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<\/a><\/p>\r\nBy Roberto Assagioli<\/strong> The abstract, subheading, and cross-sections in this online edition have been added by the editor, Kenneth S\u00f8rensen, to support readability and navigation. They were not part of the original publication and do not modify, interpret, or alter the original text.<\/p>\r\n In this essay, Roberto Assagioli examines the psychological effects of images, lines, and colors, presenting them as active forces that can be deliberately used in psychosynthesis. He explains how visual forms influence consciousness through suggestion, identification, and symbolic meaning, and how aesthetic contemplation may evoke specific psychological qualities. The article outlines the contrasting effects of straight and curved lines, analyzes the emotional and therapeutic properties of colors, and discusses their educational and clinical applications. While recognizing the need for further scientific research, Assagioli proposes practical experimentation with visual forms as a method of self-observation, will development, and personality integration.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n Images of all kinds (photographs, drawings, paintings, etc.) have great power of suggestion, especially for those who are visual types. Their influence is twofold: on the one hand, it is exerted by the intensity of their expressive power or the charm of their beauty; on the other hand, it is due to the influence produced by their inherent meaning.<\/p>\r\n This dual effect explains the enormous influence of works of art, which have inspired millions of people throughout the ages and have often left their mark on an entire period or an entire nation.<\/p>\r\n There is much more to works of art than just their aesthetic value. They are active forces, almost living entities, which have a stimulating and creative power. Therefore, we should not allow these forces to remain unused, nor should we submit to them unconsciously, but we should use them deliberately for the purposes of our own and others’ psychosynthesis.<\/p>\r\n To achieve these effects, we need to observe the chosen image with the utmost attention, contemplate it intently, in a state of quiet receptivity and for a certain amount of time, until we become completely absorbed and identified with it, to the point of almost feeling that we \u201care\u201d the object or image we are contemplating.<\/p>\r\n For example, if we look at Michelangelo’s statue of Moses (or a reproduction of it), we can come to feel within ourselves<\/em> the energy and power that permeates and emanates from that figure. Or, if we contemplate Beato Angelico’s risen Christ<\/em>, we can come to feel that it is our own spirit<\/em> that has risen from the tomb, broken all bonds, and is free from all limitations, manifesting itself as triumphant power radiating light around us.<\/p>\r\n To produce therapeutic, educational, and transformative effects in ourselves and others, we need to proceed methodically. We must gather and have at our disposal a series of images that express the qualities we wish to evoke and develop, using them regularly<\/em> for that purpose. Then we must carefully observe or have others observe the image chosen as suitable for the specific purpose.<\/p>\r\n Sometimes, when contemplating the image, it is appropriate to focus our attention on one of the aspects or elements that make up the image itself, one at a time, depending on the effects we wish to achieve. Although a single element is perhaps more restricted, it is also more concentrated and will help to bring about the desired result more quickly and effectively.<\/p>\r\n The main elements of images are:<\/p>\r\n It may seem surprising that simple lines can have a definite psychological effect, but the fact is that some people feel this effect, and many others are influenced by it without being aware of it. Straight lines, sharp angles, and broken lines produce very different impressions from curved lines, arcs, circles, and sinuous, undulating (wavy) lines. The former generally convey a sense of strength and evoke masculine qualities, while curves in all their forms represent feminine qualities. Therefore, the prevalence of straight lines in an image gives the impression of firmness, decisiveness, and active energy. Sharp angles pointing upwards express aspiration to elevation and indicate high goals. This effect is produced by images of pointed mountains, pointed arches, and the spires of Gothic churches. Curves, on the other hand, suggest softness, breadth, expansion, rhythmic motion, change, plasticity, and in some cases even sensuousness.<\/p>\r\n In architecture, we find curves predominating in the Baroque and Rococo styles, while Romanesque art represents the more harmonious blend of straight lines and curves.<\/p>\r\n In nature, curves prevail in the watery elements, in the sea with its rhythmic waves and in the changing clouds. Irregular, twisted, and disorderly intersecting lines \u2014 such as those seen in many modern drawings and paintings \u2014 clearly indicate the contrasting and tormented states of mind of those who drew them.<\/p>\r\n These general characteristics give clear indications of the use of lines to achieve the desired psychological effects. This should be taken into account \u2014 and is sometimes done, more or less consciously \u2014 when constructing buildings, both in their external architectural appearance and in their interiors. Curved lines should predominate in places of rest and pleasant social activities, while rigid straight lines are more appropriate for workplaces such as factories, offices, and studios.<\/p>\r\n But lines can also be used for psychological purposes in their simplest and most elementary forms; they can be drawn on paper or observed in objects of a given shape. When contemplated in a receptive attitude, their influence can be intense and effective for the desired purposes. This offers us a very simple and pleasant method of achieving our aims.<\/p>\r\n The relationship between lines and their psychological qualities is often revealed by the way we write, by our individual handwriting. Serious graphological studies have found a correspondence between certain characteristics of handwriting and the psychological constitution or state of mind of the writer. These correspondences form the basis of an educational and therapeutic technique used in psychosynthesis: graphotherapy<\/em>. It consists of modifying the handwriting to give it the characteristics and qualities that one wishes to develop. It is an exercise of willpower which, when done consistently, can be very effective.<\/p>\r\n Colors have intense effects upon many individuals that are more easily recognizable and often stronger than those of lines. It is generally accepted that each color has its own specific psychological quality and therefore exerts a corresponding influence. However, there are still differences of opinion regarding the specific qualities and effects of each color, and further research and experimentation are needed to shed more light on this subject. Nevertheless, there are some points that can be considered practically established.<\/p>\r\n For example, it is generally accepted that so-called \u201ccool\u201d and muted colors have a calming effect, but sometimes also a depressing one, while \u201cwarm,\u201d vivid, and bright colors have a stimulating and exciting influence. Certain shades of blue have a calming and harmonizing effect; green light is restful; red and vivid yellow are usually stimulating.<\/p>\r\n Miss Beatrice Irwin, author of The New Science of Color, says,<\/em><\/p>\r\n Color always has one of three effects upon us \u2014 sedative, recuperative, or stimulating. A Color is sedative when it has the power to induce contemplation, reflection, indifference, resignation, inception, coagulation, melancholy. It is recuperative when it can create conditions of change, balance, expansion, generosity, contentment, conception, cohesion. And stimulating colors are those which can excite hope, ecstasy, desire, aspiration, ambition, action, or which can cause liberation of thought and emotion through achievement, dispersion, joy, peace, spiritual renewal and fresh growth.[2]<\/a><\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n The colors women choose for their clothes have a great effect on them, and often the choice corresponds (consciously or unconsciously) to their psychological needs or tendencies. But perhaps the greatest influence of colors is in the home. The general principle for lines can also be applied to colors. Soothing colors are more suitable for places of rest and relaxation, while bright, vivid colors are preferable for private and public dining rooms; clear and whole tones for workplaces, etc. These are only general guidelines, and choices must be adapted and varied according to particular conditions and individual needs. Sunny rooms require different color gradations than those facing north, and, on a larger scale, the color tones needed in southern climates differ from those best suited to the cold climates of northern countries.<\/p>\r\n The influence of color as a therapeutic agent has been and is increasingly recognized, and its applications have great potential, but scientific studies in this field are so far scarce and also difficult to carry out.<\/p>\r\n The psychological effect of different colors (apart from the general distinction mentioned above between \u201ccool\u201d and \u201cwarm\u201d colors) has been described in different and contrasting ways. Among the effects on which there is greater consensus \u2014 given that some colors are linked to various aspects of nature \u2014 are the following:<\/p>\r\n According to Schultz,[3]<\/a> with certain exercises carried out in the higher cycle of autogenic training[4]<\/a> <\/span>it is possible to arrive at what he calls \u201cthe discovery of one’s own color,\u201d which he believes to be \u201cthe concordance between the physical experience of color and the general affective tone.\u201d In my opinion, this is debatable for various reasons. First of all, because of the fundamental multiplicity of the human soul, i.e., the existence of contrasting elements and sub-personalities, each of which has its own emotional tone or \u201ccolor.\u201d Furthermore, one must take into account the various changes in emotional tones that occur at different times or over longer or shorter periods.<\/p>\r\n The effects of a color can also be strongly influenced or determined by particular impressions the subject has had in the past, often dating back to childhood and sometimes forgotten, which should therefore be uncovered using appropriate analytical techniques.<\/p>\r\n Finally, there would be much to say about the various relationships between the personalities of painters or designers and their works, but this would require a lengthy discussion that would go beyond the scope of this article. I will only say that some painters have expressed the best of themselves in their paintings, excluding the morbid, even serious, aspects of their personalities (a typical example is Van Gogh); while others have given free expression to the formless or deformed contents of their unconscious and thus freed themselves \u2014 with a cathartic effect on themselves . . . but not on others.<\/p>\r\n The influence of colors as a therapeutic agent is also becoming increasingly recognized. I think in this respect it opens up great possibilities, but as a science it is still in its infancy and needs, as yet, to be used with much care. Even slight differences of shade and tone can produce widely different effects; much depends on the quality of the pigment used, and whether the color is reflected from a solid basis or background or is transmitted through a transparent medium. The patient’s individual constitution and temperament are also important factors. A color that mildly stimulates one person in a beneficial way can excessively excite another. Or a color which is agreeable and soothing in one case may not produce the slightest effect in others. All this should be taken into account when using the psychological influences of colors for therapeutic and educational purposes, and in individual psychosynthesis.<\/p>\r\n Thus, much scientific experiment and accurate differentiation is needed, but the beneficial results well justify further research. But without waiting for the results of future systematic research, everyone can observe and experiment on themselves and others the effects of the visual means I have mentioned: images, lines, and colors.<\/em> This method is good training in the use of attention and self-observation techniques and, in its simplicity, can make a useful contribution to the implementation of psychosynthesis.<\/p>\r\n But apart from these thorough and systematic investigations, each individual can experiment for himself with all these visual methods: pictures, lines, and colors. And each experiment can represent for a pleasant and entertaining psychological game, with a resulting very definite gain for each one of us.<\/p>\r\n Edited Bibliographical Notes<\/strong><\/p>\r\n There are numerous publications on the meaning and psychological effects of colors. A number of them are listed in J.H. Schultz’s book Il training autogeno (Autogenic Training, Italian Edition, 1968, 1978), Vol. II (Milan, Feltrinelli); \u00dcbungsheft f\u00fcr das autogene Training: konzentrative Selbstentspannung<\/em> (Autogenic Training, German edition, 1977) Georg Thieme Vedrlag, Stuttgart. Numerous books on Autogenic Training are available in English, including Autogenics 3.0 by Luis de Rivera, MD, and Introduction Workshop in Methods of Autogenic Therapy<\/em> by Wolfgang Luthe. Therefore, I will limit myself to a few other references. \u2014 Author\u2019s Note, with added information<\/em><\/p>\r\n Dr. Robert M. Gerard has conducted thorough experimental research, which he has presented in his writings: Differential effects of colored lights on psychophysiological functions<\/em> (Doctoral Dissertation for University of California at Los Angeles, 1958, and referred to at Google Books<\/a>) and Color and emotional arousal (American Psychologist,<\/em> XIII, 340 and at APA PsycNet<\/a>). \u2014 Author\u2019s Note, with added information<\/em><\/p>\r\n An important series of conferences on The World of Colors<\/em> was held in Ascona (Switzerland) from August 23 to 30, 1972, promoted by the Eranos Foundation<\/em>. The conferences will probably be published in a volume of the Eranos Jahrbuch: The Realms of Colour \/ Die Welt der Farben \/ Le monde des couleurs \u2013 Lectures given at the Eranos Conference in Ascona from August 23rd to 31st, 1972 \/ Vortr\u00e4ge gehalten auf der Eranos Tagung in Ascona vom 23. bis 31. August 1972 \/ Conf\u00e9rences donn\u00e9es \u00e0 la session d\u2019Eranos \u00e0 Ascona du 23 au 31 Ao\u00fbt 1972, eds.<\/em> Adolf Portmann and Rudolf Ritsema, Eranos-Yearbook \/ Jahrbuch \/ Annales 41\/1972, E.J. Brill, Leiden 1974. See The Eranos Foundation Yearbooks pages<\/a>. \u2014 Author\u2019s Note, with added information.<\/em><\/p>\r\n An Autogenic Training Overview<\/a> (PDF format) with bibliography on autogenic training is available from the US. Veterans Administration. \u2014Ed.<\/p>\r\n See Color and Psychological Functioning<\/em>: A Review of Theoretical and Empirical Work<\/em> by Andrew J. Elliot at National Library of Medicine at https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC4383146\/.<\/a> \u2014 Ed.<\/p>\r\n See Association of American Universities, \u201cResearchers Explore How We Depict and Perceive Emotions Through Color and Line in Visual Art,\u201d at https:\/\/www.aau.edu\/research-scholarship\/featured-research-topics\/researchers-explore-how-we-depict-and-perceive.<\/a> Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n [1]<\/a> A Working Draft of this article (in English) titled \u201cPictures and Colors (Their Psychological Effects) was prepared for the Psychosynthesis Research Foundation but left unfinished. It remains in the records of the PRF. Some passages from this draft (in possession of this editor) have been used in preference or in addition to the translation from the Archives. \u2014Ed.<\/em><\/p>\r\n [2]<\/a> Irwin, Beatrice, The New Science of Color, New York, W. Rider, 1915, 1923, and available in current reprints. Pages of this quotation are not known; this has been translated from Assagioli\u2019s Italian rendition. \u2014Ed.<\/em><\/p>\r\n
(Doc. #24147 \u2013 Assagioli Archives \u2013 Florence)[1]<\/a>
Original Title: Immagini e colori: loro effetti psicologici<\/em>
Translated and Edited With Notes by Jan Kuniholm
<\/p>\r\nEditorial note<\/h3>\r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\nAbstract<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\r\n
\r\nImages as Active Psychological Forces<\/h3>\r\n
Deliberate Use of Images in Psychosynthesis<\/h3>\r\n
Methodical Use of Visual Images<\/h3>\r\n
Lines and Forms as Psychological Symbols<\/h3>\r\n
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Straight Lines, Curves, and Emotional Qualities<\/h3>\r\n
Architectural and Environmental Applications<\/h3>\r\n
Graphology and Graphotherapy<\/h3>\r\n
The Psychological Power of Colors<\/h3>\r\n
Cool and Warm Colors: Calming and Stimulating Effects<\/h3>\r\n
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Color Therapy and Individual Differences<\/h3>\r\n
Emotional Qualities of Specific Colors<\/h3>\r\n
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<\/li>\r\nExperimentation and Self-Observation<\/h3>\r\n
\u2014 Ed.<\/p>\r\n
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