Hello there! And welcome to freebuddhistaudio

To get the best out of this website, please read on...

Your Language

We have set your language based on your browser language settings or location. To change language use the flag above.

Finding Talks

From any small talks panel you can use the (see all) or (more) link to see a large panel with all talks in this category.

Most large panels allow filtering. For example you can view talks just in your language by using the small flag icon.

Javascript Info

We'd like you to have the best possible experience of our new site, and we noticed you're using a browser that has a feature called Javascript turned off.

We've designed things so Free Buddhist Audio will continue to work for you anyway, but the site will look and work much better if you turn Javascript on. It's very easy! See how to enable JavaScript in your browser for more information.

Your Browser

We'd like you to have the best possible experience of our new site, and we notice you're using an older browser that isn't compatible with some of the latest developments on the internet.

We've designed things so Free Buddhist Audio will continue to work for you, but we invite you to a better experience of the web now and in future if you have a few minutes to upgrade...

Install (or update from an older version) a future-friendly browser:

(See All)

other talks in this theme

Audio | view transcript

The Question of Psychological Types

by Sangharakshita

Knowing yourself is an important step in self-development. This lecture introduces a number of Western and Eastern classifications of psychological types and discusses their implications in the choice of techniques of self-development.

Talk given in 1970.

This talk is part of the series Aspects of the Higher Evolution of the Individual.

Tracks (click play to listen)

Play All

	1.	People falling into 'types' (8:46)
	2.	Some Western classifications - the Four Humours: i. blood ii. phlegm iii. yellow bile iv. black bile (6:30)
	3.	Freudian theory of sexual development (4:32)
	4.	Karen Horney's theory of neurosis; Wilhelm Reich's theory of 'Armouring' (6:21)
	5.	Jungian theory - 'introvert' and 'extrovert' and the four psychic functions: i. thinking ii. sensation iii. feeling iv. intuition (12:39)
	6.	Erich Fromm - 'assimilation' and 'socialisation'; five orientations: i. perceptive ii. exploitative iii. hoarding iv. marketing v. productive (14:39)
	7.	Eastern theories of psychological types: Sankya philosophy in the Bhagavad Gita; the three gunas ('qualities'): i. sattva ii. rajas iii. tamas; links with the caste system (5:48)
	8.	Buddhagosha's 'Visudhimagga' ('Path of Purification') - a Buddhist theory of psychological types; three types: i. lobhacharita ('greed type') ii. dosacharita ('hate type') iii. mohacharita ('deluded type') (7:42)
	9.	Buddhagosha's correlation of types with specific meditative practices (5:43)
	10.	Theories of psychological types differentiated (4:54)
	11.	Four questions: i. Is there a religious type? ii. Is there a meditating type? iii. Do the two sexes represent-different psychological types? iv. Is it better to be an all-rounder or a specialist?-The need for balanced effort (11:55)