The Act of Will by Roberto Assagioli M.D.

The Act of Will by Roberto Assagioli M.D.

This major work brings human will back to the centre of psychology, education and everyday life. Intensely and carefully, Roberto Assagioli traces the rise and discrediting of an older conception of human will: a 'will power' that was authoritarian, harsh, and repressive. Opposite to this he elaborates a comprehensive notion of a will which is not merely 'strong' but, more important, 'skillful'.

Assagioli sees the will as being very close to the core of human existence. But the free will is frequently eclipsed by our emotions, childhood patterns, prejudices, and the like. And the will remains frequently untrained and undeveloped. In The Act of Will, Dr Assagioli goes beyond mere philosophizing to detail a practical understanding of will, including the means by which it may be trained and realized. Not neglecting the mere strength of will, he proposes exercises for increasing the will's basic power. But he goes on to show how the will can learn the skill to act with a minimum of effort and yet be effective. Exercises that the reader can practise at home amount to a full program for developing one's will.

As the author notes, a fully developed human will is more than merely efficient and effective. There is also a moral dimension to the use of such a powerful instrument. Assagioli fully discusses 'the good will, 'good-will', and the will-to-good'. The synthesis of love and will is seen as one of the highest human achievements. Beyond that lies the Transpersonal Will-that aspect of human will that radiates from our higher self. To will completely becomes not a cold and dreary thing but rather something 'joyous'.

Powerfully optimistic, Assagioli's conception of will is not easy of complete personal realization; application and patience are required. But, fortunately, the will we have can help us to develop it even further. And the process, once begun, tends to gain momentum automatically. The rewards of such work lead towards personal harmony, right human relations, and placing ourselves in tune with the evolution of man and the cosmos itself.

Details

• Paperback
• Condition: Acceptable, the cover has signs of use (mostly the spine), the book is cracked open (see photo's with illustrations) but not to the point that the pages are loose, the book is underlined here and there with pencil but not throughout the whole book (the underlining stops at page 96/278).
• ISBN: 0704501112
• Publishing House: Wildwood house