The theory of positive disintegration (TPD) describes how personality develops. At the centre of it is human values, and how they move and change. We rarely give conscious thought to our values, but they are important to understand and explore – particularly if we want to understand how disintegration really works.
The last section discussing the paths of protagonists in stories… this feels evocative of Joseph Campbell’s description of the Hero’s Journey. And he clearly notes that we all have opportunities in our lives to undertake such a journey. I’m wondering if Dabrowski or any of those studying his work have considered this more deeply? Or at all?
The notion of the Hero’s Journey might be a means or device for individuals to connect with the sometimes more academic and abstract discourses around Positive Disintegration.
I don't know if anyone has, but I have been exploring this a little - mostly in terms of literary alchemy (alchemical journey expressed in literature - it's similar to the hero's journey, but without the specified steps like having a guardian etc). So there's a post from me here in substack (and on my website Tragic Gift) where I explored The Mandalorian as an alchemical journey, and another post I did comparing alchemy to positive disintegration. You'll also see other pop-culture analysis pieces on my website looking at positive disintegration in characters like Jerry Maguire.
The last section discussing the paths of protagonists in stories… this feels evocative of Joseph Campbell’s description of the Hero’s Journey. And he clearly notes that we all have opportunities in our lives to undertake such a journey. I’m wondering if Dabrowski or any of those studying his work have considered this more deeply? Or at all?
The notion of the Hero’s Journey might be a means or device for individuals to connect with the sometimes more academic and abstract discourses around Positive Disintegration.
I don't know if anyone has, but I have been exploring this a little - mostly in terms of literary alchemy (alchemical journey expressed in literature - it's similar to the hero's journey, but without the specified steps like having a guardian etc). So there's a post from me here in substack (and on my website Tragic Gift) where I explored The Mandalorian as an alchemical journey, and another post I did comparing alchemy to positive disintegration. You'll also see other pop-culture analysis pieces on my website looking at positive disintegration in characters like Jerry Maguire.
Cool… I look forward to exploring those.