Carl Jung

Carl Gustav Jung (July 26, 1875, Kesswil, Switzerland?June 6, 1961, Küsnacht) (IPA:{{IPA|}}) was a Swiss psychiatrist and founder of Analytical Psychology. His approach to human psychology emphasized understanding the psyche through exploring the world of dreams, art, mythology, world religion and philosophy. He was a strong believer in the importance of integration of opposites (e.g. masculine and feminine, thinking and feeling, science and spirituality). Though not the first to analyze dreams, his contributions to dream analysis were influential and extensive. Although he was a theoretical psychologist and practicing clinician for most of his life, many of his studies extend into other realms of the humanities: from comparative religion and philosophy, to criticism of art and literature. (Interestingly, Jungian ideas are seldom mentioned in college psychology courses while they are often explored in humanities courses.)

Influence

Jung has had an enduring influence on psychology as well as wider society. He has influenced psychotherapy (see Jungian psychotherapy).

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• The concept of introversion vs. extroversion
• The concept of the complex
• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator tests were inspired by Jung's Psychological Types theory. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator assesses people on extraversion and introversion, Jung's function types and also on judging-perceiving, a dimension not found in Jung's original taxonomy but germane to his distinction between rational and irrational functions.

Jung's influence can sometimes be found in more unexpected quarters. For example, Jung once treated an American patient suffering from chronic alcoholism. After working with the patient for some time, and achieving no significant progress, Jung told the man that his alcoholic condition was near to hopeless, save only the possibility of a spiritual experience. Jung noted that occasionally such experiences had been known to reform alcoholics where all else had failed.

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The patient took Jung's advice seriously and set about seeking a personal spiritual experience. He returned home to the United States and joined a Christian evangelical church. He also told other alcoholics what Jung had told him about the importance of a spiritual experience. One of the alcoholics he told was Ebby Thacher, a long-time friend and drinking buddy of Bill Wilson, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) Thacher told Wilson about Jung's ideas. Wilson, who was finding it hard to maintain sobriety, was impressed and sought out his own spiritual experience. The influence of Jung ultimately found its way in the 12-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous, drafted by Wilson, and from there into the whole 12-step recovery movement, which has touched the lives of millions of people.

Related Topics:
Christian - Evangelical - Ebby Thacher - Bill Wilson - Alcoholics Anonymous - 12-step program

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Influence on culture

• Jung had a 16-year long friendship with author Laurens van der Post from which a number of books and film were created about Jung's life.
• The concept of the collective unconscious is one of the main topics in the Dune novel series.
• Jung's influence on noted Canadian novelist Robertson Davies is apparent in many of Davies's fictional works. In particular, The Cornish Trilogy and his novel The Manticore each base their design on Jungian concepts.
• Much of Joseph Campbell's thought leading to the creation of Star Wars and, to a lesser extent, The Matrix trilogy
• The Progressive Metal band, Tool have incorporated Jung's work into their album, Ænima, in particular the song "Forty Six & 2". Additionally, The Police made references to Carl Jung in their album Synchronicity.
• J. Michael Straczynski's "Babylon 5" television series used many of Jung's concepts throughout the series.
• Alexander Vickers' television series ZERO.POINT revolves heavily around Jung's idea of a collective unconscious. (see ZERO.POINT homepage)
• The video games Xenogears and Xenosaga utilize many of the ideas proposed by Carl Jung as major storyline components of the game, and even create physical manifestations of his notions within actual characters, Albedo, Nigredo, Rubedo, etc.
• Jung's writing was introduced to Italian film maker Federico Fellini in the 1950s and had an effect on the way Fellini incorporated dreams into films after La Dolce Vita.
• Many events and places are named after Jung's concepts and ideas in the PSX game , though not necessarily correctly.
• Blue Man Group's "Rock Concert Movement #237" is "Taking the audience on a Jungian journey into the collective unconscious by using the shadow as a metaphor for the primal self that gets repressed by the modern persona and also by using an underground setting and labyrinth office design to represent both the depths of the psyche and the dungeon-like isolation of our increasingly mechanistic society which prevents people from finding satisfying work or meaningful connections with others."