Regardless of our psychological type and any other individual characteristics that may influence this ability, the mind naturally tends to exert a certain degree of influence on emotions, feelings and impulses. It is well known that too much criticism and analysis are up to paralyse and even kill our emotions and feelings. This critical faculty, which we often employ indiscriminately and harmfully against our higher feelings and creative potentialities, should instead be used to free ourselves from undesirable impulses and tendencies.

Psychosynthesis holds that, with deliberate use and training, the power of the thinking function can be harnessed to regulate and dissolve intelligently and creatively any unhelpful and hypertrophic elements in the psyche, whilst safeguarding the vital and dynamic ones.

Assagioli (1965) urges those who wish to develop greater self-mastery to train their minds through the use of observation and discrimination. For him, patients can and should be encouraged to use their mind through observation and discrimination, to bring clearly into their awareness the irrational aspect of their drives and emotions, and also the possible drawbacks and harmfulness to themselves and others of their uncontrolled manifestation. The sense of responsibility resulting from such recognition – or even the mere fear of harmful consequences of uncontrolled emotional expression – arouses an opposing emotion through which a primary drive or emotion is often conveniently neutralised, in part if not wholly so.

However, it must be noted that the premature, exaggerated or inopportune use of this technique is strongly contra-indicated “because it may constitute a handicap or inhibition to action, especially with those individuals who are over-intellectualised and particularly those who are basically extremely critical for it would only intensify their unbalanced condition.”

There is another important caveat: objectification and critical analysis alone are often not sufficient: “There are certain strong trends, certain vital elements which, however much we may disparage and condemn them, obstinately persist. This is especially true concerning sexual and aggressive drives. When detached from the complexes or diverted from their previous channels, these drives create in us a state of agitation and unrest and may find new but equally undesirable outlets. These forces, therefore, must not be left to run wild, but should be disposed of in harmless ways or, better still, used for constructive purposes: creative activities of various kinds; the rebuilding of our personality, contributing to our psychosynthesis. But in order to be able to do this we must start from the centre; we must have established and made efficient the unifying a controlling principle of our life.” (see Vol. II, Ch. VIII)

Critical analysis should always go hand in hand with the development of humour…

For more:

• Know, Love, Transform yourself (Vol. I)  (pp. 263-270) – Buy now
  
• Know, Love, Transform yourself (Vol. II)– Buy now
• The Way of Psychosynthesis, Synthesis Insights (p. 190) – Buy now