Self in Jungian psychology

Last updated
The central dot represents the Ego whereas the Self can be said to consist of the whole with the centred dot. Sun symbol.svg
The central dot represents the Ego whereas the Self can be said to consist of the whole with the centred dot.

The Self in Jungian psychology is a dynamic concept which has undergone numerous modifications since it was first conceptualised as one of the Jungian archetypes . [1]

Contents

Historically, the Self, according to Carl Jung, signifies the unification of consciousness and unconsciousness in a person, and representing the psyche as a whole. [2] It is realized as the product of individuation, which in his view is the process of integrating various aspects of one's personality. For Jung, the Self is an encompassing whole which acts as a container. It could be symbolized by a circle, a square, or a mandala. [3] [4]

Two center hypothesis

The idea that there are two centers of the personality distinguished Jungian psychology at one time. The ego has been seen as the center of consciousness, whereas the Self is defined as the center of the total personality, which includes consciousness, the unconscious, and the ego; the Self is both the whole and the center. While the ego is a self-contained center of the circle contained within the whole, the Self can be understood as the greater circle. [4] [5]

Emergence of the Self

Jung considered that from birth every individual has an original sense of wholeness—of the Self—but that with development a separate ego-consciousness crystallizes out of the original feeling of unity. [6] This process of ego-differentiation provides the task of the first half of one's life-course, though Jungians also saw psychic health as depending on a periodic return to the sense of Self, something facilitated by the use of myths, initiation ceremonies, and rites of passage. [6]

Return to the Self: individuation

Once ego-differentiation had been more or less successfully achieved and the individual is somewhat anchored in the external world, Jung considered that a new task then arose for the second half of life - a return to, and conscious rediscovery of, the Self: individuation. Marie-Louise von Franz states that "The actual processes of individuation - the conscious coming-to-terms with one's own inner center (psychic nucleus) or Self - generally begins with a wounding of the personality". [7] The ego reaches an impasse of one sort or another; and has to turn for help to what she termed "a sort of hidden regulating or directing tendency...[an] organizing center" in the personality: "Jung called this center the 'Self' and described it as the totality of the whole psyche, in order to distinguish it from the 'ego', which constitutes only a small part of the psyche". [8]

Under the Self's guidance, a succession of archetypal images emerges, gradually bringing their fragmentary aspects of the Self increasingly closer to its totality. [9] The first to appear, and the closest to the ego, would be the shadow or personal unconscious - something which is at the same time the first representation of the total personality, and which may indeed be at times conflated with the Self. [10] [11] Next to appear would be the Anima and Animus, the soul-image, which may be taken as symbolising the whole Self. [12] Ideally however, the animus or anima comes into play in a mediating role between the ego and the Self. [13] The third main archetype to emerge is the Mana figure of the wise old man/woman [14] - a representative of the collective unconscious akin to the Self. [15]

Thereafter comes the archetype of the Self itself - the last point on the route to self-realization of individuation. [16] In Jung's words, "the Self...embraces ego-consciousness, shadow, anima, and collective unconscious in indeterminable extension. As a totality, the self is a coincidentia oppositorum; it is therefore bright and dark and yet neither". [17] Alternatively, he stated that "the Self is the total, timeless man...who stands for the mutual integration of conscious and unconscious". [18] Jung recognized many dream images as representing the self, including a stone, the world tree, an elephant, and the Christ. [19]

Perils of the Self

Von Franz considered that "the dark side of the Self is the most dangerous thing of all, precisely because the Self is the greatest power in the psyche. It can cause people to 'spin' megalomanic or fall into other delusionary fantasies that catch them up", so that the subject "thinks with mounting excitement" that he has grasped the great cosmic riddles. He therefore risks losing all touch with human reality. [20]

In everyday life, aspects of the Self may be projected onto outside figures or concepts such as the state, God, the universe or fate. [21] [22] When such projections are withdrawn, there can be a destructive inflation of the personality - one potential counterbalance to this being however the social or collective aspects of the Self. [23]

Evolution of the Jungian concept of Self

Young-Eisendrath and Hall write that 'in Jung's work, self can refer to the notion of inherent subjective individuality, the idea of an abstract center or central ordering principle, and the account of a process developing over time'. [24]

In 1947 Michael Fordham proposed a distinct theory of the primary self to describe the state of the psyche of neonates, characterised by homeostasis, or 'steady state' in his words, where self and other (usually the mother) are undifferentiated. It predicates that there is no distinction between the internal and external world, and there are as yet no different components in the internal world. Fordham derived his hypothesis partly from the Jungian concept of the archetype of the self, and the psychoanalytic idea of internal 'objects'. The primary self, taken as the original totality of each person, with its 'archetypal' tendencies to develop aspects, such as language, complexes etc., enters into relation with the external world through a continuous dual process of de-integration and re-integration, a process said to be characteristic of the first half of life. [25] [26]

Redfearn, for instance, who has also synthesised the classical archetypal theory with a developmental view based on years of clinical observation, sees the self as probably consisting of a range of subpersonalities over a lifetime. [27] [1]

According to Peter Fonagy the connections between "post-Freudians" and "post-Jungians" have been further strengthened after the advent of contemporary neuroscience in this connection, as outlined in his foreword to Jean Knox's update on the "formation of internal working models", which he describes as a milestone. [28] [29]

Objection

Fritz Perls objected that 'many psychologists like to write the self with a capital S, as if the self would be something precious, something extraordinarily valuable. They go at the discovery of the self like a treasure-digging. The self means nothing but this thing as it is defined by otherness'. [30]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Jung</span> Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist (1875–1961)

Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist, psychotherapist, psychologist and pioneering evolutionary theorist who founded the school of analytical psychology. He was a prolific author, illustrator, and correspondent, and a complex and controversial character, perhaps best known through his "autobiography" Memories, Dreams, Reflections.

Collective unconscious refers to the unconscious mind and shared mental concepts. It is generally associated with idealism and was coined by Carl Jung. According to Jung, the human collective unconscious is populated by instincts, as well as by archetypes: ancient primal symbols such as The Great Mother, the Wise Old Man, the Shadow, the Tower, Water, and the Tree of Life. Jung considered the collective unconscious to underpin and surround the unconscious mind, distinguishing it from the personal unconscious of Freudian psychoanalysis. He believed that the concept of the collective unconscious helps to explain why similar themes occur in mythologies around the world. He argued that the collective unconscious had a profound influence on the lives of individuals, who lived out its symbols and clothed them in meaning through their experiences. The psychotherapeutic practice of analytical psychology revolves around examining the patient's relationship to the collective unconscious.

The principle of individuation, or principium individuationis, describes the manner in which a thing is identified as distinct from other things.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Analytical psychology</span> Jungian theories

Analytical psychology is a term coined by Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist, to describe research into his new "empirical science" of the psyche. It was designed to distinguish it from Freud's psychoanalytic theories as their seven-year collaboration on psychoanalysis was drawing to an end between 1912 and 1913. The evolution of his science is contained in his monumental opus, the Collected Works, written over sixty years of his lifetime.

In analytical psychology, the shadow is an unconscious aspect of the personality that does not correspond with the ego ideal, leading the ego to resist and project the shadow, creating conflict with it. The shadow may be personified as archetypes which relate to the collective unconscious, such as the trickster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marie-Louise von Franz</span> Swiss psychologist and scholar (1915-1998)

Marie-Louise von Franz was a Swiss Jungian psychologist and scholar, known for her psychological interpretations of fairy tales and of alchemical manuscripts.

A complex is a structure in the unconscious that is objectified as an underlying theme—like a power or a status—by grouping clusters of emotions, memories, perceptions and wishes in response to a threat to the stability of the self. In psychoanalysis, it is antithetical to drives.

The anima and animus are a syzygy of dualistic, Jungian archetypes among the array of other animistic parts within the Self in Jungian psychology, described in analytical psychology and archetypal psychology, under the umbrella of transpersonal psychology. The Jungian parts of the Self are a priori part of the infinite set of archetypes within the collective unconscious. Modern Jungian clinical theory under the analytical/archetypal-psych framework considers a syzygy-without-its-partner to be like yin without yang: countertransference reveals that logos and/or eros are in need of repair through a psychopomp, mediating the identified patient's Self; this theoretical model is similar to positive psychology's understanding of a well-tuned personality through something like a Goldilocks principle.

John Beebe is an American psychiatrist and Jungian analyst in practice in San Francisco.

In psychology, the psyche is the totality of the human mind, conscious and unconscious. The English word soul is sometimes used synonymously, especially in older texts.

The Jungian interpretation of religion, pioneered by Carl Jung and advanced by his followers, is an attempt to interpret religion in the light of Jungian psychology. Unlike Sigmund Freud and his followers, Jungians tend to treat religious beliefs and behaviors in a positive light, while offering psychological referents to traditional religious terms such as "soul", "evil", "transcendence", "the sacred", and "God". Because beliefs do not have to be facts in order for people to hold them, the Jungian interpretation of religion has been, and continues to be, of interest to psychologists and theists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rubedo</span> Final stage in the alchemical process

Rubedo is a Latin word meaning "redness" that was adopted by alchemists to define the fourth and final major stage in their magnum opus. Both gold and the philosopher's stone were associated with the color red, as rubedo signaled alchemical success, and the end of the great work. Rubedo is also known by the Greek word iosis.

<i>Two Essays on Analytical Psychology</i>

Two Essays on Analytical Psychology is volume 7 of The Collected Works of C. G. Jung, presenting the core of Carl Jung's views about psychology. Known as one of the best introductions to Jung's work, the volumes includes the essays "The Relations between the Ego and the Unconscious" and "On the Psychology of the Unconscious" (1943).

Jungian archetypes are a concept from psychology that refers to a universal, inherited idea, pattern of thought, or image that is present in the collective unconscious of all human beings. The psychic counterpart of instinct, archetypes are thought to be the basis of many of the common themes and symbols that appear in stories, myths, and dreams across different cultures and societies. Some examples of archetypes include those of the mother, the child, the trickster, and the flood, among others. The concept of the collective unconscious was first proposed by Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst.

Michael Scott Montague Fordham was an English child psychiatrist and Jungian analyst. He was a co-editor of the English translation of C.G. Jung's Collected Works. His clinical and theoretical collaboration with psychoanalysts of the object relations school led him to make significant theoretical contributions to what has become known as 'The London School' of analytical psychology in marked contrast to the approach of the C. G. Jung Institute, Zürich. His pioneering research into infancy and childhood led to a new understanding of the self and its relations with the ego. Part of Fordham's legacy is to have shown that the self in its unifying characteristics can transcend the apparently opposing forces that congregate in it and that while engaged in the struggle, it can be exceedingly disruptive both destructively and creatively.

Archetypal pedagogy is a theory of education developed by Clifford Mayes that aims at enhancing psycho-spiritual growth in both the teacher and student. The idea of archetypal pedagogy stems from the Jungian tradition and is directly related to analytical psychology.

Jolande Jacobi was a Swiss psychologist, best remembered for her work with Carl Jung, and for her writings on Jungian psychology.

In Jungian psychology, the Wise Old Woman and the Wise Old Man are archetypes of the collective unconscious.

The persona, for Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, is the social face the individual presented to the world—"a kind of mask, designed on the one hand to make a definite impression upon others, and on the other to conceal the true nature of the individual."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dreams in analytical psychology</span>

Dream psychology is a scientific research field in psychology. In analytical psychology, as in psychoanalysis generally, dreams are "the royal road" to understanding unconscious content.

References

  1. 1 2 Redfearn, J.W.T. (1985). My Self, My Many Selves. Academic Press. p. 25. ISBN   0-12-584555-3.
  2. ↑ Josepf L. Henderson, "Ancient Myths and Modern Man" in C. G. Jung ed., Man and his Symbols (London 1978) p. 120
  3. ↑ Research in the social scientific study of religion. Village, Andrew, Hood, Ralph W., Jr. Leiden: BRILL. 2017. p. 74. ISBN   9789004348936. OCLC   994146016.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. 1 2 Lawson, Thomas T. (2008). Carl Jung, Darwin of the mind. London: Karnac. p. 161. ISBN   9781849406420. OCLC   727944810.
  5. ↑ Zweig, Connie (1991). Meeting the Shadow . Los Angeles: J.P. Tarcher. ISBN   0-87477-618-X. p. 24.
  6. 1 2 Henderson, "Myths" p. 120
  7. ↑ M-L von Franz, "The Process of Individuation" in Jung ed., Symbols p. 169
  8. ↑ von Franz, "Process" p. 161-2
  9. ↑ Jolande Jacobi, The Psychology of C. G. Jung (London 1968) p. 40
  10. ↑ Barbara Hannah, Striving towards Wholeness (Boston 1988) p. 25
  11. ↑ von Franz "Process" p. 182-3
  12. ↑ C. G. Jung, Alchemical Studies (London 1978) p. 268
  13. ↑ von Franz "Process" p. 193 and p. 195
  14. ↑ J. Jacobi, The Psychology of C. G. Jung (London 1946) p. 115
  15. ↑ C. G. Jung, The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious (London 1996) p. 183 and p. 187
  16. ↑ Jacobi (1946) p. 118
  17. ↑ C. G. Jung, Mysterium Coniunctionis (London 1963) p. 108n
  18. ↑ C. G .Jung, "Psychology of the Transference", Collected Works Vol. 16 (London 1954) p. 311
  19. ↑ On this last, see "Christ, a Symbol of the Self" in Collected Works Vol. 9ii, p. 36ff. He explicitly says, "Christ exemplifies the archetype of the self." [italics his]
  20. ↑ von Franz, Process, p.234.
  21. ↑ Anthony Stevens, On Jung (London 1990) p. 41
  22. ↑ Stein, Leslie (2016-05-17). "Becoming Whole: Jung's Equation for Realizing God". Psych Central. Retrieved 2019-04-29.
  23. ↑ von Franz, Process, p. 238.
  24. ↑ Kouri, Scott (2010-07-30). "Claiming the Self". International Journal of Child, Youth and Family Studies. 1 (3/4): 234. doi: 10.18357/ijcyfs13/420102085 . ISSN   1920-7298.
  25. ↑ Fordham, Michael (1947). "Integration, disintegration and early ego development". Nervous Child, 6 (3). 6 (3): 266–77. PMID   20254527.
  26. ↑ Fordham, Michael (1976). The Self and Autism. The Society of Analytical Psychology. p. 16. ISBN   0-433-30882-6.
  27. ↑ J.W.T. Redfearn (1977). "The Self and Individuation". Journal of Analytical Psychology. 22 (2): 125–141. doi:10.1111/j.1465-5922.1977.00125.x. PMID   873855.
  28. ↑ Knox, Jean (2004). Archetype, Attachment, Analysis . Hove and New York: Routledge. pp.  40–69. ISBN   1-58391-129-4.
  29. ↑ Knox, Jean (2010). Self-Agency in Psychotherapy: Attachment, Autonomy, and Intimacy. New York: W.W. Norton.
  30. ↑ Fritz Perls, Gestalt Therapy Verbatim (Bantam) p. 8
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.