The Seven Types – Appendix 4

Assagioli and typology: Research notes

The following is a summary of some of the key findings I made while researching Assagioli’s references to typology. Very often, Assagioli referred only in passing to the significance of typology, without elaborating on how to apply the theory of types. However, it is clear that, from early in his thinking, Assagioli held that typology was an essential element of psychosynthesis. The aim of my research was to draw out some of Assagioli’s implicit thinking around typology so that a set of concrete principles regarding psychosynthesis typology could be established. For each of the following 24 principles I have referenced the source material so the reader can check out my interpretations in Assagioli’s original writings.

Typology in Counselling

1. Typology help us to develop a true and profound self-knowledge (1933)
2. There is a specific psychosynthetic method for each of the types (1974: 249).
3. Meditation must be used with an understanding of how the types react to different forms of meditation (2007: 273; 1974: 223-224, 229).
4. The practice of psychosynthesis implies “the classification of his psycho-physical type” (1927).
5. Our understanding of how the psychological laws work must be adapted to the psychological type of the individual (1974: 54; Undated 12).
6. Typology offers awareness of the particular sensitivities and mentalities of individual clients, according to type (1983: 53-54).
7. Typology offers insight into how different types approach personal and spiritual psychosynthesis, thereby suggesting the most effective psychosynthetic task for each type (1983: 13-16).
8. The creative and analytic-scientific types have crises similar to those taking place before and after the “awakening” (1965: 48).
9. Having an understanding of the types will suggest the most effective methods or techniques for supporting clients, according to their psychological type (1965: 93, 94, 99, 109, 120, 141, 149, 162, 189- 190, 222, 242, 247, 283; 1974: 77, 97, 100, 164-166; 1970; 1983c; 1933).
10. It is important to apply an understanding of typology when using the techniques of the Ideal Model and the Seven Ways (1965: 48-49; 201-202, https://kennethsorensen.dk/en/glossary/seven-ways).
11. The particular concept of ultimate reality will be biased or coloured by the different types of human beings who describe it (1974: 130).
12. Typology offers insight into the limitations, or “shadows” (Jung), that each type is prone to and how to work with each type most effectively to overcome these limitations (1970b: Year 3, https:// meditationmount.org/study-courses/).
13. Typology offers insight into how clients will react to obstacles, challenges and awakening, according to type (1968b; 1975).
14. Typology offers insight into how clients react and approach a creative phase (2007: 52).
15. Typology offers insight into introvert-extrovert dynamics (1967b, 1931).