Psycho-Sexual Polarities

Discourse on sex in contemporary society, which was once inhibited by sexual taboos, is characterized by confusion and contradictions, influenced by Freudian psychoanalysis and subsequent sexual or erotic advertising.

By Dr. Sergio Bartoli[i] Course Of Lectures On Psychosynthesis, Lecture Viii – 1971. Translated and Edited with Notes by Jan Kuniholm[ii]

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Abstract: Discourse on sex in contemporary society, which was once inhibited by sexual taboos, is characterized by confusion and contradictions, influenced by Freudian psychoanalysis and subsequent sexual or erotic advertising. This lecture explores the concept of sex as psychosexual polarity, emphasizing its emotional and psychological dimensions alongside physical aspects. It argues that understanding and integrating these polarities is essential for personal development and fulfilling relationships. The talk delves into the historical dynamics of male dominance and female emancipation, highlighting the need for women to embrace their innate qualities rather than imitate male behavior. Furthermore, it discusses the importance of acknowledging and integrating one’s own sexual functions with those of the opposite sex for mutual development and personal growth. Additionally, the talk examines the application of psychosexual polarity in various fields, including individual self-actualization, education, therapy, and social cooperation. It emphasizes the significance of recognizing and harmonizing these polarities for achieving psychological well-being and societal progress. A discussion follows the lecture, in which various aspects of psychosynthesis and gender integration are explored: integrating feminine and masculine qualities, the continual process of self-realization and partnership, and the importance of developing higher qualities of both sexes. The conversation extends to societal roles, acknowledging the evolving nature of gender dynamics and the need for harmonious personal development, and touches on intuition as a higher human quality.

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Before beginning a discourse on sex it is advisable to objectively look at what “sex” really means. Today extreme confusion reigns about this subject and obvious contradictions appear even to the most open minds when trying to address and clarify this issue.

Recovering from the very long period of official silence, sex has recovered its great [social] importance, thanks mainly to Freudian psychoanalysis. It has been recognized as a primary instinct of enormous importance that is responsible for most of the psychological syndromes called neuroses if repressed in the unconscious. We also know that this instinct has as its ultimate goal the reproduction of the human species through the organic mating of man and woman. But Freud’s fine-tuning also coincided with what we might call the “great abuse of sex.” And so the period of sexual taboos was followed by the period of sexual advertising that is currently reaching its peak. We are stimulated daily at all levels by sexual and quasi-sexual stimuli, from the subtlest to the coarsest; and all the media, from television to cinema, from billboards to magazines, compete in giving us more or less erotic sexual suggestions.

Even children come into daily contact with legalized pornography, which is displayed in newsstands and movie theaters, to the benevolent indifference of most people; and they are sometimes drawn by the stimulating power of the image into sexual deviance. Such perversions are often presented as pleasant variations on the theme of sex, although they should remain, in our opinion, strictly within the domain of psychopathology treatises intended for physicians. There is a deliberate tendency for people to ignore the problem by taking refuge behind the screen of a supposed freedom of information, pretending not to notice the monstrous economic profiteering that really sustains all this and which is dangerously undermining the whole of humanity at its foundations.

And the strange thing is that we talk about sexual freedom at the very time when sexual conditioning is most widespread and continuous and has completely altered the primordial ancestral instinct related to reproduction. We talk about freely using our instincts according to our natural impulse . . . but what instincts and impulses are we talking about if manipulation of them begins at the very moment an individual is born and continues uninterruptedly and relentlessly throughout life? Is not “instinct” by definition an a priori drive; that is, inherent in human beings, and something that humans should respect and use only “according to nature,” possibly after understanding its true meanings and essence? There is real conditioning, from the family and religious sources, both moral and erotic-commercial, that does nothing but twist the meaning of sex by devitalizing it of the various contents and perverting it in its purpose and meanings. What, then, remains for humanity to use “freely,” but a new product and a new lie of our so-called “civilization?” We must therefore ask ourselves, before we use it, what really is this force of attraction that drives two individuals of opposite sexes to seek each other, and how such a force through physical joining can create a new human life.

The Concept of Psychosexual Polarity

Limiting our view of the male-female relationship to physical involvement alone is far from adequate, at least since the close link between sex and emotionality has been commonly acknowledged. Indeed, the new psychosomatic trend in medicine provides us with unequivocal examples of emotional inhibitions that block the sexual activity of men and women, despite the perfect integrity of their genital organs. So-called psychogenic impotencies and frigidities provide continuous examples of this, and any physician can confirm this. We also know that sexual inversions are almost always attributed etiologically to psychological factors and not to organic abnormalities, which are in fact very rare. Therefore, we think it appropriate in continuing our discussion to replace the imprecise term “sex” with the term “psychosexual polarity” if we are to deal objectively with the various issues related to it.

What we commonly refer to as “sex” can in fact be regarded as vital energy that is polarized into two different functions: the “positive” or masculine, and the “negative” or feminine;[iii] and respectively the former acts as an active stimulus and the latter as a fertile ground for the creation of new forms, as the two come into contact. In a sexual relationship, because of this concept of psychosexual polarity, we know that the engagement of two people is not limited to the physical plane alone, but also involves the various planes of psychic[iv] or psychological activity of the partners.

[After a person’s birth, and] after a period of embryonic undifferentiatedness on the physical level,[v] masculinity and femininity are definitively expressed by the growing human being’s formal structure. But at the other levels of life [the polarity of] positivity and negativity is established by the greater or lesser activity of the energy-force at each level. If we analyze what happens at the various levels we find that woman, who is “feminine” at the physical level, [often] becomes positive and therefore “masculine” at the emotional level. In fact, it is easy to see that all the activities connected with the emotional sphere are commonly more developed in woman than in man. In her we find as a rule very rich sensibility, feeling, imagination, and such qualities make her an emotionally dynamic and dominant being in comparison with man . . . But at the intellectual level we [commonly] find that things are reversed; the man returns to the “positive,” and the woman to the “negative.” As a rule, male thinking is usually recognized as having greater creative force or activity than female thinking. It is the proclivity of men to engage in more deductive thinking — that is, starting from general principles and proceeding to discover the particulars in which those principles find their application. A typical example of this is the thinking of the philosopher. In contrast, it is the proclivity of the woman to engage in more inductive thinking — that is, thinking that goes back from the analysis of particulars to the general laws of life.[vi] And this is so, even though both types of thinking are used to a greater or lesser extent by both sexes, as is the case with all psychological qualities.

At the level of intuitive life, however, things are again reversed: the woman becomes “active” again and the man “passive.” We can all see how normally ingrained in woman there is a certain magical sense of life related to intimate feelings and biases. She often does not know where her presentiments come from and often remains a slave to preconceived ideas and superstitions. But more often than not, by virtue of her greater intuition a woman is able to “foresee” and “sense in advance” situations and events that a man’s rational thinking will only be able to grasp later.

Thus we can make a statistical conclusion that the psychosexual polarity of humankind is normally crisscrossed: there is predominant or “positive” or “masculine” polarity of man on the physical and intellectual level, and a predominant or “positive” or “masculine” polarity of woman on the emotional and intuitive level.[vii] Therefore, if a couple’s union does not prove valid[viii] on all these various levels, some polarity-force will remain unfulfilled, creating a real “state of need” in the partners, which will lead them to seek their fulfillment in other directions until a complete and total union is achieved. In the event the latter is realized, an inseparable relationship will have been created and the couple will share the maximum impetus for the overall realization of the personality in both partners.

“Masculinism” and “Femininism”

At the physical level we see this again, that the formal structure determines the function we are going to carry out as a polarity at that level of life. This function is controlled by the genital organs and the complex endocrine system through chemical mediators known as hormones, secreted by special glands and directly connected with the whole bloodstream. We also know that the internally secreting glands function as repositories for these hormones and that they in turn are under the direct control of the neuro-vegetative system,[ix] which can be called the “organic substrate of the psyche.” Therefore, any change in the emotional-mental situation of the individual produces physical changes in the individual, and vice versa. This concept has been documented on a scientific level by psychosomatic medicine, which leads us to see how the sexual engagement normally takes place on a physical and emotional level, and how this interdependence is inseparable and always operating. In this relationship, the man is usually “positive” on the physical level and the woman is usually “positive” on the emotional level. It may happen that the woman’s “emotional positivity” is so powerful that it leads to real cases of “psychological masculinity.” The opposite can happen to a man who, either because he is inhibited in the relationship by an excess of emotional positivity or psychological masculinity of his partner, or because he is prey to unresolved infantile complexes, may arrive at real state of “psychological femininity.” We also know that this situation can vary according to changes in the partners, and it can also can change over time. It may therefore happen that a man who is passive (and therefore psychologically feminine) with a certain type of woman, may become active with another woman, or even with the same one at different periods of life.

The real danger of these supposed cases of “masculinism” and “femininism” lies in considering these particular anomalous aspects of the individual’s life force as signs of a real polarity reversal of the individual’s whole personality. Then the person often seeks to change even his somatic attitude and physical function to match it. But what has been strictly determined by structural form cannot be functionally changed with impunity, without incurring dangerous energetic short-circuits. The suicides and mental alienations of many homosexuals are daily examples of this.[x] Instead, the individual energy-polarity at other levels of life can be appropriately varied; and indeed it is precisely by a continuous oscillation from positive to negative polarity that people may fulfill their creative processes. We must therefore understand that the excess of activity of certain psychological elements in women, and conversely the passivity or inhibition of certain functions in men, do not necessarily indicate physical inversion, and thus homosexuality, but only transient energetic values of individual psychological components. We may add that one of the specific tasks of each individual is to develop within himself the higher characteristics of the other sex, particularly the intuition in men and active and logical thinking in women.

The Meaning and Expression of the “Vigorous Protest”

It is easy to see how man, who is physically stronger, has tried from the earliest days of life to subjugate woman, often making her a slave; and the concept of polygamy, which is still accepted among some peoples, bears witness to this. We must believe that in a distant prehistoric era the physical strength of the male played a decisive role in establishing the social laws, and thus in the formation of mass morality, some of which is still in operation today. The femininity or physical passivity of women, arising from her biological function, forced them for a long time to accept that role of social dependence which men’s physical prowess imposed on them. At that time all the activity of the human race was expressed at the lowest levels, and the life force tended to be channeled mainly into the physical realm through those instinctual drives that were most strongly pressing in men, pertaining to the need for preservation and reproduction of the species. It was the rule to kill to survive and to rape to possess; and in this situation it was inevitable that the women would get the worst of it and be inexorably tied to the men’s chariots. Since then much progress has been made by humanity, and men have also begun to live at other levels, driven by the need to grow inwardly. Physical strength is no longer considered decisive; psychic and psychological forces have been discovered and utilized. Women became self-aware and finally understood that their own personalities are complementary and not inferior to that of men. Gone is the time when men questioned the existence of the soul in women; and indeed the importance of certain distinctly feminine qualities is increasingly being discovered — first and foremost, it bears repeating, their intuition.

Today’s society, however, even if rationally convinced of the equal rights of men and women, is still ancestrally conditioned by the concept of dependence, which the economic and family structures and are still tending to validate, albeit to an increasingly smaller extent. Today’s women, however, in almost all cases, are no longer willing to accept this situation. Hence the “vigorous protest.” They then seek to take the place of men in the various social fields, often even assuming some of men’s outward attitudes. They believe that in this way they are solving the problem and overturning the social structure in their favor, not realizing instead that they are falling into an error of judgment at a higher (macroscopic) level. For it is not by “virilizing” themselves in physical appearance or by invading men’s fields of action that women can solve their problem, but on the contrary by accepting the role that nature has “assigned” to them and by enhancing their social engagement in the fields that are most congenial to them.

Acceptance of the Functions of one’s own sex and Integration with those of the opposite sex [xi]

The importance of acceptance of one’s own sexual functions and integration with those of the opposite sex is evident from a fundamental consideration: it is by this energetic bipolarity at the various levels of life that man and woman [give and] receive continuous and mutual fertilization. It is precisely through the hetero-sexual relationship that they may reciprocally search for the most valuable means of developing their personalities. On the other hand, the very urge toward union almost always originates from a need: to express an overflowing vital pressure, or to receive a force that is deficient in us. And the union will be all the more fulfilling the more one receives what one lacks and gives what one has in excess. When this is realized, the two partners will receive from the union a feeling of completeness and inner fulfillment that will enable them to face life in a privileged position. At the same time, the psychological qualities of the opposite sex will act as intrapsychic catalysts in each of them that promotes their complete development.

Psychosynthetic Solutions

Let us now see how the concept of polarity is addressed by Psychosynthesis in its various fields of application.

Let us begin with self-psychosynthesis, which we might call an individual psychological methodology for self-actualization. Starting from some considerations provided by dynamic psychology, we can see that in the human psyche there are various polarities according to the different fields of psychic energy. To use neutral or impersonal terminology, we could say that human beings are “positive” at the more “subtle” life levels, compared to the more “dense” ones. For example, we could say that the spiritual or SELF level is positive with respect to the mental level, which is positive with respect to the emotional level, which in turn is positive with respect to the physical level.[xii] Some considerations confirm this for us. The first is provided by psychosomatic medicine, which shows how a thought, for example that of illness, creates the state of mind corresponding to it: that is, the fear of becoming ill, and how that emotional state often creates the corresponding physical state of illness. Thus a thought has, as it were, fertilized an emotion, which in turn has produced a physical state.

Another consideration comes to us from modern psychotherapy, where symbolic suggestions are increasingly used to influence and modify somatic syndromes, and the guidance of a client’s thinking is used to address and dissolve emotional vortices such as anxiety or obsession. In this regard, I would like to mention one psychosynthesis technique — receptive psychological meditation — in which this dynamic-intrapsychic mechanism appears evident: this technique seeks to establish a fertilizing [“positive”] contact between the SELF (understood as the individual’s as yet unexpressed potentiality) and the “I” (self) as the actual center of [personal] consciousness, which therefore functions as a feminine [or “negative”] element that “receives” from the former. These, and many other considerations, lead us to affirm that just as there is a psychosexual polarity that we might call “horizontal,” i.e., inter-individual or interpersonal; there is also a “vertical,” i.e., intra-individual psychosexual polarity [within a person], whereby, by invoking psychodynamic laws, it is possible to create mechanisms of self-fertilization at the various levels of life from the spiritual to the mental, from the emotional to the physical.

Let us now briefly see the importance of knowledge of psychosexual polarities in educational psychosynthesis.

It is well known that there is an alternation of polarizations[xiii] in the child’s psyche toward the mother or female figure and toward the father or male figure, for this has been highlighted by developmental psychology. If these phases do not follow the balanced rhythm required for a good psychological orientation of the child, serious damage is done to the child’s psychic system. Excessive polarization toward one of the two parental figures due to overprotective situations can in fact cause serious psychological disharmonies. Several cases of homosexuality have their etiology in erroneous or too prolonged unidirectional polarization at a [crucial] developmental age. Knowledge of this delicate interplay of psychosexual polarities will therefore allow us to address at the right time and with exact knowledge any inappropriate situations [during certain stages] of psycho-physical development which [are among] the most delicate moments in each individual’s life.[xiv]

Turning then to the therapeutic field, and before analyzing how the psychosexual polarity is to be interpreted in psychosynthetic therapy, it is appropriate to clarify how four main types of patient-therapist relationship can be distinguished in the practice of psychosynthesis, and how each of them can be used for the purpose of treatment.

• The first is transference in the original meaning ascribed to it by Freud; namely, the projection of the child’s impulses and emotions toward the parents onto the doctor [or therapist, by the patient or client]. These projections may be positive or negative, and must in any case be analyzed and dissolved.
• Another type of relationship is that created by the therapeutic situation in which the therapist exercises a predominantly parental function. This is a conscious, real and current relationship, and therefore is different from the unconscious projection of transference.
• Another type is the human relationship that is created during treatment as a psychological interaction at various levels between therapist and patient. The therapist must try to maintain this relationship within the right limits and at a high level — that is, accepting its positive and constructive aspects and firmly resisting the possessive demands of the patient.
• We must also mention the “resolution relationship” that takes place at the end of the treatment and which is one of the most delicate moments of the treatment itself. It must be graduated wisely and can be later transformed into a relationship of friendship and cooperation.

It is evident how in each of these relationships knowledge of the law of psychosexual polarity is indispensable. Indeed, the Freudian transference is a demonstration of how tenacious are the psychosexual bonds that are created in childhood, and how they later operate outside our consciousness and often against our will. In what we have called the therapeutic situation, then, the therapist almost assumes the guise of the wise old person, or of what the Indians call the guru. Thus there evidently arises a situation of psychological dominance or positivity of the therapist in relation to the patient, who conversely presents a phase of complete acceptance or psychological passivity. In the human relationship created by a psychotherapeutic treatment such a play of polarities is even more evident at the various levels of encounter between doctor and patient, and the former will have to make wise use of his knowledge in this field and will always have to pursue the patient’s own healing as the sole objective. In the resolution of the relationship, too, in-depth knowledge of intrapsychic mechanisms at the psychosexual level will be indispensable in order to avoid dangerous outcomes that a hasty or superficial conclusion might cause.

Let us now mention how the problem of psychosexual polarities may be of interest to educational psychosynthesis. As is well known, didactic psychosynthesis means the psychotherapeutic training that the future psychotherapist must undergo before starting his or her practice, which has the dual purpose of eliminating any conflicting personal situations and at the same time training him or her in the techniques and methodology that he or she will later use professionally. It becomes clear that becoming aware of one’s psychosexual situation, and possibly harmonizing it, is one of the fundamental tasks to be implemented before dealing with conflicting situations in one’s patients, also so as not to project onto them any complexes still unresolved at that level.

As far as inter-individual or interpersonal psychosynthesis is concerned, I would just like to speak briefly about two situations in which knowledge of intrapsychic psychosexual dynamics is crucial for understanding them. I am referring to the master-disciple relationship, and to social and international cooperation. Between the master and the group, a relationship of different polarities is created in which the master or leader functions as the masculine, i.e., active, [ or “positive”] creating element, and the group functions as the feminine, i.e., passive [or “negative”] element, representing the ground that receives the seed.[xv] Therefore, a relationship of dependence is established between the two, whereby one needs the other; that is, the group needs the master and the master needs the group. This explains the need for both to be able to rely on each other and the bewilderment that strikes the group when the leader is missing — due to the loss of the active and fertilizing element. At the same time it explains the reluctance of the leader to dissolve a group or to lose elements of it due to the difficulty that would impose on his or her own creative needs.

Initial acceptance of the different polarities operating in a social context would foster true cooperation, in which each person could alternately engage his own predominant potentials and readiness to understand, and alternately foster that of others, according to his own aptitudes in the various areas of endeavor. This would eliminate unproductive attitudes of opposition or false superiority that produce nothing but enormous waste of valuable energies that could be used in a more useful way for society. This discussion then becomes highly relevant if transferred to the international field, where if the present competitive system were replaced by one of cooperation we would have solved most problems. It would be enough to respect and enhance the traditional capabilities of each ethnic group in specific fields, so that each nation, or group of nations, could be alternately active and passive with respect to the others in the marvelous work undertaken by humanity, which is to realize all the immense potential of human beings.

Questions, Comments, and Discussion

Ms. X.: You said something very beautiful: psychosynthesis calls for the realization of the complete individual, in the sense that everyone should develop the higher qualities of the other sex. For example, I, as a woman, should try to develop the qualities of the mind. I think this would be very nice, but then how would this integration of the two sexes take place when I, as a woman, had thus completed myself — that is, integrated my personality? I don’t know if I have explained myself.

Dr. Bartoli: If you had entirely realized yourself, this problem would already be solved. But normally you proceed by partial realizations and therefore you will always find higher levels in which to stimulate and complete yourself with your partner.

Ms. X.: Is it still possible to find completeness?

Dr. Bartoli: That is the task of life.

Ms. X.: But should the goal be this: to better develop my feminine qualities so that I can better complete my partner, or as you said to develop the masculine qualities that are potentially in me?

Dr. Bartoli: Both. That is, trying to harmonize one’s feminine qualities, develop them if need be, and especially employ them productively by often making up for what are the deficiencies of your partner in that field, and acting at the same time as a catalyst for the atrophied qualities of your partner. The function of couple integration, as psychosynthesis understands it, is almost an interlocking game in which the masculine element complements the feminine one at various levels, and vice versa, and at the same time the two elements function as catalysts in each other’s intrapsychic processes.

Prof. Cirinei:[xvi] Meanwhile, this needs to be clarified: no one is “100 percent male” and no one is “100 percent female.” So all women have some masculine elements and all men have some feminine elements, except maybe in some exceptional cases, and then they are monsters. If a man is incapable of having mercy, does not have the instinct of protection of the weak, of preservation of the necessities of life, of intuition, that would be a monster. So also a woman who was all intuition and could do no logical reasoning like that of men would be a pathological case. Then, as Dr. Bartoli said, it is a matter of developing the higher qualities of the other sex. I would like to say one more thing referring to the conception of the human being in psychosynthesis: the essence is the SELF, the manifestation of the “I.” What we are at the deepest level is therefore neither man nor woman. We should say, to be precise, “I have a male body,” or “I have a female body;” remembering that our deep core, the SELF, is neither male nor female.

Dr. Bartoli: In fact, at higher levels of life there is no more bipolarity.

Prof. Cirinei: This clarifies a lot if we can understand it. If we manage through some psychosynthetic techniques to feel as a Self — that is, as a being that is not sexual but has sexual, or rather psychosexual, qualities — we are close to the realization of many problems. There are techniques that are useful for some individuals; such as for example, visualizing oneself as being of the opposite sex. That is, for a man to imagine being a woman and for a woman to imagine being a man.

Dr. Bartoli: Always, you mean, in the higher aspects. The danger is what I laid out for you earlier and that is to interpret these qualities of the opposite sex as an inversion at the physical level. In daily practice we often see women with strong emotional charges at the various levels convincing themselves of their supposed homosexuality and trying to adapt even their outward physical attitude to this “dominance” of theirs, and in this case the woman takes on decidedly masculine ways of doing things. But we know that “pure” homosexuality exists only in very rare cases where an organic deficiency or hormonal deficiency is present. But the hormones themselves, as we said a moment ago, function in direct relationship to the autonomic nervous system, which in turn is under the influence of the various psychic or psychological components, especially emotionality, which in turn is related to thought. So, the organs themselves are indirectly influenced by our thoughts, our beliefs. If I convince myself that I am a woman, I could theoretically cause organic impotence in myself, even going so far as to reduce or block the secretion of my male hormones. Through cutting-edge psychotherapy techniques we are in fact scientifically studying the problem in order to be able to demonstrate the possibility increasing male or female hormone secretion in the desired direction, in several cases of “psychogenic homosexuality.”

Ms. X.: I believe, however, that greater inclusion of women in social life would be desirable.

Dr. Bartoli: Certainly, although the inclusion of women in society must start from a premise, namely that woman is a woman and must remain a woman; just as man is a man and must remain a man, and that there are different fields of application for different psychological qualities.

Prof. Cirinei: Here too, however, it must be said that many times the woman who is intended by nature to be a mother, to be mistress or queen of her home, as they used to say, can best fulfill these feminine functions even if she has interests outside this limited sphere; that is, if she also cultivates intellectual, social or artistic inclinations. Then she can help her children in all areas by becoming an even better mother; but she should not try to invade men’s spheres of activity.[xvii]

Dr. Bartoli: This is very right and it is confirmed to us by a widespread female frustration. In fact, we know that everything women do inside the home is often poorly recognized and unappreciated. Having other activities as well therefore allows her to be better in the function of mother and wife because it compensates for a frustration that we could call atavistic.

Ms. P.A.: But it may be that the woman is more emotional and more intuitive precisely because of the atavistic upbringing she has received. So as society changes today, it may be that the woman also changes.

Dr. Bartoli: It may be that women, who have been fenced into certain [limited] fields of activity, have developed particular psychological qualities in reaction [to this limitation]. However, the problem remains for today’s men and women to realize their personalities as harmoniously as possible.

Prof. Cirinei: One thing has been said but it bears repeating and that is that femininity and masculinity on the psychic level do not necessarily correspond to that on the physical level. A very characteristic example is that of [author[ George Sand and [the composer Frédéric] Chopin. She, who already from the name taken[xviii] revealed a masculine psychology, was the author of very interesting novels and had a very strong, almost masculine character, while he was of an extreme sensitivity, being one of the most exquisitely delicate, almost psychologically feminine musicians. Yet in their relationship they were lovers for quite some time and both were “normal” on a physical level; that is, she was a woman and he was a man.

Mr. Y.: I wanted to ask something: speaking about the different levels of life, you mentioned intuition last. Did you say that at random, or does intuition in your opinion stand at the very pinnacle of human values?

Dr. Bartoli: Intuition is one of the higher qualities of humanity, the one that is closest to the so-called “spiritual level.” To intuit means to know something that does not yet have concrete manifestation, and therefore eludes all logical elaboration. In other words it means to draw directly, as Benedetto Croce[xix] says, from a higher level of life, and is therefore an art form.

Prof. Cirinei: What the great German mathematician Gauss[xx] said in this regard is characteristic, “I know it is so, but I have not yet been able to prove it.” His intuition therefore had preceded the reasoning.

Dr. Bartoli: Einstein also made much use of intuition.

Prof. Cirinei: In fact, Einstein’s famous formula indicating the equivalence of matter and energy seems to have been found by him by incorrect reasoning. So he had arrived at it intuitively.[xxi]

Mr. Y.: I’d like to ask one thing: It seems to me that in Rome you were planning to compile a psychosynthesis journal in which avant-garde studies such as those on the interpretation of so-called paranormal phenomena would also be reported. Did you succeed in that?

Dr. Bartoli: No. We did many things in Rome but not the journal. We created the faculty of Psychosynthesis at the University of the Mediterranean, which won the support of members but also entirely absorbed us for a whole year of activity. However, we also expect to implement the psychosynthesis journal initiative as soon as possible.

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[i] Sergio Bartoli (1929-2009) was a doctor and psychotherapist who was a student and collaborator of Roberto Assagioli. He founded the Institute in Rome, as well as the SIPT or Italian Society of Therapeutic Psychosynthesis. He was Vice President of the Psychosynthesis Institute in Florence from 1975 to 1978. —Ed.

[ii] Editor’s interpolations are shown in [brackets]. Elisions . . . are as shown in the original typed transcript. —Ed.

[iii] The author is clearly using the terms “positive” and “negative” an a way that analogous to the use of these terms in the physics of electricity, in which there is no personal, social or political implication. In that sense the point of origination of a current carries a “positive” charge, while the energy receiver or ground is “negative.” It is also clear from the context that the author approaches “sex” from a larger perspective than “gender,” one that includes the personal energies that are found in persons of both sexes. —Ed.

[iv] The author uses the word “psychic” to refer to all inner mental processes, which include what would generally be called “psychological” processes. —Ed.

[v] This has been called the “indifferent stage” and lasts usually 8-9 weeks. See article by Joel Shen et als. (2018), at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6234077/ —Ed.

[vi] The former is now commonly referred to as “linear” thinking and the latter commonly referred to as “integrative thinking,” each of which may be used by different “philosophers.” —Ed.

[vii] This statement also implies a corresponding “negative” or “feminine” polarity of men at the emotional and intuitive levels and of women at the physical and intellectual levels. —Ed.

[viii] The author has not elaborated on his use of the term “valid” but his discussion suggests that by “validity” he means a complementary alignment of the polar opposites at each level.—Ed.

[ix] Now more commonly called the autonomic nervous system. —Ed.

[x] This statement is reflected in contemporary (2023) research which indicates suicide-related behavior of homosexual and bisexual people to be significantly higher (2.98 times greater overall) than for heterosexual people.

from https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.20220763. The suicide attempt rate (2016) among transgender people ranges from 32-50% in India, and 42% in the USA.—from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5178031/ and https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/press/transpop-suicide-press-release/ —Ed.

[xi] A further discussion of the concept of sexual “functions” from a psychosynthesis perspective can be found in Assagioli, R., Psychosynthesis of the Couple, Cheshire Cat Books, 2022. Some of Assagioli’s writings from 1958 to 1974, presented in that work, support the author’s statements and also advance and refine them in certain ways. —Ed.

[xii] Refer to Note 3 above concerning the use of the terms “positive” and “negative.” —Ed.

[xiii] In this editor’s estimation, the word “polarization” is not commonly used in English to designate the psychological relationships between parents and children, although the context of the author’s text seems to justify the use of this term. The current terminology of “attachment” and “identification” may be adapted to help understand the author’s intentions, although the term “orientation” might also also be useful here.—Ed.

[xiv] Translated literally, Dr. Bartoli referred to “the psycho-physical age, which remains one of the most delicate moments of each individual’s life.” This sentence would suggest that there is only one such age, perhaps meaning puberty; however he has earlier mentioned “alternation” and “a balanced rhythm” of polarizations, which suggests more than one stage. Therefore I have interpolated the change as indicated in the text at this location. —Ed.

[xv] It becomes clear in this context that the author occasionally uses the word “passive” as a synonym for “receptive,” while at other times his use seems to suggest a synonym for “submissive.” In reality the two senses may be present in the same person at the same time, or alternatively one sense may be present while the other absent.—Ed.

[xvi] Dr. Gabriello Cirinei was Vice President of the Psychosynthesis Institute in Florence from 1964 to 1972. —Ed.

[xvii] See Note 11 above. —Ed.

[xviii] “George Sand” was the pen name of Aurore Dupin de Francueil, a French novelist, memoirist and journalist. —Ed.

[xix] Benedetto Croce (1866-1952) was an Italian philosopher who wrote on numerous topics, including philosophy, history, politics, economics, and aesthetics. —Ed.

[xx] Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777-1855) was a German Mathematician, astronomer, geodesist and physicist who made contributions to many fields in mathematics and science, and was considered one of the most influential mathematicians in history. —Ed.

[xxi] But clearly it was confirmed by “correct” reasoning later. —Ed.