A reconciliation of the Freudian and humanistic/transpersonal views of human nature

This paper describes a model of human development which both allows for a resolution to the apparent conflict between the Freudian and humanistic/transpersonal views of human nature and suggests a way of fulfilling Freud's expressed desire to account for the sexual instinct in the same way that he accounts for the death instinct - as an expression of a tendency to restore an earlier state of things. It first describes the apparent conflict between the Freudian and humanistic/transpersonal views centering around the issue of whether human life involves a goal which goes beyond the satisfaction of basic biological needs. It next presents a model of human development derived from Hindu religious philosophy, the essential characteristics of which are that people have both a psychological and a spiritual aspect and that all life grew out of an initial unity. Finally it shows how this model can be used to accomplish the aforementioned aims.