The Art of C. G. Jung

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Jungian therapy comes out of the work of Carl Gustav Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist active in the early 20th century. Jung was Sigmund Freud’s chosen protege, although the two later split over differing ideas on the subconscious. Along with Freud, Jung is one of the most famous people in the history of psychology. His ideas have influenced many of today’s therapy types, as well as the fields of art, film, music, and culture more generally. The concepts of “ introversion” and “ extroversion” come from Jung, as does the idea of having a “complex.” Carl Jung rejected the tabula rasa theory of human psychological development, which suggests that people are born as a "blank slate" and their experiences shape their thoughts, behaviors, and feelings. Instead, Jung believed that there are universal experiences that are inherent to the human experience, such as belonging, love, death, and fear. [1] These experiences, which he called the "collective unconscious," are expressed in what he called "archetypes." [1] Jung believed that these archetypes are influenced by evolutionary pressures and manifest in the behaviors and experiences of individuals. [2] He first introduced the concept of primordial images, which he later referred to as archetypes, to explain this idea.

Carl Jung’s personality theory focuses on the interplay between the conscious and unconscious mind, universal archetypes, the process of individuation, and psychological types. Jung's concept of archetypes was influenced by the theories of Immanuel Kant, Plato, and Arthur Schopenhauer. [5] Jung's idea of archetypes differs from Plato's concept of Ideas in that they are dynamic and constantly seeking expression in an individual's personality and behavior. He believed that these archetypes are activated and given form in the encounter with empirical experiences. [5] Jung (1933) outlined an important feature of the personal unconscious called complexes. A complex is a collection of thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and memories that focus on a single concept.Freud believed that the unconscious mind is a reservoir of repressed experiences and desires. He saw it as primarily personal and filled with content that was once conscious but has been forgotten or suppressed. Hauke, Christopher; Alister, Ian (2001). Jung and Film. Psychology Press. pp.1–13. ISBN 9781583911334. The mother represents the nurturing and protective aspect of the female figure. It is often associated with the qualities of love, compassion, and caring. The mother archetype can manifest itself in a variety of forms, such as a biological mother, a maternal figure in a person's life, or even a motherly aspect within one's own personality. Jung viewed dreams as a tool for the psyche to communicate with the conscious mind, offering solutions to problems and revealing parts of the self through the use of universal symbols. Religion and Spirituality

The collective unconscious is a universal version of the personal unconscious, holding mental patterns, or memory traces, which are shared with other members of the human species (Jung, 1928). Depending on your situation and the agreement you make with your therapist, you will meet for regularly scheduled sessions, one or more times a week. Jungian therapy has no time limit recommendations. Patients can spend years exploring and working on themselves. In later years, Jung revised and broadened the concept of archetype, conceiving them as psycho-physical patterns existing in the universe, given specific expression by human consciousness and culture. This was part of his attempt to link depth psychology to the larger scientific program of the twentieth century. [18]Rowland, Susan (1999). C.G. Jung and Literary Theory: The Challenge from Fiction. New York: St. Martin's Press. p.198. ISBN 978-0-312-22275-8. O'Brien, John A. (2017). "The Healing of Nations". Psychological Perspectives. 60 (2): 207–214. doi: 10.1080/00332925.2017.1314701. S2CID 149140098. Another archetype is the anima/animus. The “anima/animus” is the mirror image of our biological sex, that is, the unconscious feminine side in males and the masculine tendencies in women. Wilber, Ken (1998). The Essential Ken Wilber. Boston, MA: Shambhala Publications. p.147. ISBN 978-1-57062-379-0.

a b Jung, C.G. (1947/1954/1960), Collected Works vol. 8, The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche, pp. 187, 211–216 (¶384, 414–420). "Just as the 'psychic infra-red,' the biological instinctual psyche, gradually passes over into the physiology of the organism and thus merges with its chemical and physical conditions, so the 'psychic ultra-violet,' the archetype, describes a field which exhibits none of the peculiarities of the physiological and yet, in the last analysis, can no longer be regarded as psychic, although it manifests itself psychically." Jung proposed that human responses to archetypes are similar to instinctual responses in animals. One criticism of Jung is that there is no evidence that archetypes are biologically based or similar to animal instincts (Roesler, 2012).This energy is directed towards areas of conflict to facilitate growth, development, and adaptation, reducing internal tension and dissatisfaction. According to Jungian psychology, archetypes are innate potentials that are expressed in human behavior and experiences. They are hidden forms that are activated when they enter consciousness and are shaped by individual and cultural experiences. [3] The concept of archetypes is a key aspect of Jung's theory of the collective unconscious, which suggests that there are universal experiences that are inherent to the human experience. The existence of archetypes can be inferred from various cultural phenomena, such as stories, art, myths, religions, and dreams. [4] a b Fordham, Michael Explorations Into the Self (Library of Analytical Psychology) Karnac Books, 1985. Almaas, A. H. (2000-09-05). The Pearl Beyond Price: Integration of Personality into Being, an Object Relations Approach. Shambhala Publications. ISBN 978-0-8348-2499-7.

That was certainly Jung’s belief and in his book “The Undiscovered Self” he argued that many of the problems of modern life are caused by “man’s progressive alienation from his instinctual foundation.” One aspect of this is his views on the significance of the anima and the animus. Darowski, Emily; Darowski, Joseph (2016-06-01). "Carl Jung's Historic Place in Psychology and Continuing Influence in Narrative Studies and American Popular Culture". Swiss American Historical Society Review. 52 (2). ISSN 0883-4814. Psychologist Carl Jung considered the psychological roots of artistic creation in the modern world in a number of essays and lectures collected in the book, The Spirit in Man, Art and Literature. How did we progress from our primitive state, in which Jung perceived art, science and religion coalescing in “the undifferentiated chaos of the magical mentality” to the cultural and artistic climate familiar in the modern world? In what manner does art – and its symbolic content – reflect the seemingly tumultuous psychological nature of the artist? Can the art be used to decode the artist? The Creative Impulse When it comes to conflict and pleasure-seeking, Jung’s theory views these as parts of psychic self-regulation. The psyche uses the libido to balance out conflicts within the individual, striving towards a state of equilibrium. Schlinger, Henry D. Jr; Poling, Alan (2013). Introduction to Scientific Psychology. New York: Springer Science & Business Media. p.293. ISBN 978-1-4899-1895-6.

A brief look at some historical examples of artistic geniuses and it is tempting to believe that there is something approaching madness in the creative spirit. Faber, Michael A.; Mayer, John D. (1 June 2009). "Resonance to archetypes in media: There's some accounting for taste". Journal of Research in Personality. 43 (3): 307–322. doi: 10.1016/j.jrp.2008.11.003. Roesler, C. (2012). Are archetypes transmitted more by culture than biology? Questions arising from conceptualizations of the archetype. Journal of Analytical Psychology, 57(2), 223-246. Jacobi, Jolande (7 February 2017). "COMPLEX, ARCHETYPE, SYMBOL in the Psychology of C.G. Jung". appliedjung.com.