The Piechowski Archive at the Dabrowski Center is a comprehensive collection dedicated to preserving and sharing the extensive works of Dr. Michael M. Piechowski. This resource serves as a testament to his pioneering contributions to positive disintegration and the psychological development of the gifted.
Michael was born in Poznań, Poland, and he is a scholar in the field of gifted education. He has a M.Sc. in plant physiology from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, and PhDs in the fields of molecular biology (1965) and counseling psychology (1975) from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
He worked as a collaborator with Dr. Dąbrowski from 1967-1975. Michael helped him produce the books Mental Growth through Positive Disintegration, Psychoneurosis is Not an Illness, Multilevelness of Emotional and Instinctive Functions, and Theory of Levels of Emotional Development.
Michael was a guest on Episode 48 of the Positive Disintegration Podcast. There’s a section of the Positive Disintegration Substack dedicated to posts and episodes mentioning Michael and his work.
Chris Wells talked about getting to know Michael and his work during their keynote address at the 2022 Dabrowski Congress. They’ve also written about the experience of being his student, colleague, and friend.
We are grateful not only for Michael’s exemplary scholarly work but his support as a patron of the Dabrowski Center.
By making this archive accessible, the Dabrowski Center aims to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of the groundbreaking work of both Dr. Piechowski and Dr. Dabrowski. We know their work will continue to inspire and guide future generations.
Michael is best known for bringing the overexcitabilities to gifted education as well as his work on emotional and spiritual giftedness. He is the co-editor of Living with Intensity and author of “Mellow Out,” They Say. If I Only Could: Intensities and Sensitivities of the Young and Bright.
Since first introducing the theory of positive disintegration to the field of gifted education in 1979, his work has influenced many educators, scholars, and practitioners.
He also was one of the creators of Yunasa, a camp for gifted and twice-exceptional children. Michael worked at Yunasa for more than 20 years, and was present for 34 camps.
Visitors and researchers accessing the Piechowski Archive will find a curated collection that not only honors Michael’s legacy but also provides a fertile ground for ongoing research and education. Michael’s work is a beacon for those committed to exploring the intricacies of giftedness, neurodivergence, and human development.
Inner Growth talk from 1999
| Title | Summary | Categories | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965_The Fate of Phage Deoxyribonucleic Acid and Protein in Maturation |
This is Piechowski’s first dissertation, which was for a doctorate in molecular biology. His committee included Millard Susman, Ph.D. (chair), Robert M. Bock, Ph.D., and Howard Temin, Ph.D. Piechowski, M. M. (1965). The fate of phage deoxyribonucleic acid and protein in maturation. [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of Wisconsin, Madison. Listen to Millard Susman’s oral history interview about the Genetics Department where Michael was a graduate … |
Document, Piechowski archive, Unpublished Manuscript | |
| 1968_Dabrowski_Le Milieu Psychique Interne |
The Inner Psychic Milieu. This is Chapter IV from Mental Growth through Positive Disintegration. Michael M. Piechowski assisted and created the diagram but is not listed as … |
Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 1969_Les emotions superieures et l’objectivite d’evaluation |
Dabrowski-Piechowski 1969 Higher Emotions and the Objectivity of Valuation. This paper is also Chapter V in Mental Growth through Positive Disintegration … |
Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 1974_Two Developmental Concepts: Multilevelness and Developmental Potential |
The theory of positive disintegration appears to be deceptively simple. It tells us that the development of individuality occurs in successive stages, wherein each succeeding stage is higher than the previous one. “Higher” means more awareness, more mental control, more Rogerian openness to experience, more empathy, more individual responsibility. To get from one level to the next one goes through depression, anxiety, periods of confusion and hypersensitivity, and when it is over the higher level is achieved. But is it all that simple? Is it possible to grasp a comprehensive theory of human development from a one-paragraph … |
Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 1975_Formless Forms |
[Dissertation] Five criteria have been developed to compare and evaluate theories of counseling and psychotherapy: (1) concept form, (2) nondependence on general principles, (3) notions of structure, (4) properties of the organism, and (5) value structure. Twelve approaches to counseling and psychotherapy have been examined on the five criteria: psychoanalysis, transactional analysis, rational-emotive therapy, behavior therapy, reality therapy, Adlerian psychotherapy, Gestalt therapy, encounter, client-centered therapy, experiential psychotherapy, eclectic psychotherapy, analytic psychology, and Maslow’s theory. Most approaches satisfy none or only one criterion. Behavior therapy satisfies criteria no. 1, 2, and 4, Jung’s analytic psychology satisfies criteria, 1, 3, 4, and 5, and Maslow’s theory satisfies criteria no. 1, 2, 4, and 5. Piechowski, M. M. (1975). Formless forms: The conceptual structure of theories of counseling and psychotherapy. [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of Wisconsin, … |
Document, Unpublished Manuscript | |
| 1975_Piechowski_A Theoretical and Empirical Approach to the Study of Development |
Developmental psychology, in spite of its dynamic growth, has not, thus far, generated a general theory of human development. Present developmental theories are either cognitive or ontogenetic, or both. All are descriptive. Their powers of explanation are limited. None of them include emotional development. It is argued that a theory of development in order to claim generality must (a) include emotional development, and (b) offer means of explaining, rather than only describing, developmental transformations. A nonontogenetic theory of development, called theory of positive disintegration, appears to fulfill these conditions. It is built on Jacksonian principles of evolution of levels of functioning. The central concept of the theory is that of multilevelness of developmental phenomena. Development is seen to be a function of the level of behavioral organization. The theory defines five levels. Each level constitutes a distinct structure. The dynamic elements of the structure of each level are identified. Positive disintegration is the name for the process by which the structure of a higher level replaces the structure of a lower one. The theory explains different developmental patterns by introducing the concept of developmental potential (DP). Although DP is a purely logical notion, it is given observable dimensions designated as dimensions of mental functioning. There are five of these and they correspond to psychomotor, sensual, imaginational, intellectual, and emotional modes of functioning. The first half of the monograph is devoted to the conceptual structure of the theory. The second half to empirical tests of the … |
Published Manuscript | |
| 1977_Dabrowski_Piechowski_Vol 1 |
Theory of Levels of Emotional Development, Volume … |
Document, Published Manuscript | |
| 1978_Self-actualization as a developmental structure: A profile of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry |
The characteristics of self-actualization are fully reflected in excerpts from Saint-Exupéry’s autobiographical writings. The correspondence between the characteristics of self-actualization and Saint-Exupéry’s developmental profile gains special significance because there exists, independently, a theoretical structure corresponding both to self-actualization and to Saint-Exupéry’s material. This structure—level IV in the theory of positive disintegration—has previously been shown to represent Saint-Exupéry’s behavioral organization. The characteristics of self-actualization and the properties of level IV structure are isomorphic. Self-actualization is the consequence of level IV structure and of the potential necessary for its … |
Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 1979_Piechowski_Developmental Potential |
Today’s concept of giftedness has been broadened to include considerably more than academic capability as measured by I.Q. tests, yet, the call for broader conceptualization has essentially resulted in further test orientation. There is a need for a model that would enable one to conceptualize giftedness in terms other than testable skills. This paper presents a psychological model of giftedness that accounts for intellective and non-intellective dimensions, especially those of imagination and feeling. The model rests on the concept of developmental potential taken from a theory of human development. The value of this concept lies in that it gives readily identifiable components: special talents and abilities and five forms of psychic overexcitability: psychomotor, sensual, intellectual, imaginational, and emotional. Specific examples of expressions of overexcitability identified in case data with gifted are … |
Document, Published Manuscript | |
| 1981_Gage, Morse & Piechowski |
According to the theory of positive disintegration there are distinct levels of emotional and personality development that are not tied to specific chronological ages. The present study sought (a) to develop a set of methods for assessing a person’s developmental level, and (b) to assess the convergent and discriminant validity of the methods. Over a period of one month, eight college seniors wrote autobiographies and completed four other measures. Three of the four new methods exhibited consistent convergent and discriminant validity. The relative advantages and disadvantages of the various methods are … |
Document, Piechowski archive, Published Manuscript | |
| 1981_The Logical and the Empirical Form of Feeling |
Susanne K. Langer’s theory of art seems to have suffered some neglect in recent years. The plausibility, usefulness, and demonstrability of her principal idea, that works of art present the logical form of feeling, have been questioned. The purpose of this paper is to invite attention to the work of Manfred Clynes on experimentally obtained forms of feeling and the inner pulse of music, for it appears to be a direct demonstration of Langer’s logical form of feeling. Clynes’s research has revealed important features of the nature of feeling which not only confirm Langer’s ideas but have opened a new field of study: the study of expression as a function of its spatial and dynamic form. If aesthetic education is to be rightfully regarded as the education of feeling, then we are presented here with a rich source of implications, because suddenly feeling is no longer an elusive quality but has a precise and demonstrable form whose properties can be measured. The first part of this paper reviews the key concepts of Langer’s theory, the second presents Clynes’s discovery, and the third carries out an alignment of their … |
Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 1981_Two Types of Emotional Overexcitability: Conserving and Transforming |
Robert and Piechowski reanalyzed OE questionnaire responses from Lysy’s (1979) study to operationalize the distinction between conserving and transforming forms of emotional overexcitability. They developed subcategories of emotional and intellectual OE and found that discriminant analysis using these subcategories correctly classified 100% of subjects. The study represents the first attempt to empirically differentiate conserving and transforming types based on OE subcategories rather than … |
Conferences, Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 1982_Self-Actualization Profile of Eleanor Roosevelt |
Piechowski and Tyska present a detailed case study of Eleanor Roosevelt as a self-actualizing individual, following Piechowski’s (1978) study of Saint-Exupéry. Analysis of 197 biographical statements produced a self-actualization profile strikingly similar to Saint-Exupéry’s, despite their representing Maslow’s two proposed types—the nontranscending “doer” and the transcending “seer.” The study identified two new traits not in Maslow’s original list—Humility and Equitableness—and argued that what the two self-actualizers shared may be more significant than the distinction between … |
Document, Piechowski archive, Published Manuscript | |
| 1983_Personal Growth: An Empirical Study Using Jungian and Dabrowskian Measures |
Lysy and Piechowski assessed Jungian functions, overexcitabilities, and developmental level in 42 graduate students to investigate the nature of personal growth using both Jung’s and Dąbrowski’s theoretical models. Preference for intuition correlated strongly with developmental level, and emotional and intellectual OE accounted for nearly half the variance in determining level. The study introduced the distinction between conserving and transforming types of personal growth, and concluded that personal growth is not a unitary phenomenon but must be understood in terms of distinct types, levels, and psychological … |
Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 1984_Developmental Potential of the Gifted |
Describes a model of developmental potential that defines 5 parallel dimensions or modes of mental functioning assumed to be genetically independent of one another. The 5 modes encompassed by the model are represented by 5 forms of “psychic overexcitability.” The prefix over in overexcitability is meant to convey that this is a special kind of responding, experiencing, and acting that is enhanced and distinguished by characteristic forms of expression. The 5 forms are psychomotor overexcitability (P), intellectual (T), emotional (E), and imaginational (M). The model was tested in a study with 49 gifted adolescents (aged 12–17 yrs), 28 gifted adults (aged 22–55 yrs), 19 artists (aged 18–59 yrs), and 42 graduate students (aged 22–50 yrs). Results of assessment on an overexcitability questionnaire indicate that both gifted adolescents and gifted adults were characterized by 2 nonintellectual factors—M and E–and by T overexcitability. It is concluded that while the level of each overexcitability variable differs considerably across gifted individuals, they are consistently and reliably present in a gifted group of any … |
Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 1985_Comparison of Intellectually and Artistically Gifted on Five Dimensions of Mental Functioning |
Compared overexcitability profiles in (1) 23 18–59 yr olds active in art, music, literature, or other artistic fields; (2) 37 intellectually gifted 22–55 yr olds; and (3) 42 22–50 yr old graduate students, using a 21-item, free-response questionnaire. Five broadly defined areas of psychic life were measured by the instrument: personal level of energy, sensual aliveness, the pursuit of knowledge and truth, imagination, and the life of feeling. A model predicted that the strength, richness, and depth of talent would be a function of the 5 measured dimensions. Analysis showed that intellectual talent tended to be associated with 3 dimensions (intellectual, imaginational, and emotional), while artistic talent tended to be associated with high scores on all 5 dimensions (especially on imaginational and emotional). In contrast, graduate students had lower scores on all 5 … |
Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 1985_Patterns of Overexcitability in a Group of Artists |
Interviewed 13 Ss (aged 19–43 yrs) who had a serious involvement with artistic or creative work at a vocational, professional, or avocational level to assess the manner of functioning and interaction patterns of the 5 categories of overexcitability (i.e., psychomotor, emotional, sensual, intellectual, imaginational) that are considered to be basic in gifted and creative individuals. It is suggested that the model of the 5 dimensions of mental functioning is useful in describing the psychological endowment of artists. Three patterns of overexcitability that emerged from the study (balanced and integrated, emotionally vulnerable, and polarized and restless) are … |
Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 1986_The Concept of Developmental Potential |
There exist important personality characteristics of the gifted and talented that intelligence tests do not tap. Among these characteristics is a broad range of a heightened activity which finds expression in an enlarged and intensified manner of feeling, thinking, imagining, even tasting. The model of developmental potential defines five dimensions of such enhanced mental functioning. These five dimensions provide a broader conception of the makeup of giftedness and talent. The model offers new means of examining commonly used methods of identification; it also offers ways of recognizing potential for self-actualization and outstanding moral … |
Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 1989_Piechowski_DP and the Growth of the Self |
Piechowski, M. M. (1989). Developmental potential and the growth of the self. In J. VanTassel-Baska & P. Olszewski-Kubilius (Eds.), Patterns of influence on gifted learners: The home, the school, and the self (pp. 87-101). Teachers College … |
Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 1990_Inner Growth and Transformation in the Life of Eleanor Roosevelt |
This article describes Eleanor Roosevelt’s discipline of inner life. An earlier study (Piechowski & Tyska, 1982) showed that Eleanor Roosevelt met all the criteria of self-actualization as given by Maslow. Maslow labeled her a “doer” rather than a ”seer” or a visionary. But she was an inspired person, “a woman with a deep sense of spiritual mission” (Lash, 1971) and, as such, much more a “seer” than Maslow gave her credit. Christ was her inner ideal. Her methods of inner work are described in the sections on the courage to know oneself, coping with inner conflict and emotional pain, self-discipline, and the inner ideal. Her inner growth is briefly analyzed in terms of Dabrowski’s theory of emotional development-a theory particularly well equipped toward understanding lives engaged in the process of inner psychic … |
Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 1990_The Heart of Leta S. Hollingworth |
The life of educator and psychologist Leta Hollingworth (1886-1939) is examined in terms of six traits associated with self-actualization: autonomy and superior perception of reality, problem centeredness, spontaneity, a sense of kinship with all people, interpersonal relations, and … |
Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 1991_A Developmental Framework for Self-Actualization |
Brennan and Piechowski. This study presents a theoretical framework for personal growth leading to self-actualization, and case studies of individuals engaged in such growth. Maslow’s description of self-actualizing people and Dabrowski’s theory of emotional development are brought together for this purpose. We show that self-actualizing people can be found by means of an instrument for assessing levels of emotional development. People who are assessed at or near Dabrowski’s Level 4 meet the criteria of self-actualizing growth. The degree of self-actualization can be assessed with the intensive interview guide developed for this purpose. The interview guide successfully met the objectives of this study. We have found that our self-actualizing individuals share a number of characteristics in common. They have a similar outlook and concern for humanity and its future. They have intensity, energy, and the persistence to work toward high ideals and a capacity to inspire others toward similar ideals. In their life histories, they share childhood giftedness, emotionally difficult and disruptive life experiences, and intense life-affirming … |
Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 1992_Etty Hillesum “The Thinking Heart of the Barracks” |
“The thinking heart of the barracks” is how Etty Hillesum described herself when she was an inmate of a German concentration camp in World War II. She entered voluntarily to prepare herself for the inevitable end. Her diary is the story of her inner transformation, of being within herself a battlefield for the problems of our times, of finding joy and inner peace in the face of persecution, suffering and death. Love perfected her will-love for people and love for God. Her diary is one of the most detailed records of the work of love and will that makes advanced development … |
Document, Published Manuscript | |
| 1992_Piechowski_Giftedness for All Seasons |
This is a study of three lives in transformation, two of which are directly concerned with the issue of war: Etty Hillesum, a young Jewish woman who lived in the Nazi occupied Amsterdam and later died in Auschwitz and Peace Pilgrim, an American woman who started walking for peace at the time of the Korean war. The third, Ashley, is a contemporary woman, mother of two. The lives of these three gifted individuals illustrate characteristics of transforming growth: inner conflict, acceptance, willingness to serve, surrender, and inner peace. As a result of their far reaching inner transformation, they discovered on their own the transpersonal principle of nonseparateness. From the depth of their being they know that inner peace is the necessary condition of world peace. These cases illustrate in greater depth than was previously available the higher levels in Dabrowski’s theory of emotional development. They also bring out the deeper meaning and effectiveness of acceptance which the theory has … |
Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 1993_”Origins” Without Origins_Exceptional Abilities Explained Away |
Book review by MMP from Creativity Research Journal. The book reviewed was The Origins of Exceptional Abilities by Michael J. A. Howe … |
Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 1993_Is Inner Transformation a Creative Process |
After some musings, the answer to the title’s question is “yes.”; Piechowski bases his argument on Dabrowski’s theory of levels of emotional development, Maslow’s concept of “self‐actualization,”; and Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. Within this frame he takes up three cases: Etty Hillesum, the Dutch woman whose inner growth, recorded in her diary, led her finally to volunteer for deportation by the Nazis, and to go off singing; a woman named Ashley, a fiercely devoted teacher who kept a diary recording her inner struggle for purification; and a woman known as “Peace Pilgrim”; who covered 25,000 miles on foot, telling peace along the way. The article concludes on the note that inner peace is the foundation of world … |
Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 1995_Assessing developmental potential in gifted children: A comparison of methods |
Compared 2 methods (questionnaire and interview) of assessing forms of overexcitability in gifted children. It was hypothesized that the interview, offering the possibility for probing and clarification of responses, would yield richer response material than the questionnaire. 28 younger children (aged 9–11 yrs) and 18 older children (aged 12–24 yrs) participated. Contrary to expectations, the interview did not yield higher overexcitability scores. In 2 separate comparisons of the questionnaire and interview similar results were obtained for 4 of the forms of overexcitability. Correlations between questionnaire and interview scores were too low to consider the methods equivalent for making individual assessments. Older Ss scored higher than younger ones. Most of those in the younger group had difficulty writing their answers; therefore, the interview is recommended for children below age … |
Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 1997_Emotional Giftedness The Measure of Intrapersonal Intelligence |
This chapter brings together emotional giftedness, emotional growth, and moral sensitivity with the concepts of developmental potential (overexcitabilities), self-evaluative processes, and inner transformation. This is Chapter 30 in Colangelo & Davis’s (1997) Handbook of Gifted Education (2nd … |
Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 1997_Emotional Giftedness: An Expanded View |
We live in an age of prodigies. Young pianists, violinists, even cellists, age 10, 12, or 14 perform brilliantly and movingly with the world’s great orchestras. Others enter college and complete a Ph.D. or M.D. before their age mates graduate from high school. Rarest of all, two accomplished painters, one in China and one in the U.S., were recognised even before they were 10 years old. A concert performance, a work of art, an advanced degree are easy to notice and applaud. When it comes to gifts of the heart-empathy, compassion, forgiveness, or defending others-the situation is different. There is no wide audience and no TV camera to record and broadcast accomplishment in the emotional sphere, what Annemarie Roeper called being emotionally gifted. This paper expands on Roeper’s original concept to include the sense of justice, moral sensitivity, positive maladjustment, loyalty, resistance to victimisation, forgiveness, and spiritual … |
Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 1998_The Self Victorious: Personal Strengths, Chance, and Co‐incidence |
Models of talent development and outstanding achievement emphasize as one of the necessary conditions a strongly supportive environment. Historic and contemporary cases are presented as exceptions to this rule. Examination of these cases shows that personal strengths of the individual are the key factor in overcoming deficiencies in environmental support. This makes the self the centerpiece of the scenario of talent development. Of the four models examined here, Feldman’s and Piirto’s give more weight to the whole individual than do Tannenbaum’s and Gagné’s. Attributes of the self‐will, entelechy, striving for autonomy and self‐realization suggest areas of inquiry in further development of these … |
Document, Podcast Transcript | |
| 1999_Piechowski_Inner Growth: Unilevel and Multilevel Development According to Dabrowski’s Theory |
Handout from a talk given by Dr. Michael M. Piechowski at the 12th Annual Hollingworth Conference in Manchester, New Hampshire, May 1-2, … |
Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 1999_Theories and the Good: Toward Child-Centered Gifted Education |
Grant & Piechowski. Educators tend to look to theories for ideas on how to educate gifted children. Theories are, however, not value-neutral explanations, but complex attempts to serve human goals that contain values and ideas for action, as well as explanations. When there is a disjunction between a theory and ideas about what is good for gifted children, the latter should be our guide. The most important value in gifted education, we argue, should be child-centeredness. Theories can serve this value by helping us to understand the perspective of a gifted child. Most models and theories (Maslow’s and Dabrowski’s being the primary exceptions) address the conditions that promote gifted achievement and do not illuminate the inner life of gifted children. And yet, the pressure to achieve often has negative consequences for the emotional well-being, of the child. Roeper’s education for self-actualization and interdependence offers an approach to gifted education that respects the inner life of gifted children and assists them in finding their own way in … |
Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 2000_Childhood Experiences and Spiritual Giftedness |
One hundred years ago, William James’ study of religious experience was based on reports of spiritually gifted adults. Modern investigators found that when adults were asked about a spiritual experience of lasting significance in their lives, many described an event from childhood. These reports show that children are capable of authentic spiritual experiences of divine presence, God-in-everything, energy shimmering in living things, all-embracing unity and oneness, and much more, comparable to experiences of the great mystics. Moreover, some children on their own have discovered techniques for entering the joyful state of heightened consciousness. Recently advanced arguments for spiritual intelligence prepare the ground for recognition of spiritual giftedness, as distinct from other facets of … |
Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 2000_Piechowski Transpersonal Knowledge |
In this paper, presented at the Fifth Biennial Henry B. & Jocelyn Wallace National Research Symposium on Talent Development in May 2000, Piechowski examines childhood spiritual experiences as evidence of transpersonal knowledge. Drawing on Robinson’s study of 362 childhood spiritual experiences, Hoffman’s research on childhood spiritual encounters, and other investigations, Piechowski argues that children spontaneously enter states of nonordinary consciousness—experiences of unity with nature, divine presence, a sense of self beyond the physical, and inner conviction contrary to adult teaching. He identifies common themes across these accounts, including ecstasy and boundless joy, pulsating energy and connectedness with nature, and techniques children independently discover for entering contemplative states. Piechowski challenges mainstream developmental assumptions that limit children’s capacities to sensorimotor and concrete thinking, proposing instead that it is adult thinking that is constrained. He concludes that these experiences are self-authenticating, represent a form of knowledge rather than fantasy, and can only be understood in purposive terms—as entelechy. The paper calls for a psychology that includes the transpersonal dimension, building on William James’s study of religious experience and independent lines of investigation by Grof and … |
Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 2001_Childhood Spirituality |
Hundreds of examples of childhood spiritual experiences have been collected by researchers in England and the United States. Oddly enough, they have been missed by the mainstream of transpersonal psychology. Three kinds of childhood experiences contradict the theoretical positions of Wilber and Washburn in regard to early stages of development: (1) when on the basis of their own experience children realize that the adults around them are spiritually ignorant, (2) when children become aware of their identity beyond the physical self and beyond one lifetime, and (3) when they know or discover methods of achieving on their own a state of nonordinary … |
Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 2002_Piechowski_Experiencing in a Higher Key |
Piechowski introduces Dąbrowski’s theory to a gifted education audience, presenting the five overexcitabilities as the foundation of developmental potential and offering practical guidance for accepting and accommodating intensities in children. The article illustrates multilevelness through adolescent responses to the Overexcitability Questionnaire, including a case showing the shift from egocentric self-fulfillment to moral conflict, and draws on Eleanor Roosevelt’s reflections on self-knowledge to convey the inner work of positive … |
Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 2003_From William James to Maslow and Dabrowski |
This chapter introduces theoretical bridges between Maslow’s construct of self-actualization, Dąbrowski’s theory of emotional development, Bandura’s model of the self-system, and Gardner’s concept of intrapersonal intelligence. Piechowski argues that self-actualization fits into Level IV of Dąbrowski’s five levels of development, and that Bandura’s self-system furnishes the component processes of self-evaluation that Dąbrowski’s theory gains its emotional fuel from. Where Gardner equated intrapersonal intelligence with introspection, Piechowski complements it with the dynamics of inner transformation, proposing that the concept must be extended to include the multilevel process of inner growth that produces a highly developed sense of self. Drawing on William James’s observation that moral action follows the line of greatest resistance, Piechowski traces the developmental potential for self-actualization and moral vigor through detailed case material, including the lives of Etty Hillesum, Peace Pilgrim, Eleanor Roosevelt, Dag Hammarskjöld, and Gandhi. He presents Miller’s criteria for assessing levels of development, reviews the five dimensions of overexcitability as channels of felt experience, examines emotional growth in gifted adolescents, and explores the overlap between emotional giftedness and positive maladjustment. The chapter concludes by arguing that Dąbrowski’s theory, in its broadest sense, is a theory of emotional development, moral development, and inner change at the core of the self, and that the availability of models for these inner processes makes it possible to recognize signs of potential for self-actualization and advanced development in young … |
Document, Piechowski archive, Published Manuscript | |
| 2008_Piechowski_Discovering Dabrowski’s Theory |
Piechowski recounts his collaboration with Dąbrowski beginning in 1967, the development of the theory’s formal structure, and the content analysis method he devised to identify dynamisms and overexcitabilities in autobiographical material. The chapter traces the empirical tests that emerged from the multilevelness research project, the correspondence between Maslow’s self-actualization and Level IV, the conserving/transforming distinction, and a reconsidered view of primary integration as reflecting social conditions rather than personality structure. Piechowski also argues that unilevel growth deserves greater respect, drawing on Women’s Ways of Knowing, and notes the existence of rare individuals who function at advanced levels without undergoing positive … |
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| 2009_Emotional Life and Psychotherapy of the Gifted in Light of Dabrowski’s Theory |
Jackson, Moyle, & Piechowski. In this chapter we introduce the basic terms of Dabrowski’s theory, review the themes of emotional life of the gifted, including emotional and spiritual giftedness, discuss psychotherapy for the gifted, and present two cases illustrating development through positive disintegration in exceptionally gifted young persons. KeywordsDevelopmental potential–Emotional intensity–Emotional sensitivity–Emotional giftedness–Psychotherapy–Multilevelness. This is a chapter in the International Handbook on Giftedness by L.V. Shavinina … |
Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 2009_Peace Pilgrim, Exemplar of Level V |
Cases of secondary integration (Level V), the most advanced level of development through positive disintegration, are easily found within the religious sphere. To find a secular case of secondary integration presents a greater challenge. The life of Peace Pilgrim (1908–1981), known personally to a great many people, appears to be such a case. The course of her personality development appears to reflect successive phases of multilevel growth. This article examines Dabrowski’s concept of secondary integration, personality ideal, and Peace Pilgrim’s state of inner peace in an attempt to arrive at some purchase on these concepts. This study also raises the subject of spiritual experience as personal experience unbounded by systems of religious beliefs. This stratospheric study does carry actual implications for gifted … |
Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 2009_The Inner World of the Young and Bright |
William James (1902) made the connection between intensity of character (ardor) and moral action more than a 100 years ago. In the 1960s and 1970s, when cognitive psychology supplanted behaviorism, moral development was seen as development of moral judgment through reasoning. However, reasoning does not guarantee that behavior will follow the dictates of reason. Behavior follows what one believes and feels to be right rather than what one thinks is correct. Emotional rather than cognitive development is the key to congruence between moral motivation and behavior. Dabrowski constructed his theory of emotional development from the study of lives of gifted and creative people. The theory provides insight into emotional life of the gifted and into what motivates moral action. This is a chapter in the 2009 book, Morality, Ethics, and Gifted Minds, by Cross & Ambrose … |
Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 2010_”We are all cells in the body of humanity” |
The lives of Eleanor Roosevelt, Paul Robeson, and Etty Hillesum give insight into the inner transformation that is the essence of personal growth toward global awareness. Components of the process of personal growth are spelled out. Simple, easily accessible techniques, facilitate the process and empower children in their personal … |
Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 2014_Rethinking Dabrowski’s Theory: I. The Case Against Primary Integration |
Abstract: Some terms of Dabrowski’s theory are misleading. The construct of level and the concepts of integration and disintegration mean different things. The concept of primary integration as a starting point for personality development is untenable in light of research on child development. In its place, Level I as a type of development that is constrained by social pressures and the effort to succeed in life will serve better. Milgram’s studies of obedience and Bandura’s of the ways of bypassing one’s conscience are sufficient to explain how the Level I type of integration can take hold of a person. The descriptive term of disintegration is too extreme and too limiting to enclose the diversity of processes at each level that also include partial integration. Common errors that have crept into the usage of the theory are identified and … |
Document, Piechowski archive, Published Manuscript | |
| 2014_The Roots of Dąbrowski’s Theory |
Dąbrowski’s theory emerged from the neurology and clinical experience of the late 19th and early 20th century. Dabrowski addressed the problem of the tension of unbearably intense experience that can only be resolved through self-mutilation, suicide, or inner transformation. He identified the potential for advanced development in the qualities of heightened experiencing (overexcitabilities) and in the “own forces” of autonomous … |
Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 2015_A Reply to Mendaglio and Tillier |
When Dąbrowski cast his theory in a series of formal statements (hypotheses), he was clear that the hypotheses were tentative and that new research findings will necessitate changes and revisions in the theory and its concepts. Mendaglio and Tillier see the theory as cast in stone and invariable: Dąbrowski’s “choice of terms and their definitions cannot be a focus of criticism: after all, TPD is his theory.” Consequently, Mendaglio and Tillier blindly stand by even the most absurd, inadvertently erroneous statements that are contradicted by the whole … |
Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 2017_Rethinking Dabrowski’s Theory II |
Unilevel disintegration, the second level in Dąbrowski’s theory, does not have a structure comparable to the higher levels. It also lacks direction. If so, one is bound to ask what is developmental about it and what, in fact, is developing in level II. Two classic studies and one of highly gifted adults show three possible kinds of emotional development on the not-so-flat plane of level II: a personal growth from black-and-white to relativistic thinking, from no sense of self to an individual self, and fulfillment of one’s talents as a productive member of society. Viewing the levels as types of development makes clear that the first two levels are not precursors to advanced … |
Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 2020_Lives of Positive Disintegration |
Cases of advanced development are necessary to understand the theory of positive disintegration. Individual cases are also a test of the theory. Examples of advanced development suggest that Level V may not be as stratospheric as we tend to … |
Document, Piechowski archive | |
| 2021_Piechowski_Wells_Reexamining Overexcitability |
Piechowski and Wells present the five overexcitabilities as a framework for understanding the intense experience of gifted and creative children, with detailed descriptions, first-person examples, and practical strategies for accommodating each type. The chapter addresses the overlap between overexcitabilities and diagnosable conditions such as ADHD and autism, arguing against dichotomous thinking and in favor of a neurodiversity perspective grounded in Dąbrowski’s earlier work. It also discusses asynchronous development, multilevel processes in adolescence, and the connection between overexcitabilities, emotional tension, and self-harm, positioning the theory as a forerunner to the neurodiversity … |
Document, Published Manuscript | |
| 2024_Piechowski_Setting the Record Straight |
This is a strange case where one author criticizes another for the exact opposite of what that author said. References are cited but never a single quotation to support the misguided criticism. The aim of this paper is to set the record straight. In particular, Piechowski never suggested that the first two levels be dropped from Dąbrowski’s theory, yet Chojnowski (2023) repeatedly asserts that he did. Developmental potential, a key concept in the theory, not only is included in almost all Piechowski’s works but he has developed an empirical formula for it, yet Chojnowski claims that Piechowski makes developmental potential almost irrelevant in favor of the environment. Furthermore, in his theoretical speculations, Chojnowski comes up with notions about developmental potential that are directly contradicted by how Dąbrowski defined it. The same can be said of his ideas about the second level in the theory of positive disintegration. This strange case also raises questions about the review process because the reviewers appear to have been uncritical and … |
Piechowski archive, Published Manuscript | |
| Figure 1_1970 |
… |
Diagrams and Tables, Document | |
| Figure 3.1 |
From Piechowski (2008), page … |
Diagrams and Tables, Document | |
| Forms and Expressions of Overexcitability |
Table from Michael’s book Mellow Out with the manifestations of … |
Diagrams and Tables | |
| Hail to you, Psychoneurotics |
… |
Piechowski archive |
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