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.)

The collective unconscious

Jung's concept of the collective unconscious has often been misunderstood. In order to understand this concept, it is essential to understand his idea of the archetype, something foreign to the highly rational, scientifically-oriented Western mind. Here is a useful analogy: the collective unconscious is the DNA of the human psyche. Just as all humans share a common physical heritage and predisposition towards specific physical forms (like having two legs, a heart, etc.) so do all humans have a common psychological predisposition. Our physical predispostions are determined by our DNA, while our psychological predispositions are stored in the collective unconscious. Like the human genome project that took on the tremedous labor of analyzing the information stored in the human DNA, Jung took on the task of exploring and attempting to discern the mysteries stored in the collective unconscious.

Related Topics:
Collective unconscious - Archetype - DNA - Human genome project

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However, unlike the simple, quantifiable information that composes DNA (in the form of coded sequences of nucleotides), the collective unconscious is composed of archetypes. In sharp contrast to the objective material world, the world of the archetypes can not be adequately understood through quantitative modes of research. Instead it can only begin to be revealed through an examination of the symbolic communications of the human psyche--in art, dreams, religion, myth, and the themes of human relational/behavioral patterns. Devoting his life to the task of exploring and understanding the collective unconscious, Jung discovered that certain symbolic themes existed across all cultures, all epochs, and in every individual. Together these symbolic themes comprise "the archetypes of the collective unconscious."

Related Topics:
Dreams - Religion - Myth

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