Positive disintegration

We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.

There’s this part in Man’s Search for Meaning where Viktor Frankl shares his observations on a small subset of people he met during his time in concentration camps. In the harsh and dehumanizing environment of the camps, these people chose to practice kindness and compassion over molding themselves to “the form of the typical inmate” (Frankl, 2006, p. 66).

When I came across the Theory of Positive Disintegration (TPD) by Kazimierz Dąbrowski, I thought of Frankl and his book. I couldn’t help but notice a parallel between behaviours Frankl described and Dąbrowski’s ideas. They lived in a similar time and were both heavily influenced by their primary experiences of war.

Dąbrowski was a Polish psychologist who witnessed two world wars—one as a child and one as a psychologist. A first hand experience of the aftermath of a WWI battle left a significant impression on him as an adolescent:

The juxtaposition of inhuman forces and inhuman humans with those who were sensitive, capable of sacrifice, courageous, gave a vivid panorama of a scale of values from the lowest to the highest.

These extremes of human behaviour he observed were key influences for his complex theory of personality development. This theory is a conceptual framework and an unconventional one that was critical of popular theories of his time such as socialization. However, the beauty of unconventional theories is that they make us think and question the beliefs we take for granted.

The levels of development

Dąbrowski believed that societal norms and expectations inhibit an individual’s personality development by stifling inner growth.

To achieve inner growth, individuals must deeply question their existing values, goals, and place in the world. This process involves inner conflict, during which old psychological structures collapse to make room for higher ideals and further development. In TPD terms, this process is called disintegration.

Positive disintegration happens when individuals manage to level up after the inner conflict–I’ll come back to this after the overview on the levels of development.

Dąbrowski proposed 5 different levels, each characterized by distinct values and behaviours.

Level 1: Primary integration

At this level, individuals operate from an egocentric place and act based on impulses or environmental influences. They focus mainly on their own advancement and fulfillment, justifying their self-serving behavior with external factors.

Examples

• Blaming others for a mistake at work to save yourself trouble.
• A politician makes false promises to win an election.
• Individuals turn into a “typical inmate” to survive in concentration camp.

There is little to no capacity for inner conflict because conflict and responsibility are externalized. The majority of us operate at this level.

Level 2: Unilevel disintegration

Individuals follow values, aims, and goals they have adopted from their social environment, such as family or school. However, these may start to collapse as they begin to question them.

At this transitional level, people face their first inner conflicts, such as identity confusion or anxiety. They either resolve these conflicts and move to Level 3 or regress back to Level 1.

Level 3: Spontaneous multilevel disintegration

Individuals have increased self-awareness and can act more consciously. They understand the separation between themselves and the external world and can reflect both subjectively and objectively.

The enhanced self-reflection leads to significant internal conflict and turmoil, which happen spontaneously, driven by life experiences.

Examples

• A long-term relationship ends, prompting you to reflect on who you were during the relationship and who you want to be without it.
• As you approach 30, you start to question whether you even like your high-paying profession.

From these inner conflicts, a hierarchy of values and goals begins to emerge, forming the foundation for the ideal, authentic self.

As individuals compare their current self to their ideal self, they can consciously choose which behaviors to enhance and which to diminish. Once you reach this level, you can’t regress back to lower levels.

Level 4: Directed multilevel disintegration

At this level, people start to operate with true autonomy. They follow independently shaped values and goals. Most importantly, they take responsibility for their self-development and proactively work towards becoming their ideal self.

Because they take on a conscious role in their growth, the inner conflicts are directed rather than spontaneous.

Examples

• Walking away from relationships that mutually stifling (i.e. toxic).
• Making time for contemplation and meditation.
• Embracing the topic of death and reflecting on it as part of life.

Level 5: Secondary integration

At the highest level, individuals embody qualities like autonomy, authenticity, empathy, and compassion. They experience inner harmony because all their actions align with solid personal values, goals, and ideals. They care deeply about helping others and advancing humanity.

People who reach this level are a rare breed. We’re more likely to read their biographies than meet them in real life.

Examples

• The few people who practiced compassion in the concentration camps and refused to mold to their environment in Frankl’s observations.
• Visionaries like Florence Nightingale or Nelson Mandela who act and create legacies in service of humanity.

Growth through inner conflict

Between levels 3 and 5 are where most of the important inner conflicts occur and where most of the positive disintegration can happen. These levels are crucial because this is where we transition from externally imposed psychological structures to autonomously developed ones.

Inner conflicts often manifest with psychoneurotic symptoms, such as depression, mood swings, or anxiety. Instead of viewing these symptoms as purely pathological, Dąbrowski believed them to be necessary for individual development.

Whether an individual can resolve the crisis and progress psychologically is up to them. Dąbrowski believes that everyone has a unique developmental potential, defined by certain factors such as genetic traits, social environment, and autonomous forces like self-determination. But this is a topic for another post. Here, we’re focused on the different perspectives TPD can offer on mental health.

When we get a fever, our first instinct is to try to eliminate it. Similarly, when there is a forest fire, we think of the immediate damage and loss. We tend to overlook that fevers and forest fires, albeit uncomfortable, are natural processes that lead to better health and growth.

Fever is the body’s natural response to infection; natural forest fires clear the way for new growth by removing old and diseased vegetation. Intervening too soon can disrupt these natural processes.

Positive disintegration suggests that psychoneurotic symptoms are like fevers or forest fires but for the psyche and personality. They are disruptive but necessary for growth and development.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t be concerned when we or a loved one are in despair or struggling with depression. However, pathologizing these experiences immediately frames them as problems to eliminate, rather than opportunities for inner growth. Of course we want to alleviate the pain and suffering, but what if there’s something we can gain from them?

We rarely have control over the timing of a crisis. What we do have control over is how we perceive our past experiences and how we respond to the future ones. This is where the TPD lens can help:

1. Reframe our personal experiences. Seeing mental health crises as times of growth rather than solely as disorders and disruptive events. What did you learn about yourself from your last crisis?
2. Respond differently to the next crisis. Adopting a more nuanced approach by balancing immediate relief with long-term growth. I assume the specifics of this is unique to each person. I found starting with understanding the why to be helpful—what triggered the inner conflict and why now? Another interesting question to ask is what am I avoiding?

In my personal history, I can think of two significant episodes of positive disintegration, with other attempts interspersed before and after. One of the major level-ups happened in my early 20s. It was a terribly exhausting year but also fundamentally transformative.

I’ve been on a self-unraveling-understanding journey since, and I’m continuously surprised at how much you can excavate from the deepest drawers of your mind. I probably wouldn’t have written this post without it any of it.

Links & references

Theory of Positive Personality Disintegration explained - A 6-min video.

Interview with Kazimierz Dąbrowski - A rare footage of Dąbrowski.

Theory of Positive Disintegration Archive - A website dedicated to Dąbrowski and his work by William (Bill) Tillier.

Through the Dąbrowski Lens: Wisdom, Transformational Giftedness, and the Personality Ideal - A paper published by Amanda J. Harper