Psychosynthesis in Education

"What heaven has disposed and sealed is called the inborn nature.
The realization of this nature is called the process.
The clarification of this process is called education."
-- Confucius

The task we face as educators and parents requires more than a bunch of new techniques and exercises and theories; who we are matters much more. Who we are means all aspects of ourselves, our gifts and qualities, our essential purpose in life, and our understanding of the profundity of human evolution.

Is our responsibility as parents and educators limited to giving a child merely the tools to cope with life on a seemingly confused planet? Can we only educate them to get by? We have a responsibility, a heartfelt duty, to offer a vision for the future which includes both a realistic perception and assessment of troubled times, and an awareness of the incredible poignancy of life. Even if our vision is only partially attainable it suggests great possibilities for holistic education.

Popular theories about children are many and varied; educators tend to change their attitudes with current trends, often leaving confusion in their wake. Are children devils or angels? Predestined or freewilled? A blank, unformed piece of clay or a predetermined character?

Psychosynthesis addresses itself to all levels of humanness. We see the beauty of the "angel" and the violence of the "devil." Having a wider vision which includes all aspects of our experience of children, both so-called "negative" and "positive," is the only way we can possibly work. Effective education is only possible when we do.

Psychosynthesis offers a global approach to human development, one that includes the theoretical and the practical, as well as the psychological and the spiritual. It acknowledges human experience in all its facets and, through the use of pecific tools, seeks to expand it in quality and availability. It does not, however, abandon this inner process to the limbo of the unexplained, but clarifies its meaning by placing it within a flexible conceptual framework.

It also seeks to acknowledge and harmonize the psychological and spritual, the personal and the transpersonal. On the psychological level it aims to build a personality that is free from emotional blocks, has command over all its functions, and has a clear awareness of its own center. On the transpersonal level, it enables the individual to explore those regions full of mystery and wonder beyond our ordinary awareness, which we call the superconscious: the wellspring of higher intuitions, inspirations, ethical imperatives, and states of illumination. This exploration culminates in the discovery of the Self, our true essence beyond all masks and conditionings.

Learning happens most effectively when the whole being is actively engaged. Confluent education is the term used for the integration or flowing together of the cognitive and affective elements in individual and group learning. Affective refers to attitudes and values and to the feeling aspect of experience and learning. Cognitive refers to the activity of the mind in assimilating information. The coherent integration of these areas is essential to meaningful and relevant education, to intelligent and mature behaviour, and to the individual taking a responsible and creative place in society. Confluent educators are primarily interested in educating the child for life, evoking the wholeness which is his birthright, and fostering his ability to learn.

In the words of Roberto Assagioli, the founder of psychosynthesis:

"It is axiomatic that the prevention of any disorder is better than its cure. If the techniques of psychosynthesis constitute effective therapy, as they do, how much better to prevent the need for later therapy by using psychosynthetic techniques in early education? What, we wonder, are the implications of such a statement? Examining the type of education prevalent in the Western World from a viewpoint of of: First producing a human being who functions harmoniously, radiantly and productively in relation to his own capacity. And second, establishing the conditions in which such an ideal could be realized."

The above material is adapted from Diana Whitmore's book, "Psychosynthesis in Education"