The Concept of a Personal Calling: In the Works of Several Psychoanalysts and Philosophers

摘要

I propose to examine the concept of “calling” in the writings of Martin Buber, an existentialist philosopher who studied the mystical doctrines of the Hassidim; Karl Gustav Jung, the initiator of analytical psychology; Viktor Frankl, a psychiatrist and existential analyst who developed a new approach in psychotherapy, centered on the meaning of life; Abraham Maslow, who focused his psychological research on the potential for self-actualization of the individual; and Rollo May, a psychoanalyst of the existentialist school. I will endeavor to show that all of them came to acknowledge the cardinal role played by the personal calling, which they all consider the most important motivation in life. Even though they used a different terminology, they all seemed to refer, with minor differences, to the same characteristic of the human personality. In a most amazing way, they all came very close to validate the notion of vocation as it is understood in most spiritual circles.View full textDownload full textKeywordscalling, vocation, inner motivation, fulfillment of an idealRelated var addthis_config = { ui_cobrand: "Taylor & Francis Online", services_compact: "citeulike,netvibes,twitter,technorati,delicious,linkedin,facebook,stumbleupon,digg,google,more", pubid: "ra-4dff56cd6bb1830b" }; Add to shortlist Link Permalink http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19349637.2011.593409