Has the Time Come to Emulate Jung? A Response to Piechowski’s Most Recent Rethinking of the Theory of Positive Disintegration: I. The Case Against Primary Integration

Abstract

Disagreements between theorists and their collaborators are as old as the field of psychology itself. The most well-known example of a professional relationship marked by diverging viewpoints in psychology is that of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. Theoretical disagreements between them were resolved by Jung’s creation of a new theory. In this article, the authors suggest that, in the field of gifted education, there exists a significant theoretical disagreement analogous to that of Freud and Jung, namely, that of Dąbrowski and Piechowski. Though the analogy to Freud-Jung does not hold at the personal relationship level, the authors of this article argue that it is a valid analogy at the theoretical level. Acknowledged by Piechowski, in the context of their genial and collaborative relations, there was a disagreement regarding a key concept of Theory of Positive Disintegration (TPD). That disagreement was discussed orally between Dąbrowski and Piechowski; the other areas of Piechowski’s disagreement have been presented in a series of articles. Piechowski (2014) is the most current of these articles. In responding to Piechowski (2014), the authors present both areas of agreement and disagreement with Piechowski’s case against primary disintegration. We conclude with the recommendation that Piechowski emulate Jung, not intended as criticism but rather as way of resolving his disagreement with Dąbrowski’s original theorizing.