ABSTRACT
The theory of personality proposed by Andras Angyal is rarely found in textbooks for theories of personality. Angyal’s first principle was that the personality is an organized whole and not a mere aggregate of discrete parts. Angyal used the term whole for the concrete organized object and the term system for the organization of the whole. From 1945 until his death in 1960, Angyal was engaged in private practice in Boston, mostly working with neurotic patients. He outlined the problems and issues of a holistic perspective, and he proposed solutions to the problems. In a holistic approach, the individual and environment are not really separate. They can be seen as different perspectives within the biosphere. Angyal called the impact of the environment upon heteronomous forces. The notion that personality is a time gestalt nicely summarizes Angyal’s ideas. Angyal tried to maintain a holistic perspective when he considered disturbed behavior.
