A Theoretical Model for PersonalityStudiesANDRAS ANGYALBoston, Massachusetts

I N THIS PAPER I shall not discuss the question whether modelbuilding IS fruitful or not in the study of personahty, valid argu-ments in favor of such a procoiure are adequately covered by othercontributions to this symposium Neither will I argue the com-parative ments and disadvantages of the vanous types of modelthat have been or may be employed in this field Instead I shallpr^ent a particular model which I have advocated previously forthe formulation of a theory of personality (1), reformulating cer-tain aspects of this theoretical orientation and illustrating mypomts with pertinent examples taken mainly from the field of psy-chotherapeutic theory and practice

Personahty may be described most adequately when looked uponas a unified d)nnamic organization—dynamic, because the most sig-nificant fact about a human being is not so much his static aspectas his constituting a specific process the life of the individual Thisprocess, the life of the person, is an organized, patterned process, aGestalt, an organization. A true organization presupposes an or-ganizing pnnciple, a unifying pattern All part processes obtaintheir specific meaning or specific function from this unifying over-all pattern Therefore, it seems plausible that a tentative phrasingof the nature of this total pattern—^the broad pattern of human life—may serve as an adequate model for the formulation of the prob-lems pertaining to the study of personality

The over-all pattern of personality function can be descnbedfrom two different vantage points Viewed from one of these van-tage points, the human being seems to be striving basically to assertand to expand his self-determination He is an autonomous being,a self-governing entity that asserts itself actively instead of reacting

like a physical body to the impacts of the surrounding

142 ANDRAS ANGYAL

which IS one component of self-derogation and which in turn is thefoundation for the neurosis

Even more ftmdamental is, however, the therapist's persistentattitude toward the patient, expressed m respect for him as a personof value, in understanding, in confidence that the patient can besaved, m sincere desire and devoted effort to help him to live ahappier hfe When the patient reaches the point of being able totrust the sincerity of the therapist's attitude, he will no longer beable to uphold completely the fiction of being unloved and un-worthy, undeserving of love And with this the other foundationof his neurosis begins to cnimble

The above examples, taken from the dynamics and therapy ofthe neuroses, may serve to illustrate the degree of usefulness anda|q)licability of the model that was proposed here for the study ofpersonahty It is not claimed that this brief exposition proves any-thing definitely, but perhaps it is sufficient to give a first impressionof an avenue of approach which may be worth while to follow

REFERENCES

1 ANGYAL, A Foundations for a science of personality New York G)mmon-wealth Fund, 1941

2 ANGYAL, A The holistic approach m psychiatry Anur J Psychtat, 1948,Its, 178-182