Through the Dąbrowski lens: Philosophy, faith, and the personality ideal

Kazimierz Dąbrowski’s (1902–1980) five-level theory of personality development, the theory of positive disintegration, is one in which the experience of all emotions is essential for the process of individual growth toward the personality ideal. In this article, we introduce the phenomenological and existential influences on Dąbrowski, including the influence of Søren Kierkegaard. We also examine Dąbrowski’s reflections on faith, Christianity, God, and human purpose, with particular reference to his unpublished manuscript, Confessions of Faith in Thoughts and Aphorisms.