Positive Disintegration

The theory of positive disintegration (TPD) is Kazimierz Dabrowski's theory of individual personality development. According to Dabrowski, personality is shaped and created by each individual. The process of this development is called positive disintegration. It describes how people transform themselves from conforming and self-serving to introspective and self-directed individuals. Growth and development occur as a person moves from a lower level of integration to a higher level of integration through a series of psychological disintegrations and reintegrations that change one's view of self and the world. Dabrowski placed emotions more than intelligence at the heart of personality development and believed some individuals, especially gifted and highly creative people, possess higher levels of developmental potential. Overexcitabilties, the heightened sensitivity of the nervous system resulting in above-average responsiveness to stimuli, and dynamisms, the autonomous inner forces that control behavior and development, are key elements of developmental potential. According to this theory, these elements predispose gifted and highly creative people to experience life at a more intense level, resulting in frequent and often severe crisis or disintegrations.

Educators and administrators in gifted education have embraced Dabrowski's theory as a way to provide insight into the intense experiences of gifted students. The theory is difficult to study, given the problems with objectively assessing levels, investigating claims of neuropsychological bases of behavior, and empirically establishing links between Dabrowski's levels of functioning and giftedness. It is, therefore, the compelling metaphor and the explanatory power of the theory for gifted people that seem to account for the theory's popularity among educators of the gifted. This entry discusses the theory of positive disintegration, the stages and levels of positive disintegration, and the implications for gifted and creative individuals.