Z dziennika psychologa by Julian Ochorowicz as a personal document

Abstract

The article presents an interpretation of the work entitled Z dziennika psychologa. Wrażenia, uwagi i spostrzeżenia w ciągu dziesięciu lat spisane by Julian Ochorowicz. First, the general form of the diary was discussed, along with its contents and characteristic features. Next, the proposed approach to the text were formulated – it should be read against the author’s intention, not as a scientific work on psychology, but as a personal statement. In the course of further reading, attention was drawn to Ochorowicz as an editor of his own diary – especially to the footnotes and comments added before the publication. Later on, strategies used by the diarist to convince the readers of the scientific nature of his work were presented, which paradoxically emphasize its literariness. The last fragment of the article focuses on the existential experience of writing a diary as a pursuit to preserve the memory of one’s life.