The Origins and History of Consciousness (German: Ursprungsgeschichte des Bewusstseins) is a 1949 book by analytical psychologistErich Neumann, in which the author "[outlines] the archetypal stages in the development of consciousness". It was first published in English in 1954 in a translation by R. F. C. Hull. Carl Jung wrote the introduction, describing it as an extension of his own research into archetypes and individuation.
Neumann describes The Origins and History of Consciousness as an effort to "outline the archetypal stages in the development of consciousness," building on depth psychology, particularly Carl Jung’s analytical psychology. The book explores how human consciousness evolves through symbolic and psychological stages, tracing its development from a state of undifferentiated unconsciousness to ego-consciousness. Neumann analyzes mythological symbols such as Osiris and the Great Mother, the relationship between individual psychological development (ontogeny) and cultural evolution (phylogeny), and the role of archetypes and the collective unconscious in shaping human history.
A key concept introduced in the book is "centroversion," which Neumann describes as the psychological process of integrating unconscious and conscious elements into a stable ego-Self relationship. He also discusses the archetypal structures of masculinity and femininity, arguing that "Consciousness, as such, is masculine even in women, just as the unconscious is feminine in men." Regarding male homosexuality, Neumann states that it "almost always involves a matriarchal psychology where the Great Mother is unconsciously in the ascendant."[1]
The book includes a foreword by Carl Jung, who endorses Neumann’s work as a significant expansion of archetypal psychology by placing it within an evolutionary framework. Jung praises Neumann’s emphasis on matriarchal symbolism and the ouroboros as central motifs in the development of consciousness.[2]
Publication history
The Origins and History of Consciousness was first published in 1949 by Rascher Verlag. In 1954, it was published in R. F. C. Hull's English translation by Princeton University Press.[3]
Reception
The psychologist James Hillman critiqued Neumann’s structural model of consciousness, arguing that his "Apollonic" framework led him to assume a linear, hierarchical progression of psychological development. Hillman also took issue with Neumann’s claim that "consciousness as such is masculine even in women," seeing it as a product of Neumann’s rigid dualism between masculine and feminine elements of the psyche.[4]
The philosopher Walter Kaufmann dismissed The Origins and History of Consciousness as an example of what he saw as "tedious, pointless erudition" in archetypal psychology, accusing Neumann of being dogmatic and uncritical of alternative explanations. Kaufmann argued that Neumann relied on "a notion of evidence" similar to theological reasoning, comparing his use of mythology to the way theologians cite scripture.[5]
Literary critic Camille Paglia described the book as "Jungianism at its learned best" and identified it as her personal favorite among Neumann’s works. She credited Neumann with influencing her study of archetypes in art and literature in Sexual Personae (1990). However, she described his concept of "centroversion" as "idiosyncratic," suggesting that it diverged from conventional Jungian thought in its emphasis on integration rather than opposition.[6][7]
Jungian analyst Robert H. Hopcke called The Origins and History of Consciousness, along with The Great Mother (1955), "Neumann’s most enduring contribution to Jungian thought." He also noted that Neumann’s views on homosexuality were largely consistent with Jung’s and were not intended to present a new theory.[8]
Psychiatrist Anthony Stevens described the book as "a great but misguided work," critiquing Neumann’s assumptions about the biological evolution of consciousness. Stevens specifically objected to Neumann’s use of ontogeny recapitulating phylogeny, his claim that preliterate humans were "unconscious," and his suggestion that Western consciousness evolved under different selection pressures from other civilizations. He argued that these assumptions were biologically untenable.[9]
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