Carl Jung

by Katy Rose (2017)

Individuation is a central concept in Jungian psychology theorizing the development of relationship between the conscious and unconscious self. Jung believed “The ego is the center of consciousness; the self is the center of the total psyche, including both the conscious and the unconscious…thus individuation is the process of developing wholeness by integrating all the various parts of the psyche” (Frager, 2013).

Jung’s religious experience at the age of 11 definitely delivered severance from traditional understanding, causing movement in spiritual thought through the gateway of the unconscious. Although Freud and Jung became quite close, their fundamental differences in repression not always being about sexual trauma or that Jung pursued interest in the spiritual eventually cost them the friendship. Jung’s later heart attack presented a profound spiritual event in an out of body experience expanding his understanding of growing the positive self, thus presenting a new concept – the collective unconscious or transpersonal unconscious. Jung believed the unconscious “is the whole other half of the living psyche” (Frager, 2013).

Jung characterized personality types as either inward oriented or outwardly oriented. The introvert feels more comfortable with the inner world of thoughts and feelings. The extrovert enjoys material objects and people. They are more social, whereas, the psychologically healthy introvert, enjoys spiritual engagement with its Soul consciousness. No one is purely one or the other – as we need both to survive in this world.

References

Frager, R., & Fadiman, J. (2013). Personality and personal growth. Boston, MA: Pearson.