Memories, Dreams, Reflections

Analytical psychology, or “Jungian psychology,” is a form of psychotherapy focused on uncovering archetypes within the unconscious through a process of individuation. Jung’s approaches evolved throughout his life, making it difficult to clearly define analytical psychology. Unlike the practice of Freud and his contemporaries, Jung emphasized a greater focus on spirituality and meaning making.

Jung’s approach to psychology involves a process of merging the conscious and subconscious. Central to this work is incorporating the anima and animus into the conscious experience. The anima represents the feminine aspect of a man’s psyche, and the animus is the masculine aspect of a woman’s psyche. The anima is associated with qualities like intuition and emotion, while the animus is linked to rationality, assertiveness, and logic. Through the process of individuation, these parts of the psyche can be brought forward to conscious experience and integrated into everyday life. Jung sees the incorporation of the anima and animus as central to developing healthy and deep relationships.

Archetypes are universal symbols and themes that Jung contends occur across cultures and time. He sees the uncovering of these symbols within the unconscious as a key to understanding the collective unconscious. Some key archetypes include the hero, the shadow, and the wise man/woman. Jung’s archetypes have been critiqued for their narrow alignment with Western culture and spiritualistic emphasis.

Jung believes that the deepest level of the unconscious is the collective unconscious, characterized by symbols of universal archetypes. He likens collective unconscious to a primordial state of being.

Jung defines consciousness as something that emerges from unknown depths. This definition draws a connection between the unconscious and the conscious. Jung argues that consciousness emerges from self-reflection.

Jung uses the term “extraversion” to describe the quality of a Western psychological type. He argues that extraversion concentrates one’s focus outward.

The process of individuation involves the use of active imagination to move toward self-actualization. Jung sees this process as the integration of the conscious and unconscious parts of the psyche until wholeness is achieved. Individuation takes a lifetime, and Jung explains that the outcome of psychic wholeness is a moving target that is never fully achieved. However, the self-reflection that takes place during individuation is a meaningful and worthwhile experience. Jung describes the experience of individuation as the process of becoming an individual.

Jung uses the term “introversion” to describe a psychological type in non-Western cultures. Introversion is characterized by the tendency to concentrate the focus inward.

The persona is a social mask that an individual wears to protect other parts of the psyche from the awareness of the collective psyche. The persona mediates between a person’s individual consciousness and the outward community. Jung sometimes refers to his persona as his social self or his “No. 1” self.

In Jung’s work, the psyche is the self or the whole. It is composed of different parts of the conscious and unconscious.

Although these terms have distinct definitions in a contemporary context, Jung uses them interchangeably throughout the text. Psychiatry is used mainly to describe Jung’s practice, while psychoanalysis and psychology are used to illustrate his philosophies and methodologies. This guide utilizes Jung’s applications of these terms.

The self is considered the central archetype. In Jung’s representation at Bollingen, the self is symbolized as the culmination of the tower, landscape, and smaller structures, rendering literal the theme of The Architecture of the Self. The self is also represented by the mandala, which is used to characterize wholeness.

According to Jung, the shadow is an archetype that emerges repeatedly throughout history and consciousnesses. It represents the repressed unconsciousness or the dark part of the self. Jung asserts that the shadow must be integrated through individuation in order to achieve psychic wholeness.