Psychologische und pädagogische Dimensionen des Gewissens

Abstract

The author ponders over one of the main anthropological
issues concerning the process of man’s upbringing, namely the
possibilities of educating human conscience. Three psychological
concepts: Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis, Carl Gustav Jung’s
neopsychoanalysis and Philip Lersch’s personality psychology
formed the background to his pedagogical reflections. The presentation
of each scholar’s views ends with a conclusion formulated
on the basis of the question about the possibility to infer
the foundations (also axiological) for a particular pedagogy from
a given psychological conception.

The closest to the author and also, in his opinion, the most
fruitful for the process of upbringing is Philip Lersch’s concept
emphasizing the role of the experience of sense in the formation
of human conscience. In order to develop and deepen this direction
of deliberations, the author refers to Eric Erickson’s concept,
for which the key moment linking experiencing the world
and building this feeling of sense is prime confidence.
In the last part of the study the author, searching for a broader
axiological horizon conditioning the formation of conscience, refers
to a transcendent perspective, possible to express also in
religious values. For the upbringing process, however, conscience
has the fundamental meaning, not so much the „transmoral-
religious” as „moral-ethic conscience”, which „operates” only
when it is accompanied by a deep sense of obligation to particular
values, and also joy and pleasure resulting from fulfilling
them.