📚 Finished listening to Jung - A Very Short Introduction by Anthony Stevens.
This is exactly what the title sounds like. It covers the key concepts formulated and developed by the influential Swiss psychotherapist Carl Jung.
You may have heard of several of these. The list includes:
- synchronicity
- archetypes
- the collective unconscious
- the shadow
- the persona
- psychological types
- dream interpretation
- anima & animus
- plus our inner goal - the individuation of the Self.
I was particularly intrigued by the concept of archetypes. Jung believed that we all inherit knowledge and experiences from our forebears - the collective unconscious. These ideas are expressed as symbols and archetypes that transcend cultures - although naturally different cultures will name them differently.
Example archetypes mentioned in the book and/or elsewhere include:
- the mother
- the father
- the maiden
- the hero
- the child
- the trickster
- the wise old man
- the innocent
- the orphan
- the caregiver
- the explorer
- the rebel
- the lover
- the ruler
and no doubt many more. I’m curious to what extent the presence of archetypes across cultures has been studied since Jung’s type - this seems like an aspect of psychoanalysis that would be relatively easy to validate. At a glance it seems like some studies have since validated the usefulness of Jungian therapy in general, although it certainly has its critics who would claim that evidence remains rather lacking and the practice rather unstudied.
The book also details something of Jung’s biography. He had a somewhat strange childhood which no doubt was formative in the development of his later ideas. There’s also a chapter on to what extent he was antisemitic. We learn also about what is involved in a session of Jungian analysis.
I listened to, rather than read this, which was probably a mistake. Being a “very short introduction” each section proceeds rather quickly. I had to rewind very frequently to make sure I didn’t miss too much. But I do believe my understanding of the gentleman, his thoughts and theory is still much improved from a previously negligible baseline.
