Between Dionysus and Apollo: The dialectic of spontaneity and reflection

This article examines the concept of spontaneity, as well as the interplay between spontaneity, reflection, and freedom. I demonstrate that both spontaneity and reflection are quite heterogeneous concepts and show that the relationship between spontaneity and freedom is much more complex and paradoxical than might seem at first glance. After pointing to the Romantic movement as the source of both the “cult of spontaneity” and the wary attitude towards reflection, I explore how these ideas were developed in modern psychology and psychotherapy by Frankl, Fromm, Maslow, and Winnicott. Finally, I argue that there exists a dialectic between spontaneity and reflection and propose to distinguish between prereflective and postreflective spontaneity, as well as between reflection and rumination.