Essentialism and the Seven Types
Both psychosynthesis and the theory of the Seven Types are based on the philosophy of essentialism. This becomes clear when we investigate the grand narrative that underpins Assagioli’s conception of psychosynthesis.
In my article Psychosynthesis and Evolutionary Panentheism (2017c; see also Sørensen, 2008 and 2017b), I demonstrate how Assagioli drew upon the concepts of the Great Chain of Being, involution and evolution, thus aligning himself with the perennial philosophy and the essentialist position. Let me offer the following quote as sufficient to illustrate this point (Assagioli, 2007: 241):
In order to fully understand the nature and power of beauty we need to remember the spiritual concept which states that everything that exists externally, in concrete form and individually is the manifestation, effect and reflection of a higher, transcendent, spiritual Reality. It is the great principle of involution or emanation. From a basic, original absolute reality, a series of levels of life, intellect, feeling and material life has developed, through gradual differentiation, to the point of inorganic matter. Thus every quality or attribute of the eternal world, of matter itself, and of the countless different creatures is but a pale, obscure reflection of a quality or attribute of the spiritual Reality, the Divine Being. This is particularly true when it comes to Beauty.
This quote demonstrates that Assagioli was influenced by Plato’s ladder of love and beauty and the neo-Platonic idea of emanation. Accordingly, there is an assumption underlying psychosynthesis and the Seven Types that each individual has an essential spiritual core that is predisposed to grow, like a seed, via an evolutionary journey from the pre-personal to the personal, and then to the transpersonal. In psychosynthesis, this developmental concept is expressed in the idea of the soul’s calling, which implies that each individual has a soul path that must be followed if the soul’s purpose is to be fulfilled. In the Seven Types, the essentialist philosophy is found in the theory of the Seven Ways and the idea that we each have essential energies that we are here to manifest.
Assagioli was well aware of the postmodern critique that ancient wisdom and the ancient narratives are socially constructed and culturally biased. In response, Assagioli, drawing upon the thinking of William James, argued that the spiritual experience described in ancient wisdom is real, but how this experience is described may be inaccurate due to our limited understanding and vocabulary. Assagioli (2007: 18) explained:
Furthermore, each person has recounted his or her own experience in words which imply serious discrepancies; the experience produces different emotional reactions within each individual which they interpret in differing, and at times contradictory, ways. To use James’s own well-chosen words, each individual adds to the original experience a series of imprecise personal structures, to which they are often firmly attached both mentally and emotionally. This diversity has caused confusion, misperceptions and doubts that surround the subject under discussion.
It therefore follows that, when attempting to interpret our soul’s calling and our essential qualities, we need to navigate carefully between factual experience and the theory we use to describe that experience.
I take the position that there is a spiritual essence (the soul) guiding my path, but how I choose to manifest my soul’s qualities is a creative collaboration involving my limited personal self and whatever illumination I have gained about my soul’s calling.
From this perspective, I see the five dominant types – i.e. the dominant energies at the levels of body, feeling, thought, personality and soul – as our soul seeds (referred to elsewhere as our psychological DNA. This DNA is what we are here to give and contain our potential for how we can develop and manifest in the world. Of course, we are not left to undergo this process alone: we live in a social context – among family and friends, in groups and in our nation – which means we are also here to receive qualities from our social environment. And it is through this interaction with our environment that our essential qualities can emerge so we can begin to realise our soul’s calling.
Does essentialism equal determinism? Yes and No!
To borrow an analogy, an acorn has the potential to become an oak tree – the acorn is determined to grow in this way because of its inherent oakness. How the acorn unfolds its potential and develops its particular qualities as an oak will be influenced by the particular DNA and the quality of the soil and weather conditions, but the life inherent in the acorn will always strive towards manifesting its oakness. The same applies to the human being, except that we can consciously participate in the growth process towards becoming a fully functioning human being. So, from this perspective, every person is determined to evolve because there is in life an inherent evolutionary drive towards synthesis and towards becoming all that we can be. Assagioli explains this evolutionary drive in the following way (1965: 31):
From a still wider and more comprehensive point of view, universal life itself appears to us as a struggle between multiplicity and unity – a labour and an aspiration towards union. We seem to sense that – whether we conceive it as a divine Being or as cosmic energy – the Spirit working upon and within all creation is shaping it into order, harmony, and beauty, uniting all beings (some willing but the majority as yet blind and rebellious) with each other through links of love, achieving – slowly and silently, but powerfully and irresistibly – the Supreme Synthesis.
In life itself there is an organic drive towards unity that we are determined to follow, with some following willingly, while others follow blindly and rebelliously, according to the perennialist paradigm as expressed by Assagioli.
Because we now have an understanding of the process of psychosynthesis, human beings can choose to cooperate with life and choose how our particular journey will unfold – and in this lies our freedom. This process does not lead to the development of sameness, rather our uniqueness and particularity will unfold in what Assagioli calls a unity in diversity, meaning a balance between universality and individuality.
As soon as we wake up to the universal process of psychosynthesis, we can start to exercise our free will and decide which qualities we want to bring forth, even though, at the same time, the voice of conscience from the Higher Self, or soul (our self in a deeper state of being), will be guiding our path to wholeness by bringing to fruition a particular set of qualities. The qualities we are able to manifest are fixed or determined: an oak tree will not develop into a pine tree; similarly, if we are a dynamic soul type we are determined to bring to fruition dynamic qualities, however we are free inasmuch as we can participate in shaping how our particular soul qualities unfold.
References
Much of this material is hard to find. Information has been provided where known (albeit incomplete). Many of the Assagioli articles were found and archived after his death and have never been published. A large number of the articles can be retrieved at www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (1927). A New Method of Healing. Archive Assagioli, Florence. Lecture delivered at the English Speaking Union in Rome, on 1 May 1927. Read at www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (1930). Individual Psychology and Spiritual Development: Introductory Survey of Individual Psychology. The Beacon, Vol. IX (Oct.) p. 147.
Assagioli, R. (1930b). Individual Psychology and Spiritual Development, Personality and Individuality. The Beacon, Vol IX (Nov.) p. 178.
Assagioli, R. (1930c). Individual Psychology and Spiritual Development: The Four Fundamental Types. The Beacon, Vol IX (Dec.) p. 214.
Assagioli, R. (1931). Individual Psychology and Spiritual Development, Extraverts and Introverts. The Beacon, Vol IX (Jan.) p. 250.
Assagioli, R. (1931b). Individual Psychology and Spiritual Development, Psychological Types According to the Personal and Egoic Rays. The Beacon, Vol IX (Feb.) p. 289.
Assagioli, R. (1931c). Astro-Psychology – Emotional Control. The Beacon,
Vol X (Dec. p.) p. 272.
Assagioli, R. (1932). Spiritual Development and Nervous Diseases. The Beacon, Vol. XI (Dec.) p. 246. (This article is the transcript of a lecture delivered by Dr Assagioli at the Third Summer Session of the International Centre of Spiritual Research at Ascona, Switzerland, in August 1932. It was later revised and included in his book Psychosynthesis (1965), in chapter 2: Self-Realisation and Psychological Disturbances.)
Assagioli, R. (1933). Practical Contributions to a Modern Yoga, part I. The Beacon. Vol. XII (Oct.) p. 182.
Assagioli, R. (1934). Practical Contributions to a Modern Yoga, part II. The Beacon. Vol. XII (Mar.) p. 346.
Assagioli, R. (1934b). Practical Contributions to a Modern Yoga, part III. The Beacon. Vol. XIII (Apr.) p. 18.
Assagioli, R. (1934c). Loving Understanding, Wisdom and Love in Action. The Beacon ( July). Read at www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (1935). Psychoanalysis and Psychosynthesis. The Beacon, Vol XIV. p. 34. Read at www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (1942). Spiritual Joy, The Beacon. Read at www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (1960). The Education of Gifted and Super-Gifted Children. Psychosynthesis Research Foundation, Issue No. 8. Read at www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (1961). Self Realization and Psychological Disturbances. Psychosynthesis Research Foundation, Issue No. 10. Read at www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (1963). Creative Expression in Education: It’s Purpose, Process, Techniques and
Results. Psychosynthesis Research Foundation. Read at www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (1965). Psychosynthesis. Hobbs, Dorman & Company: New York.
Assagioli, R. (1965b). Psychosynthesis: Individual and Social: Some Suggested Lines of Research.
Psychosynthesis Research Foundation, Issue No. 16. Read at www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (1966). Dialogue with Roberto Assagioli (with Martha Crampton and Dr. Graham C.
Taylor). Psychosynthesis Trust (unpublished). Read at www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (1967a). Psychosomatic Medicine and Bio-Psychosynthesis. Psychosynthesis Research
Foundation, Issue No. 21. Read at www. kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, Roberto (1967b). Jung and Psychosynthesis. Psychosynthesis Research Foundation, Issue
No. 19. Read at www.kennethsorensen. dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (1968a). Notes on Education. Psychosynthesis Research Foundation. Read at
www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (1968b). The Science and Service of Blessing. Sundial House. Read at
www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (1968c). The Scientific Way. Archive Assagioli, Florence.
Assagioli, Roberto, (1969), Symbols of Transpersonal Experiences.
Psychosynthesis Research Foundation, Reprint No. 11. Read at www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (1970). The Technique of Evocative Words. Psychosynthesis Research Foundation, Issue
No. 25. Read at www.kennethsorensen. dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. and MGNA. (1970b). The Meditation Group for the New Age. Read at
https://meditationmount.org/study-courses/
Assagioli, R. (1972). The Balancing and Synthesis of Opposites. Psychosynthesis Research
Foundation, Issue No. 29. Read at www. kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (1973). The Conflict Between the Generations and the Psychosynthesis of the Human
Ages. Psychosynthesis Research Foundation, Issue No. 31.
Assagioli, R. (1974). The Act of Will. Penguin Books.
Assagioli, R. (1974. Training: A Statement. Istituto di Psicosintesi, Florence. Read at
www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (1975). The Resolution of Conflicts and Spiritual Conflicts and Crises.
Psychosynthesis Research Foundation, Issue No. 34. Read at www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (1976). Transpersonal Inspiration, and Psychological
Mountain-Climbing. Psychosynthesis Research Foundation, Issue No. Read at www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (1983). Psychosynthesis Typology. Institute of Psychosynthesis.
Assagioli, R. (1983b). Cheerfulness (A Psychosynthetic Technique). Pasadena California:
Psychosynthesis Training Center. (First print 1973, P.R.F., Issue 33.) Read at
www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/ sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (1983c). Life as a Game and Stage Performance (Role Playing). Pasadena California:
Psychosynthesis Training Center. (First print 1973, P.R.F., Issue 33.) Read at www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (2007). Transpersonal Development. Inner Way Productions.
Assagioli, R. (Undated 1). Psychosynthesis in Education. Psychosynthesis Research Foundation, Issue No. 2. Read at www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (Undated 2). Talks on the Self. Hand out. The Psychosynthesis and Education Trust,
London. Read at www. kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (Undated 3). The Superconscious and the Self. The Psychosynthesis and Education
Trust, London. Hand out. Read at www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (Undated 4). From the Couple to the Community. Unknown source. Read at
www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (Undated 5). A Psychological Method for Learning Languages. Psychosynthesis Research
Foundation, Issue No. 3. Read at www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (Undated 6). Discrimination in Service. The Institute of Psychosynthesis, London. Read at www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (Undated 7). Music as a Cause of Disease and as a Healing Agent. Psychosynthesis
Research Foundation, Issue No. 5. Read at www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (Undated 8). Smiling Wisdom. Psychosynthesis Research Foundation, Issue No. 4. Read
at www.kennethsorensen. dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (Undated 9). Synthesis in Psychotherapy. Psychosynthesis Research Foundation, Issue
No.15. Read at www.kennethsorensen. dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (Undated 10). The Psychology of Woman and Her Psychosynthesis. Psychosynthesis
Research Foundation, Issue No. 24. Read at www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (Undated 11). The Self a Unifying Center. Hand out. The Psychosynthesis and Education Trust, London. Read at www. kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (Undated 12). Training of the Will. Psychosynthesis Research Foundation, Issue No.17. Read at www.kennethsorensen. dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (Undated 13). Transpersonal Inspiration and Psychological Mountain Climbing.
Psychosynthesis Research Foundation, Issue No.36. Read at www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (Undated 14). Transmutation and Sublimation of Sexual Energies. Psychosynthesis Research Foundation, Issue No. 13.
Assagioli, R. (Undated 15). What Is Synthesis? Hand out. The Psychosynthesis and Education Trust,
London. Read at www. kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (Undated 16). The Cognitive (Scientific-Philosophic) Way.
Archive Assagioli, Florence, in folder Height Psychology.
Assagioli, R. (Undated 17). Unity in Diversity (translated by Gordon Symons). Archive Assagioli,
Florence.
Assagioli, R. (Undated 18). The New Dimensions of Psychology: The Third, Fourth and Fifth Forces.
(First published in AAP Online Journal, Sep. 2016.) Read the article at www.kennethsorensen.dk/
en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (Undated 19). The Heroic Approach. Archive Assagioli, Florence.
Assagioli, R. (Undated 20). The Seven Ways. Hand out. The Psychosynthesis and Education Trust. Read at www.kennethsorensen. dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (Undated 21). Meditation. The Norwegian Institute of Psychosynthesis, Oslo. Handed
out. Read at www.kennethsorensen. dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (Undated 22). The Illuminative Intuitive Approach. Archive Assagioli, Florence.
Assagioli, R. (Undated 23). The Way of Active Service. Archive Assagioli, Florence.
Assagioli, R. (Undated 24). The Aesthetic Way. Assagioli’s Archives, Florence, originally in Italian Magazine of Psychosynthesis (April 2013). Read at www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (Undated 25). The Cognitive (Scientific-Philosophic) Way. Archive Assagioli, Florence.
Assagioli, R. (Undated 26). The Path of Regeneration through Ethics. Archive Assagioli, Florence,
originally in Italian Magazine of Psychosynthesis (April 2013). Read at www.kennethsorensen.dk/
en/sitemap/
Assagioli, R. (Undated 27). The Mystical Approach. Archive Assagioli, Florence.
Assagioli, R. (Undated 28). The Ritualistic and Ceremonial Way. Archive Assagioli, Florence.
Assagioli, R. (Undated 29). The Psychosynthesis of the National Entity. Archive Assagioli, Florence.
Bailey, A. (1962). Esoteric Psychology, volume 1. Lucis Trust.
Besmer, By. (1973-74). Height Psychology: Discovering the self and the Self. Interpersonal Development, Vol. 4, pp. 215-225. Read at www. kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Crampton, M. (1966). Dialogue with Roberto Assagioli. Hand out. The Norwegian Institute of
Psychosynthesis. Read at www. kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Cullen, J. (1987). Applications of Esoteric Ray Theory to Manager and The Seven Types
Organizational Development. The Journal of Esoteric Psychology, Vol. 3, No. 1.
Cullen, J. (1988). The Manager of the Future. International Association for Managerial and
Organizational Psychosynthesis.
Eastcott M. (1980). The Seven Rays of Energy, Sundial House
Ferrucci, P. (1982). What We May Be. Tarcher/Putnam.
Ferrucci, P. (1990). Inevitable Grace. Tarcher/Putnam.
Freund, D. (1983). Conversations with Roberto. Psychosynthesis Digest (Spring). Read at
www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Miller, S. (1972). The Will of Roberto Assagioli. Intellectual Digest (October). Read at
www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Miller, S. (1973). The Rebirth of the Soul. Intellectual Digest (August). Read at
www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Keen, S. (1974). The Golden Mean of Roberto Assagioli (interview). Psychology Today. Read at www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Nardi, D. (2011). Neuroscience of Personality. Radiance House.
Rosenthal, V. and Rosenthal, Pat. (1973). The Gentle Synthesizer. (Interview with Roberto
Assagioli.) Voices: The Art and Science of Psychotherapy, Vol. 9, No. 3, Issue 33.
Robbins, M. (1988). The Tapestry of the Gods, volumes 1 & 2. The Seven Ray Publishing House.
Robbins, M. (Undated). Combinations of Soul Rays and Personality Rays. Read at www.sevenray.org/robbins.html
Sørensen, K. (2008). Integral Psychosynthesis. MA-Dissertation. Read at
www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Sørensen, K. (2015). The Soul of Psychosynthesis. Kentaur Publishing.
Sørensen, K. (2017). Integral Meditation. Kentaur Publishing.
Sørensen, K. (2017b) Why Assagioli Put a Star in the Sky. Read at www.
kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Sørensen, K. (2017c). Psychosynthesis and Evolutionary Panentheism.
Read at www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Sørensen, K. (2018). Psychosynthesis and Psychoenergetics. Read at www.
kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Sørensen, K. (2018b). Psychoenergetics and The Seven Rivers of Life. Read at
www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Sørensen, K. (2018c). The Seven Types and Seven Ways: Your Psychological and Spiritual DNA. Read at www.kennethsorensen.dk/ en/sitemap/
Vargiu, J. (1977). Creativity. The Synthesis Journal, Vol. 3-4. Synthesis Press. Read at
www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Vargiu, J. and Firman, J. (1977). The Dimensions of Growth. The Synthesis Journal, Vol. 3-4. Read at www.kennethsorensen.dk/en/sitemap/
Wilber, K. (2006). Excerpt G: Toward A Comprehensive Theory of Subtle Energies. Retrieved from http://wilber.shambhala.com/html/books/kosmos/excerptG/part1.cfm/
Wilber, K. (2000c). Integral Psychology. Shambhala.
Wilber, K. (2006). Integral Spirituality. Shambhala.
Wilber, K. (2007). Sidebar G: States and Stages. Retrieved from www.kenwilber.com/Writings/PDF/G-states%20and%20stages.pdf
Wilber, K. (1999a). The Collected Works of Ken Wilber. Vol. 2, Shambhala.
Wilber, K. (1999b). The Collected Works of Ken Wilber. Vol. 3, Shambhala.
Wilber, K. (2000a). The Collected Works of Ken Wilber. Vol. 7, Shambhala.
Wilber, K. (2000b). The Collected Works of Ken Wilber. Vol. 8, Shambhala.
Wilber, K. (2017). The Religion of Tomorrow. Shambhala.
Leave a Reply