Psychology & Buddhism.pdf

Responsibility in Daseinsanalysis and Buddhism 141
There are also important differences. Boss’s main interest is in helping
people to understand and deal with current impairments to responsibility in the
therapeutic setting. The Buddha is more concerned with the question of why people
get themselves into problematic situations, rather than helping them resolve
specific dilemmas. As such, the Buddha does not promulgate an array of practices
that deal with particular pathologies or neuroses. In this respect, daseinsanalysis
can augment Buddhist psychology.
In this chapter I examine the stance that daseinsanalysis and Buddhism
adopt towards personal and social responsibility. The parallels and differences
between each approach are discussed when I look at their respective contributions.
And finally, I illustrate with the case of Therese how these two approaches
can be integrated. A comparison of these two disciplines will enable us to see the
relevance of the Buddha’s teachings to ordinary human concerns and how
Buddhism can enrich psychology, and also how much further Boss could have
taken daseinsanalysis if he had incorporated various important Buddhist ideas
and practices.
Responsibility: An Overview
Daseinsanalysis and Buddhist psychology emphasise responsibility as a
prerequisite for our mental health and well-being. It is true that the aim of most
psychotherapies is to help people gain insight into the problems that have
restricted their current functioning and to assist in them in taking the responsibility
to overcome these blockages. Despite the emphasis on responsibility as a
desired outcome of therapy, little is spoken as to what responsibility involves and
what it means to be responsible.
Responsibility is usually understood as “accountability, answerability, care,
charge, duty, obligation ...” (Mcleod, 1987, p. 852). Today we often hear calls for
us to take responsibility – to be accountable for our lives, to fulfill our obligations
and duties to our families and our countries, to care for the less fortunate, and for
the environment. In this sense, responsibility is conceived primarily in terms of
duties and obligations. Daseinsanalysis and Buddhism adopt a different approach.
To them, responsibility involves the individual taking the responsibility to cultivate
an attitude, that is a frame of mind, or a disposition which enables him or her
to see things as they really are, and to permit the phenomena that are encountered
to unfold naturally. According to daseinsanalysis, this sense of responsibility
makes it possible for people to live authentically. And to the Buddha, taking
responsibility is important in freeing the mind from remorse, that is to develop
a sense of inner peace. In this chapter, I focus on how daseinsanalysis and
Buddhism empower individuals to develop this sense of responsibility.