Abstract

The aim of this article is to reinterpret Prof. Kazimierz Dąbrowski's theory in the spirit of hermeneutics. The use of an analytical approach stems from the desire to place the researcher's considerations within a broad cognitive context, which builds a specific semantic and intersemiotic foundation. The author's theory also has an important influence on his pedagogical work, which is a development of the concept of positive disintegration in human development and its stages, which can undoubtedly be considered an innovative approach. Kazimierz Dąbrowski (1902–1980) was known as a philosopher, educator, psychologist and psychiatrist. In his works, he primarily developed the theory of positive disintegration. He offered a multifaceted interpretation of this theory, which we present in the article. Particular attention should be given to his Elements of the Philosophy of Development, in which he portrayed human development in terms of necessary contradiction, enabling subsequent development to proceed toward the realization of one’s personal essence and social essence, and, consequently, the ideal of personality.

In his work In Search of Mental Health, he demonstrated what mental health truly is and what it depends on. He also presented the world of human antinomies and attempts to overcome them, while simultaneously offering a critical assessment of Eastern psychology. In The Passion for Development, he discussed the individual’s striving to transcend the biological cycle, the role of personality, and the concept of norm, ultimately revealing the genuine passion for development as a continual search for values. In his subsequent work The Struggle of Existence, he outlined the multilevel nature of reality, personality and positive disintegration, eventually illustrating the dynamisms of the human being as well as the individual’s right to both personal and collective paths of development.

In his subsequent work Two Diagnoses, Dąbrowski presented a psychiatric and literary perspective on psychoses, neuroses, and character disorders in order to offer his own interpretation of them as pathways to comprehensive development. The book Mental Health and Human Values provides an interpretation of mental health in social life, family, politics, industry, healthcare, everyday experience, and finally in philosophy and religion. Professor Dąbrowski devoted two extensive volumes to mental hygiene: Mental Hygiene and Introduction to Mental Hygiene. Both provide a wealth of material concerning development and the fundamental concepts indicated in their titles, including their research methods, historical background, relevance to daily life, and the abilities of children and youth. Here, mental health is understood in terms of the dynamics that guide human beings in their personal development.

In the work Our Children Are Growing Up, as the title itself suggests, we observe the period of adolescence, the intellectual life characteristic of this stage, the significance of sexual education, and possible social and moral deviations. Finally, the author also addressed the typical psychiatric approach in  his books Nervousness in Children and Adolescents and Socio-Educational Child Psychiatry. In these works, he presents a fundamental approach to assessing  the child’s developmental stages, the manifestations of nervousness, and the symptoms of neuroses, psychoneuroses, and mental illnesses.