Personality structure and development

the key to Dilthey's conception of history and culture

pp. 132-162

in: , Wilhelm Dilthey, Berlin, Springer, 1980

Abstract

Although the central concern of this study is an examination of Dilthey's contribution to the study of history and culture, we have not yet taken the opportunity to investigate Dilthey's views about history's concrete course. Before turning to Dilthey's conception of concrete history, however, we must in this chapter review his psychology — his ideas on personality structure and personality development. For, as we have seen repeatedly, Dilthey used the experiential material of personal life for the understanding of collective historical life. Thus, an analysis of Dilthey's conception of personal history provides a key to understand his conception of human history at large. It will prepare us also to understand his explanation of human life's historicity and his views, respectively, of discrete historical developments and of overall historical development.