The balance of self-feelings

Whoever finds anything, even a small fraction of the whole of reality, [...] comprehensible, thereby recognises that the enigmatic reality exists as a structure of order, i.e. as harmony. This knowledge of order and harmony is the knowledge of meaning. (Max Lüscher)

The longing for harmony is a longing for unity and wholeness. In contrast, our ideas about this unity, the needs, interests and desires regarding a harmonious coexistence and a harmonious shaping of a common world usually drift far apart. Even if interpersonal dialogue succeeds in communicating the different perspectives, the question of inner experience, i.e., whether we ourselves, individually, experience a harmonious world, often remains untouched. The question “How do we experience the world?” is closely related to the question “How can we experience the world? What possibilities do we have and what are the prerequisites and conditions?”. Max Lüscher takes up the question of the conditions of the possibility of experiencing and finds the solution in the unity of self-feelings.

The self-feelings and self-regulation of the psyche

Based on the anthropological fundamental relations, four possibilities of the self-world relationship emerge. These four fundamental basic relations are four inner states or inner attitudes in the realm of the psychic. These attitudes are experienced more or less consciously as feelings of self. The self-feelings regulate as parameters all mental processes on all levels: the physical, the psychological, the mental as well as the communicative-interactive level. Health is thus based on the functional equal weight of self-feelings: inner satisfaction, self-esteem, self-confidence and inner freedom.

 The harmonious interaction of these self-feelings means that normally the psyche, as a self-regulating system, enables people to adapt optimally to the demands of their fellow humans and their environment. If one of these self-feelings is undervalued or overvalued, e.g., self-esteem, the self-regulating system of the psyche becomes dysfunctional. Since the law of balance of the self-feelings nevertheless continues to be valid, the psyche regulates the dynamics of the inner-psychic forces by establishing a balance. However, this compensation — due to its systemic nature — also affects the other self-feelings.

To stay in the image: The overvaluation of self-esteem shows itself as an egocentric claim to validity and respect, which has its cause in the lack of one's own self-esteem. This inner deficiency is made up for by self-affirmation from outside. But relying on others to affirm you leads to a certain degree of loss of inner freedom. It also makes you less satisfied and weakens your self-confidence.

This is only a small glimpse into the self-regulation system and its dynamics. Lüscher diagnostics can help identify the specific disorder through the Lüscher color test. At the same time, it shows the cause of the disorder and the possibility of therapy.

Literatur: Max Lüscher (2009), Das Harmoniegesetz in uns. Berlin, Ullstein; 

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