Kazimierz Dabrowski

Kazimierz Dabrowski (1902 to 1980) was a Polish psychologist, psychiatrist and physician, born in Klarow and died in Warsaw. He is best known for the theory of positive disintegration, which holds that personality growth often comes through difficult experiences: a person gives up earlier sensitivities and attitudes, and when the process goes in a positive direction the result is a greater personal capacity. He set out the theory in books including Positive Disintegration (1964), Personality-Shaping through Positive Disintegration (1967) and Mental Growth through Positive Disintegration (1970). He also drew attention to a link between giftedness and overexcitability in children, an idea that later shaped how educators think about gifted learners. He founded a rehabilitation center at Zagorze near Warsaw and published poetry under the pen name Paul Cienin.