Man as Entity within Relationships

Man in Relation to his fellow Men

According to the doctrine of idealistic individualism man is seen as sufficient unto himself. In contrast with this man inherently needs the companionship of other human beings to be fully man. This theme of man's innate involvement with and instinctive drive towards his fellow human beings is maintained throughout history.

The manner in which man exists is effected as an existence-with-others, both in his personal involvement with his peers and in his communal structures (family, school, state, nation, society). Without existential encounters with his fellow men he becomes insular and leads a truly dehumanized life.

The present therapeutic program will have to take note of this commonality of man as far as methods and the aimed-at goals are concerned.

Man in Relation to Nature

Man can only be human (within his relationship with his fellow men) if he can achieve it in the context of the world, i.e. nature. Man and nature is depicted as two realities which are closely
linked and involved with one another. Man has originated from nature and will return to it. He is part and parcel of the physical reality of nature.
Therefore man, like the rest of creation, must be researched to determine the precise manner in which he functions. Just as it is recognised that there are certain laws that regulate nature it must be acknowledged that for man also there are specific principles for the makeup of man's inner self.

Man's corporal aspect in particular is seen as that which makes him part of nature. Viewed from that angle he is merely another animal.

In psychology it is generally accepted that human behavior is governed by factors originating from a tangible as well as an intangible dimension. The corporal body represents the tangible portion while the intangible segment consists of the various functioning components and processes.
These two dimensions constitute an indivisible psychosomatic unit.

Any theory on counselling will have to take cognisance of the physical nature of man and the laws built into his physical dimension.
Having said that, it must be acknowledged that no exact parallel can be drawn between man and the rest of creation. True, man was created out of the elements of the earth.

At the same time he is more than the sum of those elements. The fact that man has been transformed into a living soul, raises him to a very high level above creation's other constituents.
This difference between man and his fellow creatures implies that research and conclusions which are based on man's ties to the animal world (as in behaviorism) cannot be accepted as valid.

When we consider man's humanity we have to view him as a labourer. There can be no true understanding of mankind that does not take the aspect of his labour into account. Man's labour betokens his nobility. In labour the essence of his humanity is achieved or lost.

Man's approach to and handling of his task as laborer is hereby drawn foursquare into the field of Functional Intelligence. While the client is awake, most of his or her hours are after all occupied by some or other daily job.