Dabrowski's Positive Decay Theory
Positive disintegration theory (PDT) is a complex theory of personality development elaborated by K. Dabrowski (1902-1980). TDP is not a theory of giftedness per se, but can be used to identify and describe giftedness.
What is the meaning of my life? Why am I never happy? What do I live for? What am I doing in this world? Who am I really? The psychiatrist Kazimier Dabrowski coined the term disintegration to refer to what we commonly call an existential crisis.. Positive disintegration would be a favorable resolution to these crises.
This theory, far from seeing existential crises and their manifestations as something pathological, presented as necessary for the evolution of the individual and to achieve a higher level of developing. It is as if each advance of the personality is achieved by facing each of these existential questions.
According to the studies carried out by Dabrowski himself and other authors, positive disintegration would be a typical characteristic of people who present High capacities
. In this article we will explain the theory of positive disintegration and its relation to giftedness.- Related article: "Existential crisis: when we do not find meaning in our lives"
The Positive Decay Theory
The positive decay theory differs from most theories by present psychological distress and conflict as drivers of development.
Positive disintegration posits personality development as the individual's transition from lower to higher levels of development. To evolve the person has to conflict with the values on which he bases his behavior. The affront of the conflict brings with it manifestations considered pathological or not positive, such as anxiety, anger, hopelessness, etc.
These signs considered to be of poor mental health form, according to the theory of positive disintegration, part of a necessary process to successfully overcome difficult internal states and thus allow growth. It would be only through overcoming conflict that people would become the best version of themselves.
On the other hand, Dabrowski highlighted the importance of emotions in development. He believed that a less rationalistic theory of human development was necessary, where emotional factors were not considered unimportant, but rather as a key element in development.
Origins of this theory
Kazimier Dabrowski (September 1, 1902 in Klarów - November 26, 1980 in Warsaw) was a Polish psychiatrist and psychologist. recognized by the theory of positive decay.
The basic assumptions on which he bases his theory are based on his personal experience. Dąbrowski's childhood was deeply influenced by the First World War, which began when he was only 12 years old, and his experience as a psychiatrist, where he carried out the analysis on the lives of gifted people and people considered successful, where existential crises tend to manifest more frequently and in a more intense.
In these analyses, Dabrowski focused on determining the presence or absence of mechanisms that could favor psychological development and, therefore, the transition to more advanced levels of personality.
Dabrowski's theory is based on the basic assumption that psychological development constitutes a transition from lower to higher ranges of mental understanding and processing, but is not a harmonic process. development appears in response to an experience full of tension, internal conflict, anxiety and even where despair and pain can appear.
According to this theory, the lack of inner struggle can only be found in individuals at the highest level. primitive stage of development (which do not have the potential to evolve) or when the level higher.
This proposal meant a new perspective in the theories of personality development that existed at the time. The theory outlined by Dabrowski has survived several decades and remains a persuasive and influential theory, especially for understanding and fostering the development of gifted children.
From clinical and biographical studies with highly gifted and prominent individuals, he drew unique patterns of development and concluded that thoughts, feelings, and imaginative ability appeared to be above average in average, intensity, duration, and frequency.
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What is positive disintegration?
The word "disintegration" can be confusing, as it often has a negative connotation and is applied to situations where something is lost.
However, according to the theory proposed by Dabrowski, It is when tragedy strikes and the previous sense of self or identity “disintegrates” that the greatest potential for growth appears. of a person.
Positive disintegration posits the escalation of the individual from lower to higher levels of development. Like a ladder in which we go up step by step.
In the early stages, this conflict arises when the individual understands his individuality and how it confronts social values. This awareness would be considered the first positive disintegration.
Throughout life, new information of both internal and external origin may appear, which leads the individual to rethink what one is and what one should be. These doubts create anxiety, nervousness and even psychoneurosis, and their resolution brings development. Nevertheless, there is also negative disintegration, which instead of allowing development, leads to the blockage and dissolution of mental functions.
The negative signs that appear during the disintegration are considered by Dabrowski as positive, since they indicate a objective view of the conflict we are experiencing and are necessary to overcome it and reach a higher stage of developing.
In the field of high capacities, it is a theory of great value from which to understand how the construction of the personality of gifted people evolves.
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development potential
Development Potential can be defined as the original endowment that allows the individual to develop in a context in which adequate social and physical conditions exist, according to Piechowski.
High development potential is synonymous with high capacity, and development potential expresses the relationship between individual development and a group of three factors capable of influencing it.
The first factor is heredity.. It is the most basic and instinctive level of the individual, it is the result of the expression of genetics and survival, includes intelligence, overexcitabilities, special talents, body build, temperament, sexuality, hunger, etc.
The second factor is the environment.. Influences received through education, relationships and general social environment. This factor drives most of our everyday behavior.
Most theories that attempt to explain developmental processes generally emphasize these two factors and their combinations. What distinguishes Dabrowski's theory from most developmental theories is the third factor.
Last we have the autonomous factor. The third factor is the result of conscious choice about what we value and what qualities and desires we reject or pursue. This factor makes self-determination possible and is necessary for the emergence of creativity and advanced development. The third factor drives us to behave in a way that we consider most authentic to our true selves.
This third factor would be closely related to the degree to which positive decay occurs.
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Levels of personal development
According to the theory of disintegration, there are different levels of development, each one supposes a different and unique mental development structure, but directly related to the previous ones. Not all individuals progress through these levels. In fact, many get stuck, immersed in crises that can lead to anxiety or depression.
Dąbrowski defines high-potential people as people who are able to progress through all five levels and thus develop a fully integrated and altruistic personality. These five levels have been classified as:
1. Primary Integration
Primary Integration is the most basic and primitive level of development. This level derives from the first factor, with the satisfaction of basic needs and desires as the sole concern of the individual.
It is the level that generally corresponds to young children. They have no need for deep or meaningful relationships with others, and they despise empathy, sympathy, or any acknowledgment of the needs and concerns of others.
2. Unilevel decay
Level two derives from the second factor, and focuses on conformity and social comparison. At this level, the individual is concerned with "fitting in" and is easily influenced by her social group. Some individuals at this level will begin to question the values and beliefs imposed on them by their social group and begin the process of discovering their own personal values and beliefs.
3. Spontaneous multilevel decay
Individuals who began to question their own beliefs and values at level two will begin to form their own beliefs and values at level three. They will become aware of the discrepancy between "the way things are" and "the way things should be", an awareness that probably will trigger negative emotions, such as shame or guilt, remembering their mistakes and questioning themselves and their moral position.
4. Organized multilevel disintegration
Level three questioning and discovery give way to increasingly goal- and value-directed behavior. The individual realizes who he is and who he wants to be, and how he must act to be authentic. Those at level four genuinely care about others and act on this empathy.
5. secondary integration
The highest level of development in Dąbrowski's theory is marked by the alignment between personal values and the behavior, and the individual adapts her actions to work towards higher goals, such as the betterment of society at large. general. The individual has formed the ideal personality of her and experiences peace with oneself. All the motivation is in the higher forms of empathy, autonomy and authenticity.
Overexcitabilities and High Capacities
Overexcitabilities are indicators of potential development and, therefore, of high capacity. Dabrowski highlighted the importance of these and said that emotional overexcitability must be at least as strong as the others to reach the highest level of development.
In the research carried out by Mendaglio and Tillier (2006) "The theory of positive disintegration and Dabrowski's giftedness", it was found that gifted people suffer more existential crises and that also tend to present a high overexcitation. That is, they have a high imagination, a tendency to feel emotions more intensely and tend to be more impulsive.
These overexcitabilities can manifest themselves in five different areas.
1. psychomotor overexcitability
Individuals with psychomotor overexcitability have excess physical energy, talk more frequently and faster than othersThey tend to be impulsive and competitive, and resort to excessive work to deal with stress or other problems.
2. Sensory overexcitability
these individuals have an exaggerated response to the senses, and have a greater need to touch and/or be touched. They may overeat and indulge in superficial relationships, but they are also likely to have a wide range of interaction experiences with others due to fear of loneliness and increased need for attention.
3. Imaginative overexcitability
People with overexcitability of the imagination have a tendency to visualize, and are likely to be inventive, highly imaginative, intuitive and have a greater capacity for the use of images and metaphors.
4. Intellectual overexcitability
Intellectually overexcitable individuals are persistent and voracious learners, with a capacity for intense concentration and theoretical thinking. They are likely to ask a lot of questions and have an affinity for logic, puzzles, and mysteries..
5. emotional overexcitability
People with emotional overexcitability are likely to form strong bonds with people, places, and things. They can be highly inhibited, enthusiastic, and concerned about others, social justice, and their own sense of responsibility. Generally, these individuals are able to effectively feel and internalize the emotions of others.
According to Dąbrowski, individuals with overexcitability have a greater potential for personal development because they foster a different perspective of the world and encourage a more personal and meaningful interpretation of their own experiences.
Although the presence of overexcitability alone is not enough to progress through the five levels and reaching the highest level, plays a great role in the potential of the individual. Special talents and abilities and a strong third-factor drive toward self-expression also influence a person's potential for development.
Research has shown that the most gifted and talented individuals also tend to have at least one type of overexcitability.
Dabrowski viewed gifted individuals as a special group of people, prone to positive disintegration.. A condition that presents both creative possibilities and risks for the development of the person, since existential crises manifest themselves in a more problematic and intense way. In times of crisis, gifted people can stop being productive in class or at work and deteriorate their social relationships. That is why crises need intervention and support to overcome.