Recent studies in physiology, psychology, and medicine reveal the intricate and significant relationships between the physical and moral aspects of humanity.
By Roberto Assagioli, (Doc. #23245 and 24217 – Assagioli Archives-Florence). Original Title: Cultura Fisica ed Educazione del Carattere. Re-translated, Formatted and Edited with Notes by Jan Kuniholm[1]
Abstract: Recent studies in physiology, psychology, and medicine reveal the intricate and significant relationships between the physical and moral aspects of humanity. Modern education should leverage this knowledge to achieve ideal goals, moving beyond past materialistic views that saw the soul as merely a byproduct of the body. Psychotherapy highlights the moral influence on physical health, while physical conditions impact mental states. Ancient wisdom suggested adopting physical postures to influence moods, supporting the idea that exercise benefits the soul. Physical activity enhances circulation, metabolism, and nervous control, fostering morale and willpower. It also helps manage sexual and combative energies by providing healthy outlets. However, physical exercises must be performed with the right spirit to avoid fostering violence and brutality. By emphasizing fair play, loyalty, and teamwork, physical education can cultivate moral values, ensuring the soul’s mastery over the body. This educational approach aligns with the mission of organizations like the YMCA.
The increasingly extensive and accurate studies that have been made in recent times in the fields of physiology, psychology and medicine have shown more and more clearly how important, intimate and complex are the relationships that exist between the physical and the moral[2] aspects of humanity, between the body and the soul. A complex interplay of actions and reactions takes place between these two elements, which have very important effects on the overall state of the individual.
A modern and integral education must be well acquainted with the laws and modalities of this play of influences, and draw upon them to direct and adjust education in the direction desired for its ideal goals.
Having overcome the narrow materialistic preconceptions of the last century, according to which the psyche, the soul, was considered to be a mere secretion of the body, science has recognized and emphasized the enormous action that the moral has on the physical. A whole new branch of medicine, psychotherapy, is aimed precisely at using this action for curative purposes.
But no less important is the action of the physical on the moral. Indeed, every condition of bodily well-being or discomfort, every attitude and expression of the organism tends to be reflected and imprinted on the soul, arousing the corresponding state of mind. Slow and labored digestion, torpid material assimilation and metabolism, and a sense of physical weakness tend to produce depression, bad humor, laziness and moral sluggishness. A slouching and lackadaisical physical attitude tends to produce listlessness and apathy, while a physical posture that keeps muscles contracted and a hypertonic nervous state arouse corresponding psychic tension and excitation.
This fact was well known to ancient educators, who wisely advised people to assume a physical posture corresponding to the moods and qualities they wished to cultivate. Thus, for example, one who lacks courage should purposely assume, even if feeling apprehension, resolute physical behavior with head held high like one who is courageous and self-confident: this outward behavior will help him to become that way. It is the method called “acting as if . . .”
Given this, one can understand how physical exercise associated with gymnastics and sports can have important and beneficial effects on the soul. Exercise increases circulation, reactivates material metabolism, counterbalances the damage of too sedentary a life, increases the nervous control over muscles, awakens latent energies, accustoms one to endurance, concentrates attention, and teaches speed and accuracy of perception, decision and execution.
All this has a direct and immediate action on morale: it stimulates and revives it. Physical well-being and sense of energy become inner well-being and power. The qualities of mastery, decision-making and alertness that we develop in the gym and on the playing field are brought into the arena of life. The healthy pleasure of muscular activity and the gaiety aroused by games divert us from excessive worries, cheer us up, enliven us and maintain our freshness and youthfulness.
In this way, exercise makes a valuable contribution to the education of the will and of character in general. However, in order for these beneficial effects to be achieved in the broadest and most appropriate way, it is necessary that exercise be done in a suitable manner and with certain precautions.
We must do it with measure and style. That is, we need to concern ourselves less with the quantitative result that is achieved, and more with the qualitative; less with how much is done, and more with how it is done. In other words, it is not so much the amount of raw energy developed, not so much the breaking of a record that matters, but the precision, elegance and finesse, in short, the style of each exercise.
In this way one truly educates the will in its two aspects: that of direct action, and what is perhaps even more important and essential, of inhibition; that is, the power to control and stop.
Thus the body truly becomes an agile and docile instrument of the soul: a person feels that he possesses his body, and not that he is possessed by it. By making this great conquest he learns and trains himself to accomplish another, more arduous and still more beautiful task: that is, to make the whole soul an agile and docile instrument of the spirit.
Another important function, another educational task of physical exercise is to provide use and appropriate outlet to the exuberant vital energies that otherwise tend to express themselves in ways that are not good and harmful to oneself and others. I mean to allude to sexual energies and combative energies.
It must be openly acknowledged, without false hypocrisy, that one of the most difficult problems that arise in the lives of young people is that of mastering the sexual instinct. The topic of sex education is broad, complex and sensitive, and I certainly cannot deal with it now. But I would like to mention one side of it that directly concerns physical education.
In contemporary life for young people who are students or employees the difficulty of the struggle against the sexual instinct is greatly increased by the fact that sedentary life leaves many vital energies idle which, not finding their normal use in proper muscular activity, go to artificially stimulate and increase the natural instinctive impulses. These in themselves would not in general be so difficult to overcome, and would find their outlet in a natural discharge that is an appropriate safety valve created by nature.
Well then, muscular activity in gymnastics and sports very appropriately eliminates those artificial stimuli and excitations and makes the mastery of instinct much easier by giving an adequate outlet to vital energies. In addition to this direct help, physical education gives another indirect one, which is also most useful: by the interest it arouses, with the time it requires, and by the healthy habits of activity it fosters, it actually diverts the mind from inappropriate images and thoughts, from environments, readings, conversations and fantasies that provoke artificial psychic stimuli that are entirely superfluous and harmful.
For it is good to make it clear: natural instinct in itself is often far less to blame in the failings and disorders of young people than are psychic suggestions and self-suggestions. Once these have been eliminated, the problem of continence[3] becomes one of far easier solution. And it is not true that well-practiced chastity can be detrimental to health; this can be stated categorically on the basis of the authoritative experience of physicians.[4]
When continence is too difficult and seems to produce inconveniences, it means that there is something unhealthy present, and then medical [or psychological] intervention is needed. This is often accomplished with simple hygienic and curative measures that eliminate the disorder. And one of these measures to be recommended is active muscular exercise by means of gymnastics and sports. Finally, I would remind you that physical culture also effectively helps to master the sexual instinct by increasing the energy of the will and the power of inhibition in this way.
What I have said just now can be applied equally well to the problem of mastering combative energies. Generally speaking, not enough account is yet taken of the fact that among the innate tendencies of natural man there is a real combative instinct, which drives him to fight against his fellows, against other beings and against the elements. Knowledge of this instinct explains many facts and difficulties of personal and collective life.
One of the most important individual problems is therefore that of how to a certain extent to give this instinct a necessary outlet that is harmless, and indeed possibly useful.
Here, too, physical education offers valuable help. Various forms of fighting, fencing, races and sporting competitions provide an excellent safety valve for the pugnacious instinct. They provide a way and occasion for it to be expressed in ways that are harmless and useful in other respects.
And even occasionally, someone who is in the throes of irritation or violent anger can discharge and vent his excitement in intense muscular activity; after which he will find himself calmer and more serene. I could cite various testimonies of people who have used this method with much benefit and relief.
At this point, however, some clarifications need to be given, and reservations need to be made.
In order for physical exercises to have the beneficial moral effects mentioned above, and especially the [last ones we spoke about], it is necessary that they be done in a proper way, with a special spirit, which we shall discuss now. Without this particular attitude, physical exercises can produce — and unfortunately not infrequently do produce — morally harmful results, exactly opposite to those already mentioned.
Excessive passion for violent sports, or the obsession with winning in competitions out of thirst for profit or vanity or ambition, make those who indulge in them violent and brutal. They tend to cultivate in the public an overvaluation of muscular strength to the detriment of intellectual, moral and spiritual values. This is a real danger in the current civilization and must be vigorously combated. But it is certainly not to be done by condemning physical exercises, but by making them a true education, and by bringing a higher spirit into them.
It is a matter of educating young people in what the Anglo-Saxons call “fair play,” and what we would call a chivalrous spirit. We need to teach them loyalty, generosity and self-control; how to lose without resentment or recrimination (to be a cheerful loser); and how to transform rugged combativeness, and the passion to win, into restrained emulation — into a healthy sporting attitude. It is necessary to cultivate the team spirit and mutual help among teammates, from which noble and steadfast friendships can develop. In short, it is necessary for the soul to be present and master of the body; here, too, the spirit must control matter.
The special function and value of the physical education departments of the Christian Youth Associations [YMCA and YWCA] seems to us to consist precisely in this educational work. They have done immense good in America, combating the excesses and degenerations of gymnastics and sports, and directing them in a nobler and higher way. We trust that they will succeed in doing so here [in Italy] too.
Certainly there is no lack of competence and fervor in those who are responsible for this work, and we have confidence that they will not lack the necessary consent and willing cooperation of young people.
[1] This essay was translated into English by unknown others, and a copy of the typed English manuscript was made available to this editor. Evidence suggests that it was written in 1929 and that the typed MS was a draft version. This editor has essentially re-translated it from the Italian original with reference to the typed MS. Editor’s interpolations are shown in [brackets]. —Ed.
[2] The author uses the term “moral” (Italian: morale) in the sense of what is non-physical or non-material in human life, without regard to whether it is “good” or “bad” or “positive” or “negative.” This could include mental or ethical considerations and specifically alludes to the psyche, the soul, mentioned subsequently. —Ed.
[3] Continence: sexual self-control and self-restraint, a term that is seldom used these days. —Ed.
[4] No doubt including the author. —Ed.
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