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Namah Sri Aurobindo’s Comments on Western Psychology

Universal Spirit. Likewise, von Hartmann threatened to flatten or erase every unique
who wrote on the ‘Unconscious’ three identity, the Time Spirit necessitated a shift
decades before Freud was influenced by beyond post-modernism.
Schopenhauer, who in turn was influenced
by the Upanissads. Freud, it seems, took the The post-post-modernism phase that followed
concept of the id from “Georg Groddeck’s, post-modernism is conducive to a further
The Book of the It, which in turn was based progressive and dynamic spirituality. It
on the cosmic Tao or organic universal is here that Sri Aurobindo’s transformative
spirit (30).” The dilemma is not only in the trajectory of the cosmic evolution gains
separation of metaphysics from psychology, significance as in his cosmology. The highest
but also in accepting that the some of the spiritual consummation does not blot out the
pioneers of ‘scientific’ psychology had spiritual individual uniqueness and identity. Instead,
connections in some way or the other. the individual becomes really unique
by integrating oneself around a fourth-
dimensional, ego-surpassing principle.
This unique and integrated individual is
then ready to traverse supra-cognitive or
trans-cognitive fields so as to facilitate
the manifestation of evolved human
beings, almost with the stature of a new species
in terms of consciousness. Such evolved
individuals can form gnostic collectives which
would mark a new denominator in social
psychology too.

In this journey, the gains of modern
‘scientific’ psychology are not rejected but
are appraised from a higher poise so as
This dilemma is not surprising as Sri Aurobindo to serve the growth in consciousness. Sri
has explained how after every banishment, Aurobindo correctly previsioned that a
the Divine returns with greater repercussions. new and greater psychology was beckoning.
Indeed, after its rejection by psychology, the For adherents of most of the creedal religions,
Divine returned, albeit in a refreshingly new psychology would at its best be a servitor of
denouement in the transpersonal movement morality so that the individual, released from
in psychology, at a time when the counter- an imperfect existence could get succour
culture movement was in its heyday. For in some heavenly afterlife. For believers
historical reasons, the Buddhist influence in in the Void, psychology would only serve
psychotherapy grew in stature as this was in to merge the individual identity with the
consonance with the corresponding transition cosmic consciousness or an undifferentiated
from the empiricism of modernism to the Nihil. For votaries of Advaitism, psychology
deconstruction of post-modernism. But after would merely serve to the point where the
the deconstruction by post-modernism individual merges with the Transcendence.

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