Psychology and Culture of the Intellect:

Ignatius of Loyola (1491–1556) with his Spiritual Exercises developed a tool of practical psychology that aimed at engaging all powers of the human psyche for the sake of contemplation. This implies the postulate that a person can purposefully and in a controlled fashion direct the mind. The Jesuit encyclopaedist Antonio Possevino (1533–1611) developed this further into a pedagogy focused on the talents of the individual. This implies an understanding of human nature as individually open for perfection so that one is able to work for the greater glory of God in the real world.