Category: JungianTheory

In his book Death: The Beginning of Life, Jungian psychotherapist Terry Chitwood writes: “One of the first steps in gaining consciousness is to realize that your ego is not the ruler of your psyche. The unconscious is autonomous. In the unconscious lie the seeds of your destiny. Only by making your unconscious your partner can you begin to understand your life’s true goal.” Learning these truths has changed my life, helping me to have a sense of purpose and meaning.

For most of us, the idea that our ego does not know everything that is going on with us and what is best for us is hard to comprehend, let alone to accept. In our western culture, there is much emphasis on the ego as the decision-maker and center of self-knowledge. I believe, and my belief is supported by a number of writers, that this incorrect assumption is one of the reasons there are such high rates of depression, anxiety, and addiction in our culture. Those of us who either cannot accept or have not become aware of how the unconscious influences our lives often feel an emptiness that can lead to those problems.

We make the unconscious our partner by recording and paying attention to our dreams, noticing synchronicities, and listening to our intuition and to those thoughts that come to us unbidden. These are ways our unconscious speaks to us, but we will not hear what it is conveying unless we are both aware of its existence and open to hearing its messages. It helps considerably to read the books of authors such as Terry Chitwood, John A. Sanford, Helen Luke, Robert A. Johnson, and others. Reading their books leads to a better understanding of these truths and also shows our unconscious that we are making an effort to be in partnership with it.

One of the primary concepts of Jungian psychology is individuation, the inner process where we grow in consciousness and become more whole. We grow in consciousness by integrating aspects of the unconscious that we learn from the symbols and stories of our dreams, from synchronicities, from unexpected occurrences, and from what we sense intuitively. As we become more individuated, we become more the persons we were created to be.

In his book Inner Work, Jungian psychotherapist and author Robert Johnson writes: “If we work at individuation, we begin to see the difference between the ideas and values that come out of our own selves and the social opinions that we absorb from the world around us. We can cease to be mere appendages of a society or a clique of people: We learn that we have our own values, our own ways of life, that proceed naturally out of our inborn natures.”

Although the notion of being our “own person” and being “an individual” is talked about as an ideal in our culture, there is much pressure to adapt and fit in rather than to be truly individual. The news media, advertising, and political groups have as their goal to influence how we think and act. With some exceptions, family, social, and religious groups too often focus on conforming to their definition of how we should be rather than promoting genuine individuality.

Because this is the case, it takes courage and persistence to try to listen to our inner voice–to listen to the Self, to use Jung’s terminology. It takes faith in the process and realization that when that faith waivers, we are always welcome to start again. Notice that Johnson writes “If we work at individuation . . . .” It is work. It is not the easy way. But it is definitely the meaningful way.

Learning about the Jungian concept of psychological projection has helped me in my interactions with others and has also helped me to better understand myself. Projection can be defined as a process where the contents of a person’s unconscious are perceived to be in others. Because projection happens at an unconscious level, we don’t cause it to happen or control it. We can, however, try to notice when it occurs and learn from it.

Here’s an example from my life. When I was in my 20s, I worked as a secretary in a law firm. One of the lawyers, who was about 20 years older than I, was well known for his success in the field of law. He was an intelligent, personable man, and he would greet the other staff and me when he arrived each day. His intelligence and pleasant manner were evident from his conversation and behavior. However, I found myself attributing additional positive qualities to him even though I didn’t know him well enough to ascertain if those qualities were part of his personality. In a way, he became in my mind the model of an “ideal man.”

When I think back, I realize I was projecting positive aspects of myself onto the lawyer, aspects of myself of which I wasn’t consciously aware. At the time I did not know about the concept of projection and therefore had no idea this was happening. I just saw a man who I thought had so much going for him, and I also saw myself as having some positive qualities but not nearly as many as he had.

Projection works the other way also. Too often people see only negative in individuals who they don’t know, not aware that they are projecting negative aspects of themselves onto others. Carl Jung and many other writers attribute racial prejudice and injustice to negative projection, where some people fear or even hate people because of the color of their skin, their accent, clothing they wear that is different from that worn by the dominant culture, and so on.

One way we can discern whether projection might be occurring is to observe how strong our feelings are about another person or group of people. If we notice we’ve taken an immediate dislike to someone, it would be good to ask ourselves why that might be. Has that person said or done something that could be the basis for our feelings? Similarly, if we find ourselves intrigued by someone, it would be useful to ask ourselves what lies behind the attraction. In this way, we may discover aspects of ourselves that had previously been hidden from our consciousness and thereby become more integrated persons.

As I’ve written in other posts, learning about Jungian concepts has greatly enriched my life. Becoming a more conscious person as a result of paying attention to and learning from my dreams, noting synchronicities, and acting on promptings from my intuition have all added meaning and purpose to my life.

Our western culture focuses on using reasoning and cognitive skills and places little, if any, value on what is happening at an unconscious level. And yet much is going on each day of which we are not consciously aware but which is very significant. Jung expresses this when he writes in the book Memories, Dreams, Reflections: “Day after day we live far beyond the bounds of our consciousness; without our knowledge the life of the unconscious is also going on within us. The more the critical reason dominates, the more impoverished life becomes; but the more of the unconscious, and the more of myth we are capable of making conscious, the more of life we integrate.”

It’s the integration that Jung refers to that adds to our becoming more whole persons. If you’re not already familiar with it, the book I referred to above, Memories, Dreams, Reflections, is a biography of Carl Jung and includes some autobiographical sections that Jung wrote. If you haven’t read it, I encourage you to do so.

I have benefited greatly by learning about Jungian concepts. Among his many contributions to understanding the human psyche, Carl Jung identified and described psychological types. Two of the psychological types he wrote about are extraversion and introversion. People who are extraverted are energized by being with others; they thrive on interaction. People who are introverted, on the other hand, gain energy by having time alone. Another way of describing these qualities is introversion is “inward turning” and “thought oriented” and extraversion is “outward turning” and “action oriented.”

As with all aspects of being human, there is a continuum; the degree of introversion or extraversion varies for each individual. Some people who are extraverted are very outgoing and hate being alone, whereas other people who are extraverted prefer being with people but are comfortable with some alone time as well. And for some people who are introverted, being among people is actually uncomfortable and they avoid being with others unless it is essential. For others, they enjoy some interaction with others but recognize that they also need a certain amount of quiet time.

Knowing that these differences are natural has helped me to understand other people better and to be more accepting of differences. I am more introverted than extraverted, and in the past I would sometimes be uncomfortable around someone who was outgoing and might even question that person’s sincerity. I recognize now that being outgoing is simply an aspect of a person’s personality.

In addition to helping me understand other people better, I also better understand myself. I have a busy life and interact with others in my work. I recognize the imporance for myself of having some quiet, introspective time to recharge. I hope that people reading this post who were not aware of these psychological types will find knowing about them to be helpful in their relationships with others and also in understanding themselves.

Approaching life from a Jungian perspective includes each person trying to discern what is the life path for which he or she was created. It can be difficult to feel sure about what is a correct choice. For example, there are many causes that a person may support and be active in that are considered positive and helpful by most people. But no matter how positive and helpful a cause might be, it is the correct choice for an individual only if it is part of that person’s life path. It is easy for one’s ego to choose something that appears to be a good thing to do, but it might not actually be what that person was created to do.

Jungian author and psychotherapist Dr. Terry Chitwood writes about these ideas in his book Meeting Force with Silence. He writes “How can you distinguish between false hope and your real work? Actions carried out based on false hope will receive a series of obstacles that will discourage you from continuing in your direction. Sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish between obstacles and tests, but it can be done. Tests usually lead to understanding and growth whereas obstacles lead to frustration. The frustration’s purpose is to get you back on the right track.”

I find what Dr. Chitwood writes about frustration helping to get a person back on track to be hopeful. Knowing we have more than one chance to get back to our path is encouraging. Part of being human is to make mistakes. If we are too fearful of making mistakes, we become stuck and personal growth isn’t possible. Paying attention to our dreams, synchronicities, and intuition will help us to discern our next steps, and paying attention to our feelings, including frustration, will also help to steer us in the right direction.

As I’ve written in other posts, author John A. Sanford’s books have added greatly to my knowledge about inner life, Jungian concepts, and many other meaningful topics. In his book The Strange Trial of Mr. Hyde, Sanford writes about, among other things, the relationship between the ego and the Self. He says, “When the ego departs from the Self, the unconscious sets up an opposition to the ego. To live a moral and correct life is to live in accordance with the Self.”

Our egos can be very stubborn and not open to making changes prompted from within, especially when making those changes involves sacrifice or discomfort. And they often do, because most things that matter in life do. Hence the saying “No pain, no gain.” It is also difficult to make changes when it’s not clear to us the purpose for the changes. That is where a certain degree of faith is essential.

Sanford goes on to say, “When we are cut off from the Self, our instinct for moral action is weakened, and instead of the Self we find ourselves following the dictates of others which may or may not coincide with our inmost truth.” There is a lot of societal pressure to act certain ways, and it can be difficult to be the unique individuals each of us was created to be. And yet succumbing to societal pressure often leads to a sense that something doesn’t feel right or to a feeling of emptiness. I believe this feeling of emptiness is the basis for many people turning to alcohol, drugs, and other forms of escape, often leading to addictions. I’m not alone in this belief for much has been written to support it.

I’m reassured by the truth that Sanford expresses when he writes, “Nevertheless, the Self is always there, even if hidden from us, acting like a vital power trying to bring us back to our moral center.” We need to hold on to this truth as we endeavor to follow our individual paths.

Mahatma Gandhi said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Gandhi certainly lived what he said. Living according to one’s values and beliefs is more easily said than done, and it takes courage and perseverance and listening to one’s inner voice.

Gandhi’s words remind me of the Jungian concept of individuation, the inner process where a person grows in consciousness and becomes more whole. For each of us to be the change we wish to see in the world, we need to model qualities that we would like to see valued by more people and societies. They include being more accepting of differences, treating others with respect, being generous, and having empathy for people who are suffering. In order for these and other positive qualities to become more a part of who we are, there needs to be change from within. Individuation brings about these changes. The ego by itself cannot make this happen, but the ego can follow the inner direction it senses through intuition, paying attention to dreams and synchronicities, and prayer.

In one of his recent tweets, the Dalai Lama wrote, “Peace in the world depends on peace within.” How true. Sometimes when I read or hear about the cruelty of some people toward others, I become disheartened. I question what can be done to help. And then I remind myself it is how each individual person chooses to try to live that makes a difference in our world.

When I think about peace, I’m reminded of how the Creator is the source of “peace that passes all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). I often pray for peace for other people and for myself, and I pray in thanksgiving for the gift of peacefulness I often feel. When I think about “peace within,” I’m also reminded of the Jungian premise that each person who grows in consciousness helps to make the world a better place. Part of becoming more conscious is adding to one’s knowledge about oneself, including about one’s negative aspects. As these aspects come into the light, so to speak, they can be acknowledged, change can take place, and the person becomes more whole. And in becoming more whole, a person experiences more peace within.

The other day something I read reminded me of the song “No Man Is an Island.” I remember singing it in elementary school. Here is the first verse: “No man is an island, no man stands alone. Each man’s joy is joy to me, each man’s grief is my own. We need one another, so I will defend each man as my brother, each man as my friend.” I believe that song coming to mind several days in a row was an inner prompting to write about it. I was hesitant to do so because of the masculine wording, but I hope people reading my blog will accept that the song was written at a time when using the word “man” referred to all people and “brother” referred to both men and women.

The lyrics certainly portray empathy, in particular where the song refers to feeling the joy as well as the grief that other people experience. I am concerned about the lack of empathy that many people display when talking about other people or groups of people, such as those of ethnicities and/or socioeconomic levels that are different from their own. The lyrics also portray support, being there for one another. In my work as a crisis line counselor, I hear from people who say no one understands what they’re going through. And many people who call say they feel very alone. I’m thankful they call the crisis line so they can talk to me, make a connection with another human being, and have a respite from their aloneness.

In Jungian thought there is emphasis on each person becoming more conscious and, through that, becoming the unique individual he or she is meant to be. And in addition there is emphasis on being of service to other people. Growing in consciousness and being of service are interconnected. I believe the song “No Man Is an Island” came to me to remind me of these truths and to share them with you