A journey from the rigid determinism of early psychiatry to the holistic, symbolic, and teleological understanding of the human experience.
Jung viewed the psyche as a self-regulating system seeking balance through the interaction of distinct components.
The Self is the totality of the psyche, encompassing both conscious and unconscious elements. It is the organizing principle and the "innermost nucleus" of the personality. Reaching the Self is the ultimate goal of human psychological development.
"The Self is not only the centre, but also the whole circumference which embraces both conscious and unconscious."
The Red Book
Following his split with Freud, Jung entered a period of "creative illness," fearing he was descending into psychosis. He meticulously recorded his visions in the Black Books and later the illuminated Red Book (Liber Novus).
Universal, primordial images common to all humanity, appearing in myths, dreams, and art.
The collective unconscious is a shared reservoir of inherited patterns of thought and behavior common to all humanity.
The taxonomy of consciousness: how we perceive and evaluate the world.
Energy directed toward the external world of objects and people.
Energy directed inward toward subjective psychological processes.
Rational: Logical laws and concepts to connect information.
Rational: Subjective values to evaluate worth.
Irrational: Perception through the sense organs.
Irrational: Perception via the unconscious / hunches.
Jung viewed alchemy as a symbolic projection of the individuation process—the transformation of the soul.
Psychological Transformation
Select a stage of the alchemical process to see its psychological parallel in the individuation journey.
An "acausal connecting principle." Meaningful coincidences where an internal state aligns with an external event. Jung hypothesized a "psychoid" level of reality where mind and matter meet.
Unlike Freud, Jung saw religion as a vital expression of the psyche striving for meaning. He argued the psyche is "naturally religious" and spiritual alienation is a primary cause of neurosis.