Carl Gustav Jung - Mythology and Religion in Psychology
There were personalities in our history who had decisive ideas and a completely different view of the world. One of those personalities was Carl Gustav Jung, a name not many of you may have heard yet. But Jung's work aroused a lot of interest in me because I myself am also interested in the topics he has worked on. Therefore I would like to tell you a little about this man and his works.
Carl Gustav Jung was a swiss psychiatrist and the founder of analytical psychology, which should not be confused with analytical psychotherapy. He lived from 1875 to 1961 and studied medicine in Basel, specializing in psychiatry. He dealt with the question "What can we learn from myths and dreams? " and with the symbols and rituals of other cultures.
First, I would like to discuss the concept of the unconscious what played the decisive role for Jung. This is where Sigmund Freud comes in. Jung was a great advocate of the then still unpopular theories and of Freud. A long and close friendship developed between the two, but soon differences became clear. Because Jung took parapsychological phenomena seriously while Freud rejected this as nonsense. Jung attributed this to Freud's materialistic prejudices. Freud's insistence on his sexual theory and Jung's adherence to his interests in mythology and the history of religion and the irreconcilable ideology of both ultimately led to a break between the two.
What interests me so much about Jung's work is that he incorporates spiritualism and religion into his psychological work. He sees it as a very original expression of the human soul and therefore has to attach great importance to it. Regardless of what religion might tell us about the world itself, it still consists of images, symbols and stories that say something about human soul life.
He criticizes that in general a myth is either historical or if it is not, it is nothing at all.
To the extent that the phenomenon of religion has a very important psychological aspect, I treat the subject from a purely empirical point of view, that is, I limit myself to the observation of phenomena and I abstain from any metaphysical or philosophical approach.
He also attaches great importance to symbols:
For me, symbols are the sensually perceptible expression for an inner experience. They form a contact and transition area, i.e. a bridge between the conscious and the unconscious.
Carl Gustav Jung studied many religions and cultures and found that even the most diverse of people have certain ideas and behaviors in common. For example, Native Americans have the same stories and rituals as tribes in Africa and other cultures all over the world. Jung concluded that the unconscious is influenced not only by one's own experiences, but by the experiences of all people. He called this the collective unconscious. He coined this term and today it is a basic concept of analytical psychology.
Jung's preoccupation with myths, fairy tales and images from different times and cultures, which had not been influenced by each other, brought him to this realization:
The fact is that certain ideas occur almost everywhere and at all times and can even form spontaneously by themselves, completely independent of migration and tradition. They are not made by the individual, but they happen to him, they even impose themselves on the individual consciousness.
He observed:
...typical forms that appear spontaneously and more or less universally independent of tradition, myths, fairy tales, fantasies, dreams, visions and delusions...
He called these commonalities archetypes. This realization and above all the significance for the culture and the individual, he linked with the development processes of his patients.
The true nature of the archetype is not conscious, that is transcendent, which is why i call it psychoid.
God is conducting psychological communication with us through archetypes in the Bible, no one fulfills more the suffering required to repair our relationship with God than His Son Jesus, i recommend Catechism of the Catholic Church to compliment your psychological knowledge and see where you end up.
Mythology and legends might be actual facts that had been exaggerated to a great degree so Jung might be into something. And considering that the human mind is easily influence by stimulus, incorporating religion with psychology could have a good or bad effect to a person defending on how it is use. Jung's method and interest might be unpopular in his time but his work influences the future generation.
One can long discuss the truthfulness of myths, mythologies and religions but that these things affect people cannot be explained away. And that people also bring forth new thoughts through them, people who have never seen each other before, who have the same ideas etc. is something amazing and still not explainable. There must be some kind of collective awareness, as Jung accepts. That would explain a lot...
But it is labelled as parapsychology and everything that does not fit into the dogmatic world view or is outside the box, is not taken seriously. But I also think, like you, that there will be changes in the exploration of consciousness.
Cool post, I like it. All thumbs up. Good luck to the author!)
Why you interest in Jung? I like him too but he is more artist than a psychologist. Also he is very popular. =)
His researches are very impresive but i think he is more crazy than his patients =) (You can look his a few Published giant Red BOOK)
Many people who have changed something have been called crazy.
Jung has been deeply involved with human consciousness. He has never claimed that the stories in mythologies and religions are true, he has explored the connection between the human mind and fantasy and consciousness and presented himself with the Red Book as the best example. It can be said that the Red Book is a life study he made of himself.
In the second part I wrote something about his Red Book and there are really good insights how this man thought and how he saw things, how he tried to change them and how he could do it. If the Red Book were really such a bollocks, it wouldn't be so popular with so many psychologists today and it wouldn't be treated at universities.
And if Jung's work were really bullshit, as some people say, then there probably wouldn't be analytical psychology as we know it today.
I read about him, he had quite a colorful childhood, his mother allegedly summoned ghosts...
i think these circumstances have influenced and guided him in his psycholigical career.
Jung was indeed a great man with a very interesting approach.
In a strict empirical point of view religion impacts undoubtedly the soul and therefore deserves to be given importance in psychology. But at that time atheism was very hot and having a little interest in religion or mythology could earn you to be called a complete fool. I loved your article and I'm interested in philosophy, religion and everything around them. My first post is about religion and I would love to hear what you think about my point of view :)
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Together with Erich Fromm and Viktor Frankl my most favorite psychological author in terms of psychoanalysis
I love Jung. Thanks for bringing him to Steemit!
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