot c o ntrol the explosiveness of their character,
they restrain and hide i t under a sub missiv e and acquies
c e n t manner. A similar case is that o f the hyper- e mo tional
typ es who viole ntly repress their fee lings and assume a cold
and insensitive manne r.
A fter discovering the type t o which w e b elong, we must
face the probl e m , which is b oth pra c tical and spiritual, of
how to utilise the knowledg e we have acquired t o effe c t
o u r sel f-realisation.
The tasks that each psycho logical typ e must face can b e
synthetically indicated in the fo llowing terms:-
E xpress ion
The first thing we must do is to a c c e p t within o urselves the
typ e to which we b elo ng. This does not mean that we
passively and unconsciously a c c e p t our own chara c t e r
without self- knowledge o r any attemp t to develop our
selves, as we may o b s e rv e the mass o f people do, who l e t
In trodu ctio n 13
themselves b e blindly led b y what hap p e ns to them. I t is
rathe r a question o f a c o nscious and willing recogniti o n o f
the potentialities o f o u r type; o f what i t c a n teach u s , o f its
oppo rtunities and dange rs; and finally o f the kind of s er
vice that it can p e r form in the world. I t is an o p e n and
enlightened a c c e p ta n c e , b ased on recognition of the fac t
that o nly through t h e wise use o f o u r actual qualities can
we fre e ourselves fro m their limitations. W e cannot attain
this end r e maining ignorant o f our typ e , disdaining it, o r
trying t o avoid it, a s s o many do, c onsciously o r u n c o n
sciously imitating o ther types o r c o r r e cting its limitations
b y fo rce through hyp e rc o mp e nsation. Therefo r e , our
c h i e f task m u s t b e the expressio n a n d p e rfec tion o f our
type in the purest and most developed way possib l e .
Control
The s e c o nd task we must fa c e is that o f c o n trolling and c or
recting the exc essess o f the psycho l ogical type to which w e
b el o ng. W e all have t h e tendency to fol l ow t h e line o f least
resistance and s o to c ontinue to express and develop the
quality that is already active in us. This is agre e ab l e and
usefu l and an apparently p o si tive way of l iving. Neverthe
less, if we indulge o urse lv e s too m u c h i n this way, i t will
produce an incr easing disharmony and a distorte d devel o p
m ent. This in fac t frus trates t h e ultimate o b j e c t o f our
evolution whic h-is to pro d u c e whol e p erso na e with all their
facu l ties developed at all l ev els.
We can say e v e n m o r e . If one aspe ct of our b eing is
devel o p e d to e x cess, it c o m es to a p oi nt w h ere the e xpres
sion o f its own qualities will be arrested. F or exam p l e , if a
s c i e ntific p erso n develops his type and m e ntal a ctivity
m o n o p olises his l ife, l eaving his e m otional nature s terile
and his physcia l b ody e xhausted, the result is that even his
m e n ta l a c tivity will diminish. A similar principle exists i n
all o ther psychological type s . I t is therefo r e essential t o
14 Psychosynthests Typology
control the prevailing quality and k e e p it within c ertain
limits. This is not an easy task; rather, i t is o ften disagree
abl e and sometimes provokes rebe llion in the personality.
But life itself, with its limits and i ts inflexib l e demands,
o ften leads us to a more or l ess lasting and complete
control o f our psycho l ogical type . When this hap p e ns w e
nee d no t worry, b ec o me distressed or figh t against cir
cumstances, as many tend to do. The rig h t attitude is a wise
accep tanc e b as e d on a knowle dg e o f l ife and on an under
s tanding o f its justice and its b enign purp o s e . W e can thus
discipline ours elves in a g entler and more understanding
manner.
Harmonisation
This third task, which o ften g o e s hand in hand with the pre
c eding, consists in cultivating the s ti l l undeveloped
faculties in our present psychological make-up. This can
also b e unpleasant to our p ersonalities and can provoke
confl i cting reactions. This happens in individuals o f the
artistic typ e who are obliged to p erform practical work, or
else in s ensitiv e typ e s confine d to ugly surroundings, -and
so on. There is also a vital l esson to l e arn h ere, that the
s o o n er this task is willingly and c o nscientiously take n up,
the s ooner we will achieve fre e d o m fro m the difficulties of
the situation. When we have reached our o b j ec tive, in fact,
i t no longer has any reason t o exist.
There are many m e ans by which we can accomplish
these tasks o f the c o ntrol of our excesses and development
o f the e l ements that are lacking. I t is primarily a matter o f
the w i l l i n i t s varied asp e c ts o f: decision, one-pointedness, perst5-
tence and mastery.
T h e s e tasks c a n b e made easier b y active and profi tab l e
relationships w i t h individuals o f a different type . T h i s i s
o ften organise d b y life itself a n d m ore precise ly b y the law
of polarity that creates an a ttraction b e tw e e n opposites - ( a
Introduction 15
clear example of this fact is the attraction between the
sexes that has it most obvious example on the physical
level but also operates on other levels). For this reason,
friendship and contact between people of different types is
beneficial and fruitful. All of us should therefore seek the
company of people belonging to other types than our own
in our leisure time. For example, a person of the scientific
type ought to cultivate the friendship of artists and
become interested in their work; a practical man should
associate with people of the intellectual or artistic type in
his free time, - and so on. This is an easy and agreeable way
to develop our latent faculties and to correct the one
sidedness and limitations of our own type.
Knowledge, understanding and the wise use of contrast
ing elements are fundamental principles, not only in paint
ing and music but also in the art of life. Every one of us can
and must fashion from the living material of his personali
ty, whether it be silver, marble or gold, an object of beauty
through which he can adequately manifest his transper
sonal Self.
16 Psychosynthesis Typology
The Wi(( Type
Before describing and discussing this type , we might do
well to examine briefly the specific essence of its quality in
order to understand it clearly . This is particularly impor
tant for the type we are now taking into consideration .
It is a rather surprising fact ,and a very significant one in
some respects , that the study and consideration of the will
has been generally neglected in contemporary psycho
logy .
The behaviourists , naturally , could never attribute any
importance to this internal power, as such a revelation
would be totally destructive of their myth that man is sim
ply the effect of his reflexes . Even psychoanalysis , with the
importance it gives to the interaction of instincts and fan
tasy and to the central role of the unconscious, has left the
will little scope for action.1 Even Jung and Schmitz, who
represent a wiser and more progressive tendency, have
given little attention to the will.
To tell the truth, there has been a voluntaristic thread in
psychology. Wilhelm Wundt, the founder of experi
mental psychology, believed in the voluntaristic doctrine
but his conception of the will was not well defined and did
not clearly distinguish between the will and other psy
chological qualities and functions such as perception and
emotion. There have also been a limited number of studies
involving experimental research on the will that have pro
duced very interesting and worthwhile results. The pio
neers of this field have been Ach and Michotte whose
methods have been followed and refined over the past few
years by A veling in particular.
Aveling's conclusions, reached by sound and reliable
methods, are of great importance. The chief outcome of
18 Psychosynthesis Typology
his research on the act of will is the scientific confirmation
of the direct, positive experience of the existence of the
Self as a living reality. This fact has far-reaching con
sequences. It gives fresh support to the assertions of those
who, through the awakening of their inner awareness, have
had a direct experience of the Self. The reality of the Self,
once its existence and its primary place in the life of the
psyche is admitted, constitutes a central point around
which we can assemble and coordinate all other psy
chological facts.
A second important result of this research is that the will
is the most direct expression of the Self. Thus, if we com
pare the famous affirmation of Descartes, "I think,
therefore I am," with that of the Polish philosopher, Ciez
kowsky, "I will, therefore I think and I am," the second
seems to have greater value.
The third result of this research is that the will is not an
effort: it is purpose, choice and decision . In other words it is a
power that directs, initiates and orients. Bearing in mind
these characteristics of the will, it is not difficult to identify
and understand the qualities exhibited in the correspond
ing human type.
At the physical level, the will type is characterised by
prompt and decisive action , courage, the power to conquer , rule and
dominate both physical surroundings and other men, with a
tendency to competitiveness and even to violence and destruct
iveness.
In his emotional sphere, the will type is decidedly
introverted. He inhibits all displays of emotion and feeling,
since he regards them as obstacles and dangers to the
efficiency of his actions and the one-pointedness of his
aims. He does not stop at merely inhibiting the expression
of emotions; he often tends to suppress them totally. He
has little consideration for the feelings of others and for his
own as well. This habit, while it can lead to heroic acts and
20 Psychosyntheszs Typology
o th er p e op l e . His ego c e ntrism, e mo tional isolation and
lack o f psychic sensitivity give him a very poor psych o logi_
cal understanding. He is n o t interested in o thers as
psychic b e i ngs.
However, in the realm o f abstrac t reality, this typ e can
demo nstrate a swift and sure intuitive understanding of
principles, general laws and universal c o nne c tions.
B efore c o ns idering the characteris tics o f the p ersonality
and those o f the S e l f, I would like to explain how I dis
tinguish b e tw e e n the two, b o th in this case and in the case
of the o ther six typ e s . I c o ns ider as characteristics of the
personality those that can be regarded as egocentric and
separative qualities which the human p ersonality has before
it c o m e into conscious co ntact with the Self and feels its
influenc e. On the other hand, the characteristics o f the Self
are those that p ossess a true transpers o nal quali ty and that
are expressed when the S e lf p ermeates the p erso nality
with its l ight, shining thro ugh and w orking i n i t to some
extent.
The most important p ersonal c haracteris tic o f the will
typ e is the will to power. This mani fests itself as ambition,
s e l f-affirmation, the desire to do minate o thers and to b e
the c e n tral figure o n stage. I t degenerates easily into
ego tism, s tubb ornness and obstinacy. In order to achieve
his goals, the p ers o n of this typ e can easily b ecome
arrogant and unscrupulous. Ano ther b asic characteristic,
b ecause o f the suppress i o n o f the e m o t i o ns, is isolation. He
has no need for o th ers and dis trusts them, so he k e eps
them at a dis tance. This is also b ecause he can have more
power over them i n this way.
This sort o f person is simple, well- defined and easily
rec ognis ed. Nevertheless, there are p eople dominated by
the will to power who are more c o mplicated and exhib i t puz
zling b e haviour. When the will to power is held in c h e c k by
a physical inferiority o f some sort, by the opposition o f a
22 Psychosynthesis Typology
and cultures. The Spartans and ancient Romans charac
terised this type in being conquerors, rulers and legislators;
the English do likewise, with their will and capacity to rule,
their "insularity" , self-control and suppression of emo
tion. It is also evident both in the Germans and the Jews in
some respects. 2
ln philosophies and religions we find evidence of this
type; in the Old Testament, in Vedanta philosophy (par
ticularly in the Advaita School) and in Zen Buddhism.
Among modern philosophers we can mention Nietzche,
Max Stirner and Julius Evola.
In architecture and sculpture we can cite the simplicity,
sobriety and austerity of the Doric style in Greece, which
gives an impression of restrained power.
In music, the genius of Wagner inspired and strongly
evoked the vibration of will and power by means of certain
themes such as that of Siegfried, the Ride of the Valkyries
and the heroic entrance of the gods into Valhalla.
If we list the principal functions of this type, we can dis
cover the occupations and activities suited to him and in
which he will be successful. The principal functions are: to
dominate, lead, govern ,punzsh, combat,judge, destroy and conquer.
These indicate the corresponding vocations of leader,
king, emperor or president of a State; of legislator, military
man and generally fighter in every capacity down to the
prize-fighter; and finally that of the explorer. I would like
to add the vocation of surgeon also, because it requires the
will in terms of courage to assume responsibility, the need
for decision and speed, and because the surgeon often acts
24 Psychosynthesis Typology
The Love Type
Everybody is interested in Love. It is one of the most-used
words in the language, - probably the most frequently
used after "I" and "money". Nearly everybody either has
been or will be in love. Love-songs fill the air; thousands of
authors write love-stories which are read by millions. Peo
ple love many kinds of things; sweets and children; the
opposite sex and their own country; flowers and paintings;
books and God.
It should be obvious that we know what love is. But if we
pause and really try to think about its meaning we soon dis
cover, to our embarrassment and humiliation (if we are
honest with ourselves) that love is incomprehensible to us,
contradictory and mysterious; and if we ask ourselves to
make an exact and full definition of it, we are quite at a
loss.
This surprising and embarrassing discovery helps us to
understand the important psychological truth that experi
ence and true knowledge are two very different things.
Usually, in order to know, we must experience. For exam
ple, we can perceive a tree and in so doing we not only see it
but also have a sense of its beauty. But we remain ignorant
of its internal structure, the natural laws that made it grow
and the qualities of its wood.
In order to gain true knowledge we need to make a
sound and systematic inquiry and then an intelligent
assessment of the facts. In Natural Science, knowledge can
be acquired at second hand without direct personal
experience by looking at the results of research work car
ried out by others. For example, when studying a treatise
on astronomy, we can gain a precise knowledge of the
chemical composition, size, weight and distance of stars we
have never seen.
In psychology, on the other hand, knowledge can only
be gained by direct, personal experience. This is because
only information about quantity and objective facts can be
26 Psychosynthesis Typology
conveyed by means of words and data; information about
quality and subjective impressions cannot be conveyed in
this way. Nevertheless, direct experience, however neces
sary, does not provide a sufficient sense of meaning on its
own. It only gives us sensations and feelings; if these are to
be truly "known", they must be assimilated with the help
of the intellect. Beyond this process of simple assimilation,
synthetic knowledge, which brings true understanding,
further requires the intuition.
Because of this it should not surprise us that the
experience of being or having been passionately in love
does not provide us with a proper understanding of the
true nature of love. Such an understanding is very difficult
to gain because there are varied and contradictory ele
ments in the various experiences of love. We find a mix
ture of lust, greed and possessiveness on the one hand, and
of generosity, altruism and self-giving on the other; we find
instinct and intuition, active impulse and passive feeling,
body and soul, matter and spirit.
However, there is another fundamental characteristic or
quality that constitutes the essential nature of love
through which its various and contrasting elements can be
understood and, to some extent, reconciled.
28 Psychosyntheszs Typology
judgment.
The s exual i mp ulse o f the l ov e type - and, up to a point,
o f every i ndividual - c l e arly shows the two opposing
characteristics that " love" can have. Many individuals
desire and achieve sexual union for their own physical
pleasure, with little or no c o nsideration for their p artner.
This is the greatest e x treme o f ego tistical " love" . There is
o n the o ther hand an increasing number o f people who -
e ither b e cause they have developed their feelings o f love to
the highest level, or b e cause they have b e e n e nl ightened
b y a good s e xual educatio n - give the utmost c o nsidera
tion to their partner' s pleasure in physical union, drawing
fro m this as much and e v e n more satisfaction than fro m
their own.
W e must add that a growing minority o f c ouples exists
who are inclined to s exual union, to a greater or less
exte nt, b y a s ense of s ocial and spiritual resp o nsib ility.
These c o uples provide the opp ortunity for new human
b ei ngs to come into the world, to live and make their c o n
tribution to s o c i e ty . I n these cases we have the example o f
a n o b l e and disinteres ted love that h a s i t s origins in
spiritual and higher e m o t i o nal levels, expressed through
the act o f physical union.
A dis tinct charac teristic o f the normal love type is his
attach m e n t to material possessions. This attachment can
take the form o f a desire for the good things o f life such as a
fine car, a new refrigerator e t c . ; or, when i t is more pro
nounced, of an intense y e arning for luxury and the b es t
and m o s t e x p e nsive goods. I n o ther cases, t h e desire for
possessions b ec o m e s specifi c and is direc ted towards par
ticular classes o f o b j ects, as in the case of the b ib lio p hil e ,
t h e c ollec tor o f porcelain, sea-shells, stamps e t c . These
cases reveal another charac teristic of this typ e which is an
interest in little things and the ability to handle de tail.
On the physical l evel, the love type is often self-
30 Psychosynthesis Typology
analysis. We must ask ourselves: "When I say or believe
that I love my family or friends, what are my true feelings,
attachments and motivations? Do I love them for what
they are, independently of myself, or do I demand and
insist upon their love for me? Do I want to give myself to
them or do I want to receive love from them without con
sidering their vital needs, their feelings and their legitimate
rights?"
This kind of analysis can lead to unpleasant and even dis
turbing revelations but if we are courageous and honest
enough to confront them, they will enable us to clarify and
bring about a harmonious improvement in our relation
ships, based upon the sure foundation of truth.
Except for the small minority who love disinterestedly,
emotional love implies or leads to attachment. This is a com
mon characteristic of personal love and the cause of an
enormous amount of suffering and grief, the high price
that humanity pays for loving in this way. It should not sur
prise us, because attachment leads to possessiveness and both
are principal causes of fear. Fear is itself the greatest cause
of human suffering, both directly through the dread of los
ing what we possess and what we are attached to, and
indirectly through stupid and often cruel actions, born of a
desperate attempt to avoid the real or imaginary danger of
losing the "loved" one.
Another cause of fear that torments those who belong to
the love type is their extreme psychic sensitivity which ena
bles them to resonate and identify with the feelings of
others and with the collective states of being and emotional
fluctuations that are experienced by all mankind. This ten
dency to emotional identification also displays compassion
which they feel strongly for all those who suffer or are in
pain, including animals. According to the degree of
transpersonal development, this compassion varies from
an ineffective and sentimental pity to a great and wise corn-
32 Psychosyntheszs Typology
ab ility is lacking, the intuition is liab le to b e distorted and
to b ec o m e mixed with images and ideas that have little or
no meaning.
Summing up the various c haracteristics, we clearly see
the following ideas conce rning the love type: its individuals
are k ind and r e c e p tive; when they are not t o o sens i tive,
they are also s o c iable. I n fa c t , they are averse to and o ft e n
afraid of s o l i tude a n d thus o ft e n s e e k knowledg e , c o mpany
and so cial c o ntact. W h e n they are c o mp elled to be alone,
they a r e l iable to fall into a s ta t e o f discourage m e n t and
ine rtia. In o rder to express t h e mselves they need the
stimulus of i n t e raction with others; they realise themselves by
means ofrelationships. F o r this reason, they are easily influen
ced b y others. They are o ft e n many- sided, changing their
inner states and p o in ts o f view like a chameleon, which can
be a p e r p e tual source o f surprise, c onfusion and even des
p e ration fo r the simpler, more c o n c r e te o r rigid typ e , - fo r
examp l e , those i n whom the will, practical i n telligence o r
s c i entific and o rganising abili ty p redomina t e .
Those w h o b elong to the love t y p e can b e c onsidered
extroverted b e cause their p rincipal interest lies in their
vital relationships with o thers. But some are partly
introverted so that they are o ft e n v e ry interested in their
own fee l i ngs which they observe, describ e and analyse with
great skill. I n s o m e cases, this egotism and ego ' c e ntrism
b ec o m e so great that the object o f their feelings b e c o mes a
s e c o ndary c o n c e rn for t h e m , a m e re o ccas i o n for o c cupy
ing themselves with t h e i r emo t i o ns.
W e must now distinguish b e tw e e n the active and passive
sub-types amo ng them, who are very different fro m and, i n
ce rtain respects, o p p o s i t e to e a c h o t h e r .
The active sub-type is characterised b y passionate " love" ,
b y desire and attachment that make him eager and e xpan
sive in r e lationship to the desired o b j e c t , whether i t is a
person o r thing, which h e t h e n strives to cling to, j e alously
34 Psychosynthests Typology
broadest sense.
In some of the finest representatives of this type, it is the
quality of "love" that is most notable, while in others wis
dom seems to prevail; but in reality, at the level of the Self,
these two aspects cannot be separated: the one necessarily
implies the other. The supreme examples of this can be
seen in the life and teachings of the two greatest represen
tatives of this type known to man: Christ and Buddha.
In the life of Buddha, the chief incentive was the desire
to know, to discover the cause of suffering and to attain
truth, which culminated in his enlightenment. But it was his
love for his fellow creatures and compassion for their suf
fering that made him wander throughout India for half a
century, tirelessly teaching the "Noble Way of Libera
tion". In this teaching, love and understanding played a
greater part than most people recognise.
In the life of Christ, his love of God and of his disciples
and his compassion for the suffering of the masses are the
most important spiritual qualities; it is clear, however,
from the documents of the Gospel (probably incomplete)
how much wisdom permeated his love. His words and par
ables reveal the most profound understanding of human
nature and teach in a simple and clear way the laws of
spiritual life.
The spiritual quality of love has been most vividly
revealed through the lives of the great religious leaders and
philosophers. The word "religion" itself etymologically
means "to connect" and "to unify" - essential functions of
the type under discussion. Naturally, in the historical
religions and institutions we find diverse characteristics of
other types as well because men of all kinds belonged to
them and contributed to their growth. For this reason we
can see how the mystics, who were of great importance in
medieval Christianity, probably belonged chiefly to the
devotional type, while the complicated structure and
36 Psychosynthesis Typology
tion it provokes.
The vo cations and o ccupations i n which this typ e can
carry o u t i ts functions are many and varied. They include
psychol ogy, teaching, healing, nursing, social and human
itarian s ervi c e . In a c ertain s e nse, the function of the
mother, whose chief characteristic is that o f pro tective
love, can be seen as b el o nging to this type .
The psychosynthetic tasks o f those who b el o ng t o this
typ e have b e e n i ndirec tly referred to i n the c o urse o f this
description. The c entral task is more difficult and this is to
attain non-attac hm ent, to eliminate fro m real love the e l e
m e n ts o f greed and p ossessive ness and to love with internal
fre e d o m, at the same time allowi ng full lib erty for the
b eloved.
In order to acquire such a detachment, love must sub mit
to a complete transmutation and sublimatio n ; p ers onal
love must be purified o f i ts egoc e n tric e l e m e nts i n such a
way as to lib erate and reveal i ts true nature, that o f a b enefi
c e n t radiation, of an altruism that is m erged into a greater
unity, a greater whole.
A no ther i mp ortant task o f the psychosynthesis o f these
typ e s is to dedicate themselves to the elimination o f their
weaknesses and limitations and to making them good with
the help o f the s trong will. G e n erally this essential human
quality is little developed i n the love type, a d e fec t that
o ften leads to serious c o nsequences. An uncontrolled love,
even the noblest, causes afflictions o f all kinds, while a lov
ing p erso n who is also capab l e o f willing can achieve a
.
spiritual power o f great worth.
40 Psychosynthesis Typology
gene rous , b u t also rash and impatient. To go slowly, to
wai t fo r the opportune mom ent , gives him probab ly m o r e
t r o u b l e t h a n anything e l s e .
I n the subj e c tive field, in the complexity of the life o f
fee l ing, i n matters t h a t r e q u i r e psychic sens itivity and i n
flights o f aesthetic imagination, the p ractical type t e nds to
b e o b tu s e , p e rp lexed o r s i mp ly uninterested. These func
tions are gene rally dull o r undeveloped in him. The
" fe minine" asp e c t o f the psyche, changeab le and plas t i c , is
an imp e n e trab le mys t e ry to him; his p ractical mind sees no
meaning in it. The man who is ab le to manipulate things,
numb ers and o th e r men is b lunde ring and unsuccessful in
dealing psycho logically with women. F requently a success
ful b usiness man who gives his wife all possible co mfo rts
and luxuries to satisfy her mate rial desires nevertheless
leaves her dyi ng o f hunger o n the e m o t i o nal and imagina
tive levels and ends by asking himself ruefully and
rese ntfully why she is unsatisified, r e s tless o r neurotic, and
why - as o ft e n happens - she wishes to leave him.
I n the mental sphere this type p rese nts a curious c o n
tradi c tion. H e is oft e n intellig e n t , mentally active, enter
p rising and quick to find the right me thods b u t this is the
case o nly when dealing with p ractical o r concrete p rob
lems. When he comes to philosop hical p roblems, general
ideas o r questio ns o f p rincipl e , he loses interest and
gene rally lets the argument drop as superficial, unp rac ti
cal, too abstract and " g e tting nowhere" . S om e times h e
collects antiques o r o b j e ts d'ar t gene rally a s a hobby o r
b ecause it i s fashio nab l e and secures h i m a highe r so cial
position in his c o mmunity; rarely does he do it b ecause of
real appreciation o r g e nuine p leasure .
In the intuitive s p h e r e as well, the ac tive type rarely fe els
at ease. The so-called " intuition" o f the successful b usiness
man has l i ttle to do with the real intuition, which is
ass o ciated with transp e rso nal qualities and values, the p e r-
42 Psychosynthesis Typology
co nditions, the spreading o f knowledge and the expansi o n
a n d refinement o f c o m munications are t h e nec essary
material base for world inter-relationship, c o o p eratio n
and unification, and are the inestimable gifts that this typ e ,
in association with t h e scientific typ e , has given and con
tinues to give to humanity.
E xamples o f the active- p ractical typ e are well known.
W e will m e ntion o nly one, who is very typical indeed:
H e nry F ord. I n reading his autobiography, we cannot help
but admire his g e nius i n manipulati ng the " laws o f eco
no my" i n h is automobile b usiness, b y finding mechanical
devices and little economies that p ermitted not only the
increase o f produc t i o n but the l owering of costs and the
increase o f profi t . ( I t could be claimed that F ord was a good
example o f the c o mb ination o f the active-practical and the
organisational types) .
C o l l e c tive examples - apart fro m the g eneral charac
teris tics of modern c ivilisation - are o ffered by various
p e oples and nations, such as the Chinese in the past and the
French in modern times. If we s tudy the ancient Chinese
civilisation we n o t e its highly practical character (although
manifested in a way that might s e e m unusual to us and
would c ertainly not b e regarded as practical today! ) The
Chinese, o f all ancient p eo p l e s , had the greatest number of
inventions and pra c tical devices to their credit:- paper,
printing, and the compass, to name a few. They had the gift
o f a refined sense o f fo rm and their painting demo nstrated
a marvellous " artistic e c o no my" i n evoking e ntire land
scapes with a few simple s trokes. S imilarly, their poe try
sugg e s ts in four or fiv e brief lines a sub tle state of mind
with exquisite shades of fee ling.
The French are the incarnation of the active- practical
typ e with their precise s e nse o f form and the exact struc
ture of their languag e . Many French artists and p o e ts have
made a cult o f form, for example the " Parnassians" .
44 Psychosynthesis Typology
sonal life, rather than superficially rushing in all
directions.
This will help him to control and eliminate the
excesses of " busyness" . He must learn the value and art
- however difficult and unpleasant for him - of rest,
calm, relaxation and silence .
2 Unifying the practical and transpersonal aspects of his
nature. This can be done by raising his activity above its
normal material level, infusing it with new meaning and
higher value.
This objective can be expressed in various ways
according to the mental and emotional nature of each
one's personal experience. Let us refer to several exam
ples of it so that we can recognise it under its various
guises.
46 Psychosynthesis Typology
B esides, a fe eling o f j o y is a digestive tonic and a gre a t help
in the proper assimilation o f fo od.
F inally , turning to money, if we examine o urselves with
the courage o us ho n e s ty that is the essential c o ndition of a
true spiritual life , we notic e that the m ere thought o f i t
aro uses profound a n d intens e s ensatio ns in us, a tumult o f
obscure e m o ti o ns and passionate reactions that touch our
p erso nalities in some very s ensitive places.
I n shedding light o n all this chaos we should l e t all that
e merges out of the dep ths of the unc o nscious rise to the
surface and eliminate all " c e nsure" o f it. A turb ul e n t flo o d
may then app ear in which c urrents o f fear, desire , greed
and attachment and feelings o f guilt, e nvy and res e ntment
are intermingled.
The foundati o n o f the correc t individual use o f money is
in the re nunciation o f the idea o f p ossession itself as a per
sona! right. L egal possession of property is something that
has its psychological or practical j us tifications, given the
average level o f moral development o f humanity. The
desire to po ssess is a primordial urge which we have to take
into account; we cannot kill i t or repress i t violently. But
fro m a higher p ersp ective, prop erty assumes a very dif
ferent asp e c t and m eaning . I t is no longer a p ersonal right
but a responsibility.
From the spiritual p o i n t o f view, a p erso n can c o nsider
himself o nly as a s teward, administrator or " trustee" of
48 Psychosynthesis Typology
g r e a t e r range o f application b ecause it can include all th e
technical p rogress which is the p rincipal charac t e ristic o f
o u r age.
While this way o f living is within reach of all, as we have
said, there will still be a fu ndamental diffe r e nc e in this re
s p e c t b e tween the various typ es, fo r their motives fo r
a c t i o n are always diffe r e n t . I n o th e rs, the stimulus to b e
active, t o wo rk, and t o find exp ression i n the e x t ernal
world is not primary and s p o ntaneo u s ; this stimulus is
possessed by o r, even b e t t e r , it possesses the ac tive- p ractical
typ e . So, fo r the will typ e , the impelling stimulus to act is
amb i ti o n ; fo r the love typ e , it is love fo r his family, p ro
pe rty or c o untry; fo r the idealistic typ e it is devotion to
some ideal e t c . This fac t should be well understood in
order to k now o thers truly and to avoid the error o f seeing
all those who work ac tively and c easelessly as belo nging
only to the active typ e . What c o nstitutes the fundame ntal
basis o f this qualitative classification is the power of deep
mot/vatiom that indicate the esse n tial nature o r " keynote"
of the individual and not the e x te rnal manifestatio ns o f
these mo tives, which c a n b e d e t e rmined a n d conditioned
by v e ry dive rse fac t o rs. The same type of ac tivity can b e
ind u c e d b y many mo tives, while the same motive can
create c o mpl e tely diffe r e nt channels fo r its expression.
52 Psychosynthesis Typology
an excellent s e nse o f c o l o u r and, in c o nsequenc e , much
good tas t e . Their love fo r physical b ea u ty and the ir desire
to create t e nds to intensify their sexual desires and
impulses. The manifesta tions of these impulses are generally
refined; the expressio n of instinct is c o mbined with a fas
cination with b ea u ty and aesthetic qualities. This typ e
tends to make a refined a r t o f s exual love, and so o f all
o th e r life p r o c esses.
The e m o tio nal life o f this typ e is v e ry ac tive and o ft e n
leads to a l a c k of equilib r i u m . These individuals are v e ry
changeab l e ; they oft e n swing b e tween extremes of op ti
mism and p essimism, times of v i tality and uncontrolled
happ iness alte rnating with o thers o f discouragement and
despair. These flu c t uations b e co me exagg e rated in their
imaginati o n , which is particularly vivid, and c olours, dis
torts and transfo rms reality, sometimes even to such an
e x t e n t that the i r fantasy obli terates reality comple tely4•
In this r e s p e c t they can be c o nsidered as illtroverted a t the
emo tional level. It is also true, however, that they are
extremely sensitive to i m p r essions fro m the exte rnal
world and to the influence o f o th e r p e o p l e . They are very
much influenced b y the environment in which they live
and are easily disturb ed b y dis c o rd, ugliness and vulgarity.
They are caught up i n the " delicadeza" that is a charac t eris
tic trait o f the S ou t h A me ricans, partic ularly the B razil
ians.
The artistic types are o ften s e nsitive to sub tle psychic
impressions; they are sub j e c t to telepathic p he nomena,
p re c ogni tio n e tc . This s e nsi tivity b elo ngs not o nly to the
creative- artistic typ e . The love type , with its marked rec ep
tivity, o ft e n p ossesses it and the same holds fo r the more
mystical p eo p l e o f the devo tional type. But those who
54 Psychosynthests Typology
lack o f o rganisation, particularly in the case of creative art
ists, thinkers and inventors. D uring the p e riod o f o u tward
passivity an ac tive internal p r ep a ra t i o n can be seen wo rk
ing, a t r u e unc o ns c i o us g e s tatio n, fo l l owed in t i m e by a
t o r r e n t o f inspiration when the interior c reation comes to
light; the p o e m or essay is written, the s o ng composed, the
new invention devised. In such cases the individual has
consciously fo l l o wed an inte rnal rhy thm, a hidden dis
c i p l i n e , and has b e e n c o ns trained to obey it.
C reato rs of this type can be c o nsidered as ins tru ments of
their unconscious o r s u p e rc o ns c i o us psycho l og ical activi
ty , to which they are almost c o mp le t e ly s u b j e c t , b e i ng una
b l e to e x e rcise any real c o n t r o l over it. This raises a much
disp u t ed ques tio n, whether such c o n t r o l can b e attempted
and achieved o r not. Many artis ts have desired to o b tain it
and some have s u c c e e d e d , demonstrating that it is poss
ib l e . I w i l l p o i n t o u t o n e , M a u r i c e Mae terl inck. H is writ
ings , p articularly the admirab l e La Sagesse et fa Dest/n ee , were
the fru i t o f l o ng and d e e p refl e c t i o n and of an awakened
intuition that e x p ressed its e l f in a p re c i s e artistic s ty l e , rich
with l u m i no us analogies and synthetic c larity. Neve r the
l e s s , Maeterli nck had the hab i t o f writing his b o oks in p e r
fe c t ly regulated rhythm, b eginning e v e ry mo rning at the
same time, ending aft e r two ho urs of easy and p r o l ific c o m
p o s i tion and aft e r fi nishing he dedicated the remainder of
the day to his garde n , his b e es, his bicycling and other
pastimes.
In addition, e x te rnal p ressures can i n many cases p ro
vide a strong e n ough s t i m u l us to awaken do rmant o r idle
creativity, forcing inspiration and " b irth" . An amusing
e xamp l e c a n b e s e e n in Rossini. This c o mposer was rather
lazy and loved good fo od so much that in the latter p art o f
h i s l i fe he w a s more vain a b o u t h i s ab i l i ty a s a c o o k than
ab o u t his musical genius. O n c e , he had pro mised to c o m
p o s e the music o f an o p e ra fo r a c e rtain dead l i n e . The
56 Psychosynthesis Typology
s i n ce r e g o o d intentio ns and b egin to work towards them.
But their resolution quickly wanes and all too s o o n they
fle e o n c e more into their dream-wo rld.
Men with t h e so- called " artistic" t e mp erament c on
stitute a p r o b l e m and are a cause of indignation fo r c ertain
p ractical and well- balanced women who - through one o f
t h e fre q u e n t ironies o f life - h a v e tied their o w n destinies t o
o n e o f t h e m , ignorant o f w h a t t h e y are up against . F r o m a n
o b j e ctive a n d reas o nab le p o i n t o f view these w o m e n c e r
tainly are right, espe cially when these " artistic" p eople
fo r g e t to pay the b ills and n e v e r have e nough cash when
they n e e d it. These p ractical w o m e n , however, often do
n o t s u c c e e d in appreciating the qualities o f refinement,
v e rsatility , g e ne rosity and idealism that these " artistic"
t e m p e ra m e nts o ft e n p ossess; and in particular they do not
p e r c eive that these p e o p l e are also p robl ems to them
selves. U nd e r t h e s u r fa c e o f an apparent irresponsibility
they are torn by s e rious c onflicts and real suffe ring.
Natu rally, i t is very diffi c u l t to treat them fai rly for they
need to be faced with a s ensible c o mb ination o f fi rmness,
unde rstanding and sympathy. I n a c e r tain sense, the situa
tion is the revers e of that of the b usinessman and his sensi
tive and emoti onal s p o u s e . In this case, the " artistic"
temperament d e mo ns trates " fe minine" psychological
chara c t e ristics while the p ractical demonstrates " mas
culine" qualities and limitations.
The trans p e rso nal qualities o f the c reative type are:
intuition, deep human u nderstanding, so lidarity, an acute
p e rc e p t i o n o f c o ntras ts that produces a subtle sense o f
h u m o u r , a n d a " divine discontent" t h a t e v e r drives h im t o
grow, evolve a n d p e rfe c t himself a n d c r e a t e fo rms o f e v e r
g r e a t e r b ea u ty and refineme n t . His m o t t o c o uld b e " search
unceasingly" . When he is awakened spiritually, an indi··
vidual of this type has the great gifts of illu mination and
true spi ritual inspiration. H e s u c ce eds in p e rc eiving the
58 Psychosynthesis Typology
The Scientific Type
There is a something about the scientific type that dis
tinguishes it from all the others. This quality is such that,
when it is genuinely and wholly expressed, it is seen to be
essentially modern and definitely a product of Western
civilisation since the Renaissance.
This does not mean that Europe created this type and
that no one belonged to it before that time or in any other
place; but. in ancient times and in other civilisations, the
sharp distinctions and divisions of the various branches of
knowledge did not exist. The ancients pursued the search
for truth with a no less passionate interest than we do, but
they did it with their whole being, combining the use of all
their faculties: intuition and intelligence, devotion and
imagination. There were no lines of demarcation - not to
speak of conflicts - that divided religion, philosophy,
science and art from one another. In our modern culture,
initiated in the 1 5 th century, these four human fields of
interest ceased to be associated with each other, develop
ing more and more into separate branches of knowledge,
and, when they happened to confront one another, great
conflicts emerged. A particular antagonism developed be
tween religion and science. It is enough for us to remember
the Church's condemnation of Galileo because he dared to
assert that the earth moved in space and the recent con
troversies that raged up to a few decades ago about the
teaching of the theory of Evolution in schools.
This development produced a well-delineated and one
pointed psychological type: the man whose ideal and
whose chief task is the disinterested search for concrete
and objective knowledge. This man does not worry himself
with metaphysics, the ultimate nature of being, or the
meaning of existence. He is not interested in moral,
aesthetic or any other type of values. He is only interested in
the appearance of things, in the way these are perceived by
our five senses, directly or through our instruments of
60 Psychosynthesis Typology
o b se rvati o n , in their interactions and changes and in the
laws that govern them . If we b ear this in mind it will be easy
to define the particula r c haracte ristics that the scientific
typ e p resents in his various aspe c t s .
H e i s a s fully a l e r t to a n d a c u tely interested in t h e exter
nal wo rld as the active- pra c tical type b u t the mo tivations
that aro use each o n e ' s interest are completely different.
The mo tivation o f the active type is to make g o o d use o f
things, while t h e s c i e ntific type is interested in pheno mena
per se, in k nowing the structure and function o f the cosmic
m e c hanism b o th in its b road sweep and in its tiny
details.
I n his e mo tions, the scie ntific typ e seems to be cold,
insensitive and even inhuman and cruel. O ften he shows a
c u rious inability to feel and exp ress h u man sentiment o r
tenderness, a n d in having s u c h a lack o f eleme ntary sen
sitivity he exhibits the indifference and co ldness o f the
vivis e c t o r . H owever, if we study him m o re carefully, we
find that in many cases this is due to the fac t that all his
capacity fo r fe eli ng and devo tion, all his love - and it can b e
great - are directed towards impersonal obj ects. H e passion
ately loves the truth; h e desires k nowledge above all and is
strenuously attached to ideas and theories. B ecause o f this,
he reverses the p r o c esses that exist in most ·me n and
women. In these, the mind is coloured o r distorted by
emo tional reactions and p erso nal feelings, while in the
scie ntific typ e the e mo ti o ns and feelings are imper
so nalised and directed towards p urely intellec tual e nds.
The me ntal realm is obviously the natural environment
o f the scientific typ e . H is tireless mind is always on the
alert, investigating, posing ques tions, so lving p rob lems,
searching, p robing, experimenting, proving and discover
ing. H e has a great cap acity for pro l o nged attention and
mental concentration, tireless perseverance in his research,
meticul o us a c c u racy, and an admirab le ability to sift data,
62 Psychosynthesis Typology
maj o ri ty a r e engaged i n the feverish search fo r worldly suc
cess and riches, an a s t r o n o m e r can dedicate his l i fe to
measuring the distances and the charac teristics of the stars
in space.
I t is not nec essary to give individual examples of the
s c i e n t ific typ e b e cause a l l true s c i e nt i s ts b el o ng to i t by
d e fi n i ti o n . H ow e v e r , we should r e m e mb e r that many
p e o p l e who do not have s c i e n t i fi c c a r e e rs can s t i l l b e lo ng
to it fr om a psychological p o i n t of view. M o re o v e r , i t is
easy to fi nd the s c i e n t i fic typ e not only in its p u r e state b u t
i n c o mb ination with o t h e r characte r is tics a l s o . I w i l l refe r
t o o nly o n e great man who was no t a s c i entist b u t who
d e mo nstrated some of the c ha ra c t e ristics of the s c i e ntific
typ e in its highest degree and finest asp e c t s : I mmanu el
Kant. In his two principal b o o k s , the Critiq/{e of P/{re Ret7So11
and the Critiq/{e of Practical R et7SO!l , we are given an inte rest
ing demons trati on of how the d is c r i minating power o f the
mind can turn inward u p o n i tself to indicate c l early i ts own
fie l d of action and to o u tl i n e i ts exact limits as a separate
and independent o rgan of knowledg e . In this resp e c t Kant
e ffec ted a useful c l a r i fica t i o n . A nd yet the mind does not
need to fu nction in s u c h a separate and indep endent way ;
a s we have shown, i ts fu nction can rather b e to i n t e r p r e t
and then co mmunicate knowl edge d i r e c tly · a cquired
through the intuition.
A n o t h e r philosopher who b e l o ngs to this typ e , a l though
ar riving at quite diffe r e n t c o nclusions from Kant, was Des
ca r t e s . H is insistence u p o n c l e a r distinctions, definitions
and methodical i nves tigation of truth demonst rates the
true charac ter o f the F r ench mind. The F rench culture is
also an expression of the type under consideration and par
t i cul a rly the F r ench language with i ts logical and rathe r
rigid s t ru c t u r e and i ts capacity fo r clear, p r e c i s e , almost
c rystalline e x p r ession. This quality means that the lan
guage is p e rfe c t l y adapted to communica ting the dis-
64 Psychosynthesis Typology
each o rgan and finally s t u dying the single cell o f which
each tissue is c o m p o sed, t h r o ugh a microscope.
I n the s e c o nd place, the mind must fu lfil a c o o rdinating
and synthetic function, reassembling impressions and facts
o n c e more into a c o h e r e n t who le. The fi rst and simplest o f
t h e s e synthe tic fun c t i o ns is a c c o mplished u nc o nscio usly i n
e v e ry m o m e n t o f life . F r o m the o b s e rvations o f a c ertain
numb e r o f dogs, fo r e xample, we abstract all the charac
teris tics that these have i n c o mmon in order to arrive at the
general c o n c e p t of " dog" . B y means o f a similar process
e x t e nded to o th e r animals we fo r m the even more gene ral
c o n c e p ts of " quadru p e d " , " mam mal" and " animal" .
S i milarly, fro m the o b s e rvation o f a s u c c ession of facts,
c o n c e p ts and laws , the s c i e ntific mind c o nstructs theories
that aim to clarify o r, a t l east, p u t into relatio nship large
groups o f pheno mena and events and more and more
e x t e nsive aspects of reality , until it fi nally reaches a global
synthesis. The scie ntific mind gene rally stops there, think
ing i t has reached the u l t i mate level. But there is a step
fur t h e r that the mind, o r p e rhaps the mind in c o o p e ration
with the intuition, can g o . This is the p rocess o f moving
fro m s u b s idiary laws to the higher laws of I n telligence of
the Universal Mind; fro m the facts o f c reation to the c rea
tive p rinciples fro m which they o rigina t e ; o r , to use the
orie ntal exp ressio n , fro m the " field of consio usness" and
fro m k nowledge to the thinker himself; in a word, fro m
matter to spirit.
W e have, o n a diffe re n t level, a strict analogy to the
Platonic scale o f b eauty whose s t e p s the c reative-artistic
typ e ascends fro m the b eauty o f material o b j e c ts to the
principles and o rigins o f harmony and b eauty itself. In the
case o f science, the s tairway scales the h e ig h ts o f know
ledge and truth, p r o c e eding fro m the c o n c r e t e appearance
of p h e no me na through the various degrees o f c o ncepts
and ideas to laws and p rinciples and, finally, to the truth o f
66 Psychosynthesis Typology
with every tendency, i t is a matter of raising the level o f
expression and poss essing t h e n e c essary c o n c e ntration,
p e rsistence and spiritual dedication.
Then t h e r e is the task o f c r e a ti ng a fru itful relationship
b e tw e e n this t e ndency and the o th e r h u man qualities. The
most impo rtant o f these relationships is that b e tween the
intellect and love , b e tw e e n the two p rinciples called Logos
and E ros by the G re e ks . A p u re ly o b j e ctive c onsciousness
tends to b e cold, sterile and inhuman and, what is even wor
s e , le nds itself to b eing applied, either i ndividually o r
c o ll e c tively, to ego tistical and destructive ends. The
ap pallingly cruel weap o ns devised and widely used in the
recent wars are the dreadful result o f applied knowledge
u n t e m p ered b y l o v e , c o mpassio n and go odwill. On th e
o t h e r hand, i n describ i ng the love typ e we have seen the
unfo r t u nate c onsequences o f b lind love without intel
ligence. The m utual c o n t r o l and b alance of intellect and
love and their right c o o p e ra t i o n are therefo r e esse ntial for
b o t h a harmonious individual l i fe and for right action in
relation t o others. The same h olds true for the life of the
group, s u c h as a co mmunity or natio n, b o th inside their
own b o u ndaries and in relation to o t h e r g roups. The scien
tific type needs to i n t egrate with the qualities that are
develo p ed in the love and c reative types. The ·sc i e ntifi c
mind, p re o c cu p ied w i t h quantitative m e asures and obj ec
tive relationships, must cultivate the appreciation o f sub
j e c tive qualities, the unde r s tanding o f man' s · internal
exp e riences, and the c ommand o f the intuition and syn
thesis. O nly this c o mb ination p ro vides a complete and
inclusive k nowledge and can e nable us to come to an iden
tification with the t r u th that makes us free.
70 Psychosynthesis Typology
zeal can b e harmful to this p e rs o n , who may find himself i n
some difficulty , trying to k e e p his well- intentioned b u t
impe tuous follower within fi rm limits.
When the fe elings o f the devotio n al type are directed
towards a high e r and imp e r s o nal ideal, they usually take
the fo r m o f a b u rning idealism and mystical love that wafts
him towards union with the ideal.
I n the mental field, this type tends to exhibit more
limitations than good qualities b e cause his intelligence is
very o ften dominated and activated b y his strong passions;
he the refo r e easily b e comes narrow- minded, intolerant
and c ritical. H is views are uncompro mis ing and rigid, and
whenever he adopts an opinion o r theory, i t is very difficult
to change his mind. In s p i t e o f this, when h e does change
his op inions and attitudes, he j umps to the opposite
extreme. When his idol fails to match up to his excessive
e x p e c tations or when his favourite theory is harshly
rep udiated, he changes his vi ews c o m p l etely; pulling his
idol down fro m the p e d e s ta l on which he had him, he
smashes him to p i e c e s . Then h e takes up an exactly
o p p osite position to the one he had b efo re, with the same
passi o n and rigidity. He can thus transfo r m himself fro m
religious o rthodoxy to c o mp l e t e atheism, o r from a
dogmatic materialist to a fe rvent s p i r itualist. H owever, i n
a l l h i s e x c e sses a n d with all h i s limits, the devotio nal typ e
always exhib its a n admirab le sincerity. N o ego tistical c o n
sideration nor any danger p e rsuades him to make c o m
p r o mises with himself o r with others, o r to stay silent. H e is
always a b rave " truth teller" o r s u p p o r t e r o f what h e
regards a s - and whi c h is, there fo r e , sub j e ctively - his
truth.
The p e rs o na l i ty o f the devo t i o nal- idealistic type is o ften
lop-sided and difficult to deal with. H e generally lacks a
sense o f p ro p o r tion and humour; he has a tend e ncy to b e
u t o p ian o r maniacal and, i n h is a t t e m p ts t o imp o s e his
72 Psychosynthesis Typology
tives b riefly. O ne is Paul o f Tarsus. The complete reversal
of his feelings and actions as a result of his conve rsion, his
ardent devotion to Christ, his militant apostolic z eal, his
unshakeab l e cou rag e , his p ro found sincerity that at times
amounted to intolerance, and his intense, austere s tyle are
all characteristics o f the typ e under examination.
The second example is not a histo rical p e rso nage but a
literary character. When a character typ e is b rought to life
b y a literary genius i t is m o r e true and real in a s e ns e that
any histo rical individual and displays the essence of the
synthesis of many e xamples taken from real l ife. This is the
case o f D o n Q uix o t e . C e rv a ntes' fascinating romance, with
its touches of humour and p athos, enables us to unde rs
tand and sympathise with this typ e and is at the same time a
true description of the idealist par excellence.
There are two histo rical religions in which the devotio nal
typ e has found complete exp ression in all its many asp ects
and at all i ts levels. These are Christianity and I slam.
Through the c e n turies these two religions fought each
other b lo o dily, p articularly a t the time o f the C rusades and
in S pain - a fac t that c o nfirms their resemblance and p ro
ves that the law " li k e repels like" is true, even in the psy
chological field.
In architecture, the Go thic s tyle is an expression o f the
aspiration o f the human soul towards G o d. I ts s oaring,
slender spires seem truly to be p e t rified s treams o f p rayer
and hymns o f p rais e . In p ainting, the e cs tatic saints and
celeb rant angels o f F ra A ngelico are a very different
manifestation o f the same quality .
The devotio nal- idealistic typ e contrib utes dynamically
to the spiritual deve l o p m e n t and p rogress of h u manity. I ts
essential function is to elevate inner experience through
b u rning idealism to the summit o f c o nscio usness, where it
can visualise the b e au ty o f great transp e rsonal p rincip les;
the n , to imbue these p rinciples with its love, devotion and
74 Psychosynthesis Typology
b elieves himself to b e right and c o nseque ntly does n o t s e e
the necessity to s t o p a n d i m p rove himself O n t h e c o ntrary,
he devotes himself e n tirely to changing and improving
exte rnal c o nditions and other p e o p l e .
In s p i t e o f a l l t h e i r qualities, the idealis t ic typ es o ften
cause trouble and the results o f their effo rts o ften show
them to b e destructive o r , a t least, u nadap tab le, disco rdant
and therefo re useless. The reason fo r this is that their syn
thesis is too limi ted, i n c o m p l e t e and dispropo rtionate ; it
excludes some of the vital and necessary asp e c ts o f human
natu re and lacks b readth and true c o m p r e he nsiveness. F o r
example, o n e thing that i s diffi c u l t fo r them to u nderstand
and which they tend to deny indignantly is that their devo
tion tends to be devoid o f true love. A n acc u rate analysis
reveals that what they " love" is o ften their sub j ective
image o f the ideal, whether i t is a p e rson, and idea o r s o m e
kind o f p hilanthropic w o r k , a s t h e s e are refl e c te d in t h e i r
minds a n d n o t a s t h e y are in reality. T h i s is p roved by t h e i r
inte rnal r eaction a n d b ehaviour in c e rtain situations -fo r
e xample, when the p e rs o n they v e n e rate d o e s n o t satisfy
their e x p ec tations o r when they discover gaps and limita
tions in their ideal.
This is rath e r diffe r e nt fro m the love type , and it offers
us a clear way to distinguish o n e fr o m the other in spite o f
t h e i r s u p e rficial rese mb lance. W h e n t h e l o v e typ e dis
covers the p e rs o n he loves has previously u nsuspected
defects, or b ehaves b adly, he is aggrieved by the knowledge
but has no reaction agains t the p e rs o n . He te nds to excuse
him and defend him, and immediately p r o c e e ds to love
him with greater intensity than b efo re. The devotiona l
typ e reacts with resentment in a similar situation. W h e n
t h e idealised p e rs o n fails to l i v e up to the p eak o f hzs exp ec
tations - which are o ften u nr e aso nab le and unattainab le -
he fe els p e rs onally o ffended and d o e s n o t wish to fo rgive o r
help h i m ; his instinct i s t o turn agains t t h e cause o f his dis-
76 Psychosynthesis Typology
The Or9anisationa( Type
This type is particularly interesting b e cause i ts r e p r e s en ta
tives are rapidly growing in numb e rs and b e cause they are
increasingly making their mark o n c o n t e m p o rary civili�
satio n.
I n general, we can say that the great changes that are
now o c c u r ring in human l i fe and the grave crises that have
swept o v e r humanity are largely due to the waning o f ideals
that used to arouse the devotion o f the majo rity in the past,
and to the appearance o f p e op l e in many fields o f ac tivity
who b el o ng to this typ e and have c omple tely diffe r e n t
p o ints o f v i e w a n d b eliefs ab o u t the purpose o f life a n d h o w
it should b e lived.
The o rganisational type e x presses himself ab ove all in
action and he is a tho roughly o b j e ctive type . Thus, we can
understand his nature and his particular quality m o r e b y
o b serving his mode o f action than b y analysis o f his inne r
life . H is dominant no te can b e expressed as " th e o rdered
activity o f the group" or, " ob j ec tive manifestation through
o rganised activity" . H is characteristics are clear and easy to
understand altho ugh we must analyse them accurately in
order to distinguish them fro m similar qualities in o t h e r
typ es.
W e might say that the o rganisatio nal type has his aim
and his focus o f p ractical inte rest o nly on the m e n tal and
physical l evels and therefo r e b el o ngs to the thought
sensation type in Jung' s classification. H is m e n tal activ i ty
is e x e rcised in projecting, accurately and in de tail, and i n
thinking o u t a n d outlining p re c i s e , e lab o rate models o f
what he intends to manifest. A t the physical l e v e l , h e
achieves h i s pu rposes b y o rganis i ng t h e c o o p e ration and
work o f the group that is n e cessary to accomplish th e
desired e nd, and b y asse mb ling and o rde ring adequate
mate r ials fo r it.
When i t is fully e xp ressed, the o rganisatio nal type
d e m o ns trates will and p u r p o s e , a clear mind, c o ns tructive
78 Psychosynthesis Typology
act1v1ty and p ractical ability. These qualities make him
similar to o th e r typ e s . H e could b e co nfused with them, or
s e e m to be a mixture o f th e m with no dis tinctive charac
teristics o f his own. His will resembles that of the will type ,
his clear mind the scie ntifi c typ e , h i s c o nstructive ac tivity
the p ractical typ e ; and yet he is diffe rent from any o f them.
The will type is p rinc ipally interested in p utting o n a dis
play o f his power, o r in dynami c ally and infle xib le dire ct
ing himself and o thers towards a p recise goal. The
o rganisatio nal typ e , however, uses his will p r e c isely, slowly
and p e rsiste ntly in order to mate rialise his o r ano the r ' s
p l a n gradually. I n c o m m o n with t h e scienti fic typ e , he has a
clear, exac t mind b u t, while the fo rmer uses i t largely with
the p urpose o f disc overing and k nowing, he uses it with the
p u r p o s e o f doing - o f attaining tangible results .
H e is, in a c e r tain s e nse, a creator b ecause new el ements
are b o rn through his ac tivity, b u t his method o f work ing is
quite different from that of the c r eative- artistic type . The
difference can be expressed in the two words: to c reate,
and to c o nstruct. True c reation is a vital and mysterious
p r o c ess, initiated o u tside the o r dinary field o f c o ns c i o us
ness. To c o nstruct, however, c o nsists of conscio usly
gathering materials, gene rally b el o nging to so- called
ino rganic matter, and ass emb l i ng them into an 'ob j e c tive
structure. The creative typ e is gene rally a channel o r voice
fo r his superconscious, a r e c eiver o f insp iration fro m the
realms o f the intuition o r the i magination, while the
o rganisational type initiates his ac tivity himself with clear
awareness and delib e ration, and carries i t o u t methodically
to a c o nclusion.
The ac tive- p ractical typ e is plastic, adap tab le and even a
little dishonest and meddling; the o rganisational typ e
tends ins tead t o b e rigid and fo rmalistic. The fo rmer tends
to be independent and p re fers to work alo ne; the latter
p r e fe rs to work with o r through o thers, assigning them
80 Psychosyntheszs Typology
typ e ; the will and the idealistic typ e s o t t e n manit est i t e v e n
mo re e n e rge tically. I n them, however, discipline assu m e s a
diffe r e n t tonality o r character. The discipline of the will
typ e is hard, imp lacab le and even cruel b o th when he
applies i t to himself and when h e imposes it on o thers; b u t
h is s o l e a i m i s t o achieve t h e willed result, with t h e max
imum s p e e d and c o mp et e n c e and at whatever cost. The
disc ipline that the idealistic type i mp o s e s o n himself o r
o th ers c a n b e j ust a s rigid a n d aus t e r e , b ut i t has an asc etic
charac ter and p ur p o s e . His aim is to eliminate real o r
i maginary fau l ts o r " sins" a n d to p u rify t h e p e rson, r e nd e r
ing him, p res umably, m o r e a c c e p tab l e to and b eloved b y
G o d ; i n a w o rd , to s a v e h i s s o u l . The dis cipline of t h e
o rganisatio nal typ e i s gene rally m o r e mode rate a n d resp ec
tab le in c o mp ariso n with the o thers. His goal is to
eliminate l oss and waste of time, e n e rgy and materials , to
avoid fri c t i o n and es tab lish in the e nd more p roductive
c o o p e ration.
From what has been said i t is clear that while dis cipline is
one o f the characteristics o r qualities of the will and ideal is
tic typ e s , it is in fact the c e n t ral and specific means b y
which t h e o rganisatio nal typ e o p e rates and with which h e
reaches h i s goals. A l l h i s o rganisation and h i s order s e e m to
be the p r o du c t o f b o th e x te rnal and internal discipline.
W h e n the o rganism o r o rganisation has grown to maturity
and functions s moo thly, this discipline ceases to b e exer
cised from the o u tside and no visib le pressure to reinfo rce
it can b e noticed; but discipline is t h e r e , intrinsically, in the
fo r m of tradition, hab it o r custom. This is demonstrated in
the fac t that when tradition declines, o r when some new
factor o r situatio n c o m pels a change in hab i t, the o rganisa
tion can fall to p i e c es u nless new infusions of discipline and
order save it.
The limitations of the o rganisational typ e , when it is
undevelo p e d and lacking in s c o p e , lie in the great i m p o r-
82 Psychosynthesis Typology
another; y e t a d e e p e r analys i s p r o v e s that they all a r i s e
fro m a c o mmon s o u r c e .
I t is valuable t o re cognise the m o d e r n and co ntem
po rary manife s tati ons o f the organisational type b e cause i t
helps u s t o understand t h e i r s igni ficance and goals much
b e tter and the r e fore to avoid wo rrying ab out them or
regarding them negatively as s o many a r e do ing today. Two
clas s e s of p e ople are particularly inclined to take this
attitude; the fir s t includes the m a j o ri ty of the middle class
and the o l d , who find i t diffi c u l t to adap t to a rapidly chang
ing world. They tend to r e s i s t , ac tively or passively, the ten
dency to pr ogress and are always think ing o r talki ng with
nostalgic regret ab o u t the good old times when life was
e as i e r , when p e o p l e were more c o ns iderate and r e s p e c tful,
when s p i r i tual and material valu es were stab l e and s e c u r e .
W h i l e we c a n a n d s h o u l d sympathise w i t h t h e m up to a c e r
tain p o int, b e cause t h e i r difficulties are real, w e should b y
n o m eans allow their sterile regre ts and negative o p i nions
to overwhelm u s .
T h e o t h e r ( a n d mo re easily d e fi n e d) c l a s s of p e ople w h o
gene rally t a k e a p o s i t i o n o f p r o t e s t a n d e v e n open warfare
agains t the growing tendency towards mass organisation i s
c o mp o s ed o f idealis t i c typ es w h o , as m u c h b e cause of t h e i r
qualities as th e i r limitations, adh e re s tubbo rnly to t h e
ideals t h e y h o l d d e a r . These i d e a l s , of c o u r s e , are expressed
through fo rms that they themse lves or o th e r s like them
have fo rmulated; they are incapable of rec ognising the
same spirit in another fo rm and do not unde rstand that a
different road can lead to the same goal. The diffi culty is
augmented b y the fac t that the more developed of the
idealistic typ es tend to be extremely individuali s t i c and
the r e fo r e find thems elves in d i r e c t opp osition to move
m e n t towards o rganisati o nal c o op eration.
The s i tuation i s made even m o r e difficult by the fac t that
the fi rst e fforts of a new typ e o f civilisation, culture and or
84 Psychosynthesis Typology
b e rlain o f the c o u r t , p ro foundly interested in intricate que
stions o f p r e c e d e nc e , and the tough fo o tball coach who
imposes regular e x e rcises o n the team. There is the
e ne rgetic c o mmander o f an army who , with his o rganising
ab ility, makes fresh b read and hot c o ffee availab le to
soldi e rs in the fro n t line , and the r e fined philo logist who
patiently tries to harness the living b o dy o f a language i n a
structure o f synthetic and grammatical rules, b u t having to
ac c e p t a large numb e r o f e x c e p tions. Then there is the
archivist, intent on r e c o rding and p r e c is ely o rd e ring the
fev e rish ac tivity of his c o m pany in innume rab le mul
ticoloured filing cabinets; the individual who inven ts the
rules o f a new card game - and many o th ers.
86 Psychosynthesis Typology
reciprocal infl u e n c e b e tw e e n the S e l f, the psyche ( under
stood as the whole of all s ub j e c tive p r o c esses) and the
b o dy . This includes various asp e c ts o f psychology, the
study o f p ro b l e ms connected with the psychological
origins o f diseases and the p ractice o f psycho therapy. All
these functions should n o t be c o nsidered as b e l o nging
exclusively to the o rganisatio nal typ e , b ut it c e r tainly has
an innate ability and ample p ossibilities fo r achieving them
in all the fields mentioned.
The psychosynth e tic tasks o f the o rganisatio nal typ e are
very clear. I n order to avoid the dang e r of b e coming too
identified with the formal asp e c t of all his activity, thus
b e c o ming its p risoner, he should c o nstantly try to remain
c o nscious o f the vital asp e c t . He should above all remem
b e r the goal o f all organise d ac tivity. The o rganisatio n
sho uld always b e directed to se rve the p u r p o s e . I n other
words, the organisational typ e sho uld always b e clearly
aware o f the diffe r e n c e b e tw e e n a living organism and a
dead organisation - that is, an o rganisation that has
b ec o m e an e nd in itself.
In order to neu tralise the e ffe cts of his te ndency to b e
t o o p ractical and o b j e ctive a n d t o over- emphasise concrete
and visib le results - which then have to b e sublimated - h e
s h o u ld actively c u l tivate t h e qualities of t h e love and
idealistic typ es. He should act so that his motive should
always be loving se rvice and the true good o f all and his
methods be fre e fro m o ffi c i o usness and rigidity. H is ideal
of coo rdinati o n and synthesis, which he is inclined to dis
play in the exte rnal world and on a vast scale, sho uld b e
applied fi rst o f all b y himself t o himself, t o the c o mpletio n
of his own psychosynthesis, e ither p e rso nal o r trans p e r
so nal. I f he does so, his o rganisatio nal ab ility can b e o f
g r e a t h e l p a n d he can achieve h i s g o a l w i t h greater ease
than individuals b elonging to other types. A t the same
time he will learn very useful lessons that can then b e
88 Psychosynthesis Typology