Buddhism

and
Personality

What does Buddhism have to

do with Psychology?
Many shared interests:

Consciousness
Perception
Subjectivity (the Self)
Social Relatedness
Emotions
Reality vs. Delusion
Suffering and Ending Suffering

What does Buddhism have to do

with Psychology? (cont.)
Many psychologists have been
influenced by Bhuddism

William James
Karen Horney
Erich Fromm
Carl Jung
Marsha Linehan
Daniel Goleman
And on and on

What is it and where

did it come from?
Some essential assumptions:
The self is empty, thus the concept of
a stable personality is illusory
Each being is a process (does this sound
familiar)
The natural flow of the developmental
process is toward compassion and
acceptance
The illusion of a separate self and the
belief in the permanence of things are
the roots of suffering
Certain practices provide a remedy for

What is it and where

did it come from?
cont.
Siddhartha Gautama (India ~563 BC)

Born a prince
Kept isolated from the R.O.W.
Married at 16, had a child
Left the house at 29
Discovered that life includes suffering, sickness,
death
Sought spiritual instruction
Engaged in various spiritual practices
Settled on the Middle Way
Sat under the Bodhi Tree and got Enlightenment

What the Buddha

Discovered (and taught)
Four Noble Truths

Eightfold Path

The Four Noble

Truths
There is suffering (duhkha)
Based in delusion ignorance of the
dharma (the true nature of reality)
Most of us seek to avoid or eliminate
suffering by denying it (e.g. Just World
Hypothesis)
Buddhism encourages integration and
acceptance of suffering as part of reality

The Four Noble

Truths (cont.)
Suffering has a cause
Craving/Attachment
Samsara (Wheel of suffering) and
desire for
Sensory pleasure (kama tanha)
Becoming or continuing to exist (bhava
tanha)
Annihilation (vibhava tanha)
An analogy: Libido, Eros & Thanatos
(Freud)

The Four Noble

Truths (cont.)
Suffering can cease
Non-attachment through practice
Meditation allows us to recognize and
surrender our attachments (including our
sense of self)
Meditation brings about an understanding
of the true nature of the self
Understanding banishes ignorance, and
thus, suffering
This process also fosters the emergence of
ethics and morality based in native
wisdom

The Four Noble

Truths (cont.)

There is a path to end suffering

Eightfold Path

The Eightfold Path

(wisdom)

Often referred to as the Middle Way

One note: this cannot be given to another
through teaching Finger pointed at moon is not
moon

Right View
Accurate perception, undistorted by prejudice or
prior notions such as negative self-concept or
assumptions about others

Right Intention
Based on acceptance of what is, rather than
wishes for something better or belief that things
are worse than they really are

The Eightfold Path

(morality)

Right Speech
True, direct assertions. Respectful
statements.

Right Action
Living simply and behaving respectfully
toward others (with Right Intention)

Right Livelihood
Work that is meaningful and consistent
with ethical and spiritual principles

The Eightfold Path

(concentration)

Right Effort
Discipline without severity, leaving room
for playfulness and rejuvenation

Right Mindfulness
Maintaining awareness of the big
picture rather than simply on
momentary perception

Right Concentration
Full involvement in the moment, nondualistically, not seeing self, other, world
as separate entities

How does this relate

to Personality?
The concept of the self, or ego
Self-esteem vs. Self-compassion
Analogy: Congruence (Carl Rogers)

Anatta (no-self) stems from

recognition of impermanence (there is
no enduring self)
Nirvana

Death and Anxiety

Related to the illusion of an individual
self

Closely tied to Existentialism

Three Jewels
Buddha

Dharma

Sangha

Behavior: roots and

consequences
Behavior stems from thoughts and
intentions. Right thought and right
intention lead to right action.
Karma intentional action and its
consequences
Dependent Origination interrelated
situational factors that determine a
condition
(Indras Net)

Mind/Body
Psychesoma mental and physical are
not separate, but are interconnected
and mutually influence each other
This lends itself to spiritual practices:
Zazen & Koans
Yoga (Bhakti, Hatha, etc.)

Therapy and
Behavior Change
Dae Gak
DBT
David Loy
Morita Therapy