Professor dr. Anton Trstenjak (1906 – 1996) had a versatile personality; he was a priest and theologian, philosopher, anthropologist and – as a scientist and a practitioner – a psychologist. He was intensively devoted to each of these fields. A recognized scientist, who upgraded his knowledge in advanced studies at institutions in Paris and Milan, embedded his love for science and scientific research not only in scientific monographs and in scientific and professional discussions, but also in popular books, comprehensive for a common man, especially a man in distress, of whom he was fond with all love and care. A rich and diverse opus of this Slovenian thinker is extensively presented in the proceedings, articles and publications of various experts, such as theologians, philosophers, psychologists, anthropologists, sociologists and pastoralists. Therefore, in this article we will focus primarily on certain fields of his activity. The aim of this article is to present some less known aspects of Trstenjak’s life and to point out the importance of his anthropology and his therapeutic work at the time when modern man in distress is facing different therapeutic practices. In the first part of the discussion we will outline his life path so that we can better understand his creative personality. In the second part, we will focus on two fields of his work, namely on his philosophical and anthropological activities, and in the third part as the original contribution we will present the hypothesis on psycho-cybernetics or self-activity as a fundamental move at his counselling and therapeutic work. We point to the fact that in Trstenjak’s concept of a person as a dynamic whole in the process of developing his own personality and also in the process of his healing, the individual engagement is the key importance. In the discussed areas of Trstenjak's creative work, we want to manifest that the focus of all his efforts, scientific research, pedagogical and advisory activities was on a human, the understanding of a human and on his search for happiness.
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