Valuation, Innovation and Critical Personalism

Abstract

Some of the central parts of Stem's philosophy of values are discussed: (a) the transcendence of Cartesian dualism between self and other by his conception of I-world relationship; (b) the reconciliation of absolutism and relativism by the introduction of his concept of self-value (Selbstwert); and (c) the impact of social interaction on value formation by his distinction between centered values (of a particular person) and excentered values (of other persons). Stem's ideas about the creation of values are discussed and compared with Mead's view on innovation of the self and Bakhtin's vision on dialogue and creativity. The notion of innovation of values is also central to a discussion in contemporary psychology in which the concepts of relational schema (referring to stereotypical interactions) and the multivoiced dialogical self (referring to innovative interactions) are compared. Finally, the difference between functional and dysfunctional valuations is discussed from the perspective of Stem's concept of unitas multiplex.