ROBERTO ASSAGIOLI AND PSYCHOSYNTHESIS
Roberto Assagioli M.D. was born in Venice, Italy in 1888. He spent his boyhood among the narrow canals near the Ca'd'Oro. His parents moved the family to Florence so that Roberto could continue his education at the University of Florence where he received his medical degree specializing in neurology and psychiatry. At the same time he pursued the study of psychology and philosophy with a particular interest in the work of William James and Henri Bergson. While studying psychoanalysis with Bleuler in Zurich, Assagioli became acquainted with C.G. Jung and they became friends. At the age of 21 he completed his doctorial dissertation on psychoanalysis.
In his early clinical practice , he used psychoanalytic techniques, but his vision of the human experience propelled him to reach for a more comprehensive conceptual framework that included love, wisdom, creativity and will. His position was not that psychoanalysis was an incorrect approach, but that it was incomplete as Freud had not given sufficient weight to the high aspects of human nature. By 1911, he began to formulate the concept of Psychosynthesis and continued to dedicate his entire professional life to this work.
In 1928, Assagioli founded the Institute of Psyhosynthesis in Rome. A decade later the Institute was closed by Moussilini's Fascist government which was critical of Assagioli's Jewish background, his humanitarianism and his internationalism. In 1940, he was arrested, jailed, and eventually placed in solitary confinement. He transformed this imprisonment into an opportunity to explore the inner realms of consciousness by meditation for hours everyday. He shared that never before had he felt such peace; never in his life had he so enjoyed being alive. At the time of his death he was working on a paper of his experience entitled 'Freedom in Jail'.
The Institute of Psychosynthesis was re-established in Florence after the war where it is still in operation. During his career he wrote over 100 articles and essays, may of which have been translated into eight languages. Most well known are his books of Psychosynthesis and The Act of Will He traveled and spoke extensively throughout Europe and came to the United States for the opening of the Psychosynthesis Research Foundation in New York in 1948. Professionals around the world came to Florence to study with Assagioli
Assagioli, more than any other western psychiatrist with the exception of Jung, explored Eastern approaches and welcomed them into his system as valuable resources for personal growth. He learned Sanskrit so he could read texts in the original language. Psychosynthesis, with its wholistic approach and its inclusive view of the human being was far ahead of its time. Since the new paradigm of transpersonal psychology, psychosynthesis has been a leader in that field. It was Assagioli's vision and courage that brought to the prevailing mechanistic world view of psychology an approach that included all the dimensions of human experience physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.
Assagioli was known as a man of modesty and humility who worked with a selfless dedication . A giant in contemporary psychology, he died at his home in Florence at the age of 86 on August 23rd, 1974. With his characteristic wisdom, he did not wish for psychosynthesis to be seen as his own personal creation. Instead, he has left us with a living entity and a growing thoughtform in which many will continue in the years to come.
© 2002 Psychosynthesis Distance Education
