I have been wrestling with different 'models of the personality' since back in my university days about 30 years ago (1979). Indeed, looking back at my Honours Thesis in Psychology written in 1979, a Freudian theorist would probably say that the essay is a model of 'The Central Ego' -- and 'Central Ego Functioning', both good and bad. That first model that I built could easily be construed now as the 'starting point of Hegel's Hotel' -- and be thrust right into the centre of the present model.
One problem that I am continuing to ponder on even now, is whether I should use 'The Hegel's Hotel' metaphor -- use it as my model of the personality -- and talk about 'different philosophy, psychology, and/or mythology rooms in Hegel's Hotel' -- all of which can be viewed creatively as an external vision, an external projection, like for example, 'The Marriott Heidelberg Hotel' in Germany with all its differnt 'meeting rooms' each labelled by a different philosopher's name -- most importantly, Hegel.
Or 'The Library Hotel' in New York where you can go to a 'philosophy section' of the hotel -- I haven't been there but I assume, either in a particular public meeting or lounge room in the hotel, and/or in your own private room or suite. I love it! (Although if you are going to one of these hotels with your lover, I caution you not to spend more time and energy engaged with 'your philosopher friends' -- whether they be in 'book format' and/or in 'meeting room' format than you are engaged with your lover. That might end up ruining your night -- and/or, if you are there long enough, even your mini or full vacation! Don't do it!)
Alternatively, 'Hegel's Hotel' can be viewed as either a 'realistic' and/or 'idealistic' internal vision of a 'personality model' and 'personality theory'.
In this regard, we need to distinguish between two different ways that Hegel's Hotel can be 'built': 1. as a chronological or historical evolution, negotiation, and integration of 2600 years of Western Philosophy including 120 years of more recently evolving Western Clinical Psychology/Personality Theory/Psychotherapy.
Or 2. as a 'functional model' of how the human personality works -- and/or ideally can work.
In the model below, we will simplify some of the results of the first task -- the historical, evolutionary model involving the integration of Western Philosophy -- in favour of a more simplified, parsimonious model of how the human personality realistically works, and/or idealistically can work.
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A. Hegel's Hotel: A Simplified, Functional Model of The Personality
We will 'build' the floors from bottom to top, starting with 'two basement floors' of the Hotel which we will call, 'Jung's Unconscious Floors: 1 and 2'.
Floor 1: Jung's Floor; The Innate Potential Self or Soul (Bottom Basement-Unconscious in The Personality)
Jung's deepest, darkest floor which we will call Jung's Bottom or First Floor (1) is 'The Innate, Potential Self' which religiously speaking without taking on all the associated connotations of religion, we might also call 'The Soul'. (My DGB rendition, definition, and description of The Innate Potential Self or The Soul will be a little different than both Jung's version of this concept, and any religious version of this concept.
We can differentiate between a 'Healthy, Happy Soul', a 'Miserable, Depressed Soul', and even an 'Evil, Poisonous or Toxic Soul' depending on what type of 'life or death energy' (Libido/Eros, or Thanatos) is radiating (cathected) upwards and outwards into higher levels of the (conscious) personality. Also, the relationship between a person's 'Central, Conscious Ego' and his or her 'Innate Soul' is a dualistic-dialectic (Hegelian) relationship. For example, a 'poisoned, Innate Soul' can toxify an otherwise healthy, happy Central Ego, and alternatively, a poisoned, unhealthy Central Ego can toxify an otherwise Happy, Healthy Soul.
Floor 2: Jung's Floor: The Genetic Unconscious: The Mythology, Archetype/God/Idol-Hero/Villain Floor: Dramatic Greek Soap Operas Projected Into The Sky From One of The Deepest Layers of The Personality
It is here in this layer of the personality that we can meet all the 'active' and/or 'inactive' Mythological Figures, Archetypes, Idols, and/or Gods in our personality. Here is one of the areas where, in Perls' words, we play 'The Fitting Game'.
For example, I have a friend named Denis. He is Greek. In Greek, 'Denis' means 'Dionysus'. Denis lives and breathes -- and will probably die -- playing out the 'role model' (in effect, almost a living 'reincarnation') of 'Dionysus to the Max'. In contrast, I am almost a living breathing stereotypical 'Pisces' in the sense of a 'person deeply divided within myself that is seeking for a re-unified Multi-Dialectic Whole' -- the prototype of 'two fish swimming towards each other and away from each other at the same time'; one of my 'core nuclear conflicts' is between 'contact engagement' and 'personal withdrawal from contact' -- and becoming 'confluent' between the two (a Freudian 'compromise-formation') neither fully engaged and contactful nor willing to fully disengage from contact and withdraw -- leaving me often in a state of 'wishy washy, non-engaged contact'.
One of Adler's key concepts was/is that of 'lifestyle'. Combining Adlerian, Jungian, and Gestalt terminology, we can talk about 'lifestyle complexes' -- 'dominant personna-complexes' vs. 'shadow-complexes'; or 'topdog complexes' vs. 'underdog complexes' or 'approval-seeking underdog complexes' vs. 'rebellious underdog complexes', or 'Apollonian Complexes' vs. 'Dionysian Complexes', or 'Platonic, Idealistic Complexes' vs. 'Aristolean, Scientific-Empirical Complexes'...and so on...
Greek dramatic soap operas projected into the sky and onto earth by the ancient Greeks -- and still being lived out today by contemporary man, and contemporary individuals -- both men and women -- starting from the deepest, darkest, mythological and symbolic, archetype levels of the unconscious personality.
Dionysus is a central, pivotal mythological-archetype figure in human nature and human behavior. Dionysus was central to Nietzsche's philosophy but unfortunately, Nietzsche basically abandoned the mythological archetype figure of 'Apollo' after his brilliantly creative first book: The Birth of Tragedy (BT). Mythologically speaking, Apollo is basically Dionysus' 'soul brother'. The two need to be on 'good terms' with each other -- respecting each other, democratically negotiating and integrating with each other. This creates a 'balanced, healthy human personality' -- a balance between Apollonian ethics and morality -- and Dionysian sensuality and sexuality. When there is a good, working balance between these two polar spiritual and sensual forces in the personality, the collective and/or individual human person(s) experiencing this type of 'homeostatic-dialectic-democratic balance' is likely to be in generally, pretty good working order. Of course, 'context' is also important and relevant here and sometimes Dionysus and/or Eros and/or Aphrodite can get 'completely out of hand in the personality', 'start running completely amok in the personality' and the individual engaged in such a sometimes distressing conflict dilemma can be plagued between trying to 'pull the Apollonian reins in' on a burning, torturing 'Dionysus' or 'Eros' or 'Aphrodite' run completely amok and dominating all other facets of the personality -- vs. 'taking the reins off of the raging mythological archetype figure' -- and 'letting him/her go'.
As well as aligning with Apollo (reason), or Eros (love), or Aphrodite (beauty and/or love), Dionysus (sensuality and sexuality) can also align with 'Satan' (not a Greek mythological archetype figure but rather a later religious-archetype figure). This can trigger of 'evil', 'hate', 'violence', 'sadism', 'destruction' and/or 'self-destruction' in the personality -- one very common, well-travelled road to a poisioned, dying soul.
For example, let Dionysus completely control your personality -- kick Apollo to the wayside; kick Eros and Aphrodite to the wayside -- play games with Satan, engage in 'ecstasy' or 'cocaine' or 'crack, cocaine' or any of a great number of 'chemical combinations' -- or engage in force, coercion, threat, intimidation, violence -- fail to differentiate the line between a 'date' and 'date rape', or between a 'domestic argument' and 'domestic violence', fail to properly respect the situation when someone seriously says 'no' to you, or when you get jealous or possessive, and/or rejected by someone who is important to you -- and you could be walking into Satan's Door, into a room or world you later wish you had never entered. We all must be accountable -- accountable to Apollo and our fellow man when we feel Dionysus and/or Satan about to take us where we should not go -- men and women need to equally share the burden/enlightenment/civility of the balancing force of Apollo's presence of reason, respect and compassion in their day-to-day dealings with each other. Go off the deep end -- and it might be a long, painful road back; indeed, go far enough and deep enough into the world of Satan, and you might not come back.
I'm tempted to say that Satan's Door is the only door in Hegel's Hotel that should be permanently padlocked. Or maybe there is some paradoxical shock value in taking a brief look inside.
Take a horrific look inside and you may see the eyes of tortured prisoners, beaten souls, poisoned souls, dead or dying souls, whipped slaves...
Take a look inside and you may see Nazi, Germany, World Wars 1 and 11, Lenin's Russia, Stalin's Russia, Mao tse Tung's China, The Spanish Inquisition, The French Reign of Terror, Christians being thrown to the lions, The Salem Witchunts, Genocide in Darfur, Pearl Harbour, Hiroshima, 9/11, the invasion of Iraq, soldier dying in Iraq, women and children dead or dying in Iraq, Israel at war with Lebanon, Israel at war with The Palestines, Vietnam, The Roman Catholics vs. The Protestants in Northern Ireland...you may see the Mexican Drug Cartel...you may see drugs and violence and gangs in every large city, and even some small American and Canadian cities...Take a look inside and you may find domestic assault in the home, beaten children in the home, spouses saying horrible things to each other, alienatated, angry, hateful husbands and wives entering a divorce court...families being evicted from their houses because of greedy bankers and mortgage lenders 'squeezing them out'...
Take a look if you must...
Hobbes has said it,
Schopenhauer has said it,
There would be no 'Hell on Earth',
Without 'Hell in Man',
The metaphor of 'Hell in the deepest, darkest,
Caldrons below the the Earth,
Is only a metaphor,
For 'Hell in the deepest, darkest caldrons,
Of the personality,
Right here on Earth,
Man engages in a roller coaster dialectic,
Between Heaven and Hell,
God (or Zeus) in Heaven,
Satan in Hell,
Dionysus playing both extremes towards the middle,
And back towards both extremes,
Apollo, the son of Zeus,
Trying to keep law and order,
Ethical and moral,
Restraint,
Evolution hasn't changed anything,
When it comes to man's,
Multi-dualistic-dialectic,
Makeup.
And in this regard,
Man has always entered,
Satan's Door,
Man keeps entering
Satan's Door,
In the name of righteousness,
In the name of God and religion,
In the name of race,
In the name of culture,
In the name of country,
In the name of freedom,
In the name of greed and narcissism,
In the name of sex and love,
Man keeps entering,
Satan's Door,
In Hegel's Hotel,
We will come back here from time to time,
For reality-based, and/or teaching purposes,
But for the most part,
I would like to keep the padlock locked,
On Satan's Door.
I have seen and experienced little pieces,
Myself,
And would prefer not to re-visit,
Satan's Door.
Having said this,
Like Jung I believe has said before me,
The unconscious is full of 'positive things',
As well as 'negative things',
Heaven as well as Hell,
Thousands of different archetype figures,
Good and bad,
Saintly and evil,
Altruistic and narcissistic,
Heroes and villains,
All play a part in the 'dialectic whole',
That is man,
Some in society -- the soldier, the policeman/woman, the prosecutor, the judge,
Have the duty of getting the people playing 'bad archetype figures' off the street,
Others -- like therapists -- have the duty of helping to heal the psychic wounds,
Of men and women,
In their points of pain, grief, panic, and/or rage,
Before these points balloon to all parts of the personality,
Poisoning downwards in the personality,
To the Self and Soul,
Or poisoning upwards in the personality,
To The Central Ego,
And out into Society,
To those we both love and/or hate.
Alternatively, a therapist can also help,
Free the Self,
And the Celebrate the Soul,
That's what Hegel's Hotel -- DGB Philosophy
Is much if not all about --
To free the Self,
And Celebrate the Soul.
To engage the Individual both in democratic harmony,
And democratic conflict,
Ideally, negotiated to integrative,
Democratic-dialectic unity,
With Society,
With Government,
With Work,
With Family,
With Friends,
With that Special Other...
But how often do things run totally smooth?
Maybe for short burts of time,
Til conflict quickly arises again,
And a new working resolution needs to be found.
Call this 'Dialectic Gap-Bridging Negotiations',
Always in progress, always in evolution,
Find your place of dialectic integration,
Respect your differences,
And/or split if you can't or won't,
Work out your differences.
In reaching my ideally dialectic-democratic,
And integrative style,
I have sought the aid of many, many philosophers,
And psychologists,
Before me.
Conflicts on paper,
Are easier to solve,
Than conflicts in person.
Everyone has their own righteous-narcissistic bias,
Myself included.
But still I strive,
To work through my individual biases,
When they do not add something meaningful,
And important to what I am writing.
I look for some form of dialectic-democratic,
Subjective-Objectivity.
A cross between Nietzsche and Ayn Rand.
DGB Philosophy strives to be a hybrid,
Between Nietzschean Subjectivity and Randian Objectivity
With Hegel -- or my DGB rendition of Hegel --
Refereeing in the middle,
And splitting the difference.
And when I can't find it,
This 'subjective-objective hybrid',
Or won't look for it,
When I am too caught up,
In the heat of the moment,
And I just have to,
Let my passions and rhetoric,
Fly,
Leaving the chips to fall,
Wherever they may,
Sometimes it may be weeks or months,
Or years,
Before I have the courage,
To go back to an essay,
To see what I wrote,
And ask,
'Oh my God, did I write that?'
Maybe by then,
I have the perspective,
To attempt to rescue or stabilize or moderate the essay,
To salvage it,
If I have flown too much off the handle,
And/or gone too far over the deep end,
Tomorrow I will be checking,
The essay above this one,
To see how far I went off the deep end.
In my emotional outburst,
I don't want to kill what is real for me,
Subjectively but importantly real for me,
I may just need to,
Put some Apollonian restraints,
On an outburst of Dionysian-Narcisstic Anger,
Or even righteous, one-sided rage,
Reduce the amount of 'personal subjective bias'.
This is my work,
This is the work of,
DGB Philosophy
And
Hegel's Hotel.
-- dgb, March 24th-25th, 2009.
