Have you already found your pathfinder? I have!
Have you ever heard about Lauri Rauhala and the holistic conception of human being? If not, now is the perfect time to learn about this fascinating individual—a philosopher and psychologist whose ideas continue to inspire.
I never had the chance to meet him in person or attend his lectures, so my understanding is based entirely on the books and articles he wrote. Additionally, the writings of Finnish PhD and Docent Jussi Backman have been invaluable in providing a deeper understanding—not only of Rauhala’s theories but also of the man behind the research. For me, the stories of the people behind groundbreaking ideas are often just as important as the results of their work.
I find myself deeply fascinated by Rauhala’s life. He started out as a primary school teacher, served in the Second World War, and developed an interest in psychology and philosophy during those tumultuous times. As a primary school teacher and a mother myself, I find it particularly touching that Rauhala was also a father, working hard to provide for his family while simultaneously crafting a theory I believe has the potential to change our world. Maybe not today, but certainly in the future.
Rauhala also practiced meditation and yoga, and one can’t help but think he must have carried a deep inner wisdom within himself, having reached the remarkable age of 101 years.
Next, I will provide a brief summary of Rauhala’s life’s work. The following works have served as key sources for this summary:
Backman, J. (2015). Situationaalinen säätöpiiri: Rauhalan filosofinen kädenjälki. Kokemuksen tutkimus. In V. Tökkari (Ed.), Kokemuksen tutkimus V: Lauri Rauhala 100 vuotta (pp. 73–102). Lapin yliopistokustannus. http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-310-969-8
Rauhala, L. (1976). Filosofinen orientoituminen psykosomatiikan ongelmaan. Helsinki: Helsingin yliopisto.
Rauhala, L. (2014). Ihmiskäsitys ihmistyössä. Gaudeamus.
Lauri Rauhala (1914-2016)
Lauri Rauhala was a Finnish philosopher and psychologist whose groundbreaking work reshaped how we understand human existence. Growing up in a rapidly changing 20th-century Finland, Rauhala developed a deep interest in human nature, which led him to study philosophy and psychology. His academic journey was marked by a search for meaning and a desire to comprehend the profound uniqueness of human life.
Rauhala believed that what sets humans apart is their capacity for self-awareness and their ability to shape their own existence through choices and actions. This conviction became the cornerstone of his holistic philosophy, which aims to capture the richness and complexity of human life beyond simplistic or reductionist models.
The Holistic Conception of Human Being
Lauri Rauhala’s holistic conception of human being examines humanity through three interwoven dimensions:
- Embodiment: The physical and biological aspect of a person, enabling interaction with the environment.
- Consciousness: The mental and experiential dimension, including thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Consciousness consists of two layers: the psychological and the spiritual. The psychological pertains to mental processes such as emotions and cognition, while the spiritual refers to deeper existential questions and values.
- Situationality: An individual’s unique life situation and context, which influence and shape their existence.
These three dimensions together form the totality of human existence, with each element dynamically influencing the others.
According to Rauhala, a person cannot be fully understood through any single dimension alone; it is essential to consider the interplay between all three. This holistic approach emphasizes the complexity and uniqueness of human beings, as well as the inseparability of their physical, mental, and situational aspects. Rauhala’s perspective challenges traditional reductionist views of humanity, offering a more profound understanding of human existence and experience.
The Philosophical Roots of Rauhala’s Focus on Situationality
Lauri Rauhala’s emphasis on situationality was deeply influenced by the philosophical ideas of Edmund Husserl (1859–1938) and Martin Heidegger (1889–1976). These two thinkers, central to phenomenology and existential philosophy, provided Rauhala with the conceptual tools to explore the dynamic relationship between individuals and their contexts.
Husserl’s phenomenology rejected both empiricism and Kantianism, focusing instead on how reality appears as inherently meaningful through the intentionality of consciousness. This perspective taught Rauhala that meaning is not imposed externally but emerges through the interaction between consciousness and the world.
Building on Husserl, Heidegger shifted attention to the situated and temporal nature of human existence. In Being and Time (1927), Heidegger described human beings (Dasein) as embedded in a historical and cultural context, experiencing meaning through a dynamic interplay of past, present, and future. This idea of temporal contextualization greatly inspired Rauhala’s understanding of situationality as an ever-changing and unique framework for human experience.
Hermeneutics, particularly through Heidegger and his student Hans-Georg Gadamer, further highlighted the interpretive and linguistic dimensions of human existence. From this, Rauhala adopted the idea that meaning is not static but emerges through an ongoing, contextual process of interpretation.
These philosophical roots enabled Rauhala to conceptualize his holistic framework, culminating in the regulative situational circuit, which describes the dynamic feedback loop between an individual and their unique situational context. This approach underscores how humans continuously shape and are shaped by their environment, existing in a state of constant co-creation.
The Regulative Situational Circuit
Building on his holistic framework, Rauhala introduced the concept of the regulative situational circuit. This idea captures the dynamic feedback loop between an individual and their situational context. According to this model:
- Individuals act based on their consciousness and embodiment, shaped by their unique situational context.
- These actions, in turn, modify the situational context, creating a continuous cycle of adaptation and regulation.
Rauhala illustrates how the regulation situational circuit can be divided into four sub-circuits: 1) situation-consciousness, 2) situation-body, 3) body-consciousness, and 4) the bidirectional interaction between the organic systems within the body. While the concept may seem complex at first, it becomes much clearer when considered in practice. This blog is, in many ways, built around this figure. I will elaborate on this later in this section as my articles and studies are published.
The regulative situational circuit highlights the active role individuals play in shaping their lives, while also acknowledging the constraints and influences of their environments. This interplay reflects Rauhala’s conviction that humans are neither entirely free agents nor entirely determined by external forces, but rather exist in a dynamic state of co-creation with their circumstances. According to Rauhala, both fate-determined and self-chosen components influence a person’s life. If an individual wishes to change anything within themselves, they must first become aware of these components and understand their possibilities for influencing them.
A Legacy of Understanding and Developing Human Uniqueness
Lauri Rauhala’s philosophy offers a profound appreciation of human uniqueness and the potential for personal growth. By emphasizing the integration of consciousness, embodiment, and situationality, and exploring the dynamic interactions captured in the regulative situational circuit, his work provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the complexities of human existence.
Rauhala’s ideas continue to inspire those seeking to grasp the profound interconnectedness of life, encouraging us to see humans not as fragmented entities but as holistic beings living within ever-changing contexts. As humans, we are like hourglasses in constant relation to the surrounding world. With each moment, we edge closer to the time when we will leave the body and step into the unknown. For as long as we journey here, what could be more important than learning to know oneself? With his theory, Rauhala has offered the keys to open the door to a world where you can finally step into the role of being the master or mistress of your own life.
Sparking a conversation
What thoughts did this writing evoke in you? Have you studied Rauhala’s theory in more depth, or would you like to explore it further? I’m happy to discuss the topic, including whether I’ve understood and translated his ideas accurately and clearly. I used AI to assist with the translation process, carefully reviewing all texts and replacing terms I knew should be translated differently. My goal is to spark discussions in English and help make Rauhala’s work better known to an international audience.
