Introduction to Analytical Psychology

What is Analytical Psychology?

• Coined by Carl Jung
• A distinct field of study from Freud's psychoanalysis
• A multidisciplinary field with international followers
• Focused on archetypes, the unconscious and psychotherapy
• Draws from many disciplines
• Key concepts include: anima/animus, archetypes, collective unconscious, complexes, extraversion/introversion, individuation, the Self, the shadow, and synchronicity
• Based on Jung's work and his collaborations with other scholars

Development of Analytical Psychology

• Started at the Burghölzli hospital in Zurich
• Initially focused on psychological complexes
• Evolved with Jung's break from Freud
• Jung's work can be divided into three schools: classical, archetypal, and developmental
• Jung's work drew inspiration from various fields, including: alchemy, anthropology, astrology, ethnography, gnosticism, metaphysics, myth, paranormal, philosophy, and science
• Jung's psychotherapy is often considered an art form
• Jung was influenced by philosophers like William James (founder of pragmatism)

Jung's Early Career

• Worked as a psychiatrist in Zurich
• Published a dissertation on the psychology and pathology of occult phenomena
• Used a galvanometer to measure emotional sensitivity to words
• He gained international recognition for his work
• Met Sigmund Freud and collaborated with him for six years
• Founded the International Psychoanalytic Association

The Break with Freud

• Jung and Freud disagreed on the nature of the libido
• Jung shifted his focus to the collective unconscious
• Jung published a book, "Psychology of the Unconscious," that differed from Freudian theory
• Freud criticized Jung's work, leading to a break in their relationship
• The psychoanalytic movement split into two factions

Jung's Theory of the Psyche

• Jung proposed a distinct model of the unconscious compared to Freud's model
• The unconscious is the foundation of all psychical events
• Central to Jung's work is the idea that the unconscious is fundamentally unknowable
• People are energetic systems, and the psyche becomes sick if energy is blocked
• Individuals develop psychological complexes as a defense mechanism to cope with external threats
• Jung focused on the "Self" as the center of the psyche, including both conscious and unconscious aspects
• The goal of life is individuation, which involves unifying the conscious and unconscious aspects of the self
• The unconscious is experienced through symbols found in dreams, art, religion, and relationships
• Jungian psychotherapy aims to help individuals integrate their unconscious with their consciousness

Key Concepts in Jungian Psychology

• Active imagination: A technique to encourage the release of unconscious images through meditation
• Complexes: Psychological defenses against external events
• Individuation: The process of integrating the conscious and unconscious aspects of the self
• Projection: Attributing inner aspects to external objects
• Compensation: Balancing tendencies through unconscious processes

Jung's Influence on Psychology

• Jung drew on multiple academic and theoretical traditions
• Jungian influence extends beyond psychology into other fields (e.g., literature, art, mythology)
• Jungian analysis emphasizes meaning-making and incorporating the unconscious into consciousness

Jungian Analysis in Practice

• Jungian analysis involves accessing and integrating unconscious material through methods like dream interpretation, art, and examining patterns in life
• Jungian therapy often involves analyzing transference and countertransference
• Dream analysis in Jungian analysis differs from Freudian analysis, focusing on symbolism and archetypes
• There are multiple schools of Jungian analysis, each with distinct approaches
• Jungian therapy can be applied to various issues, including dreams, nightmares, work-life balance, relationships, social issues, climate change, and more
• Jungian analysis emphasizes the importance of symbols and their role in understanding the unconscious

Anima and Animus

• Jung described the anima as the unconscious feminine component of men and the animus as the unconscious masculine component in women.
• These are formed by the collective unconscious, by others, and by society.
• Jung stated that the anima and animus act as guides to the unconscious unified Self, and that forming an awareness and a connection with the anima or animus is one of the most difficult and rewarding steps in psychological growth.
• Love at first sight is an example of anima and animus projection.
• The male anima shadow is linked with irrational moods and the female animus shadow with irrational opinions

Archetypes

• Jung advanced the use of archetypes in psychology in 1919.
• Archetypes are innate, universal or personal prototypes for ideas and may be used to interpret observations.
• A group of memories and attitudes associated with an archetype can become a complex, e.g.a mother complex may be associated with a particular mother archetype.

Collective Unconscious

• Jung's concept of the collective unconscious was first outlined in his 1916 essay, "The Structure of the Unconscious".
• The essay distinguishes between the personal unconscious and the collective unconscious.
• The personal unconscious is filled with fantasies and repressed images, while the collective unconscious encompasses the soul of humanity at large.

Individuation

• Individuation is the process of becoming an individual and implies becoming one's own self.
• Jung explained that individuation helped him, "from the therapeutic point of view, to find the particular images that lie behind emotions".
• The pursuit of wholeness, through individuation, aims to establish the Self and includes both the rational conscious mind of the ego and the irrational contents of the unconscious.
• Elements to be integrated into individuation include the persona, shadow, anima, and animus.

Shadow

• The shadow is an unconscious complex defined as the repressed, suppressed or disowned qualities of the conscious self.
• Jung himself asserted that "the result of the Freudian method of elucidation is a minute elaboration of man's shadow-side unexampled in any previous age."
• The shadow may have both constructive and destructive aspects.

Persona

• The persona is the part of the personality which manages an individual's relations with society in the outside world.
• It is the individual's mask that the conscious self identifies with during development.

Complexes

• Jung described the concept of the "complex" in his free association and Galvanic skin response experiments.
• Jung seemed to see complexes as quite autonomous parts of psychological life.
• Jung saw an archetype as always being the central organizing structure of a complex.

Synchronicity

• Jung first officially used the term during a conference held in memory of his sinologist friend, Richard Wilhelm in 1930.
• It was used to denote the simultaneous occurrence of two events with no causal physical connection, but whose association evokes a meaning for the person experiencing or observing it.

Unus Mundus

• Borrowing the notion from Arthur Schopenhauer, Jung calls it Unus mundus, a state where neither matter nor the psyche are distinguishable.

Post-Jungian Psychology

• Andrew Samuels (1985) has distinguished three distinct traditions or approaches of "post-Jungian" psychology – classical, developmental and archetypal.
• The classical approach tries to remain faithful to Jung's proposed model, his teachings and the substance of his 20 volume Collected Works.
• The developmental approach gives less emphasis to the Self and more emphasis to the development of personality.
• Archetypal approach, sometimes called "the imaginal school" by James Hillman, was written about by him in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Jungian Sandplay

• Jungian Sandplay started as a therapeutic method in the 1950s.
• The use of sand in a suitable tray with figurines and other small toys enables a narrative to develop through a series of scenarios.
• Kalff developed the new application over a number of years and called it Sandplay.

Dora Kalff and Sandplay

• Dora Kalff trained Jungian Analysts in the method of sandplay.
• Kalff believed an image can offer greater therapeutic engagement and insight than words alone.
• Sandplay uses the sensory experience of working with sand and objects to bring new areas of awareness into consciousness.
• Symbolic resonance of objects and their arrangement in the sandtray creates a symbolic representation of personal experiences and unconscious processes.
• This method is similar to dream work in that it allows for integration and healing.

Process-Oriented Psychology

• Process-oriented psychology, also known as Process Work, is associated with Arnold Mindell, a Zurich-trained Jungian analyst.
• Process work developed in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
• It was originally identified as a "daughter of Jungian psychology".
• Process work emphasizes awareness of the "unconscious" as a continuous flow of experience.
• This approach expands Jung's work beyond verbal individual therapy to include body experience, altered and comatose states, and multicultural group work.

Jungian Analysis Compared to Psychoanalysis

• Jungian analysis shares a similar framework to psychoanalysis, with regular, weekly sessions lasting an average of three years.
• Both approaches focus on patient material and employ techniques like dialogue, elaboration, amplification, and abreaction.
• Despite similarities, Jungian analysis distinguishes itself through the use of alternatives to verbal expression, such as active imagination, sandplay, drawing, painting, and even music.
• Jungian analysis seeks out the transference, unlike psychoanalysis, which aims to distinguish between positive and negative transferences.
• Both approaches emphasize the role of the patient in the therapeutic process.

Key Principles of Jungian Analysis

• Jungian analysis aims to connect conscious awareness with the unconscious.
• This approach seeks to facilitate better adaptation to emotional and social life.
• Neurosis is viewed not as a symptom of repressed past experiences but as a functional inability to confront certain aspects of reality.
• The unconscious, in the Jungian perspective, motivates individuals to become aware of their shadows, with the help of the analyst.

Contemporary Scholars and Jungian Psychology

• Several contemporary academics are revisiting Jung's work in light of feminist theory and its application to philosophy, literature, and art criticism.
• Susan Rowland, a British-American scholar, has undertaken the first feminist revision of Jung's work, acknowledging the contributions of the creative women who surrounded him.
• Leslie Gardner has explored the role of analytical psychology in the 21st century, focusing on the "Feminine Self".
• Paul Bishop has analyzed Jungian psychology in the context of earlier thinkers such as Goethe, Schiller, and Nietzsche.
• Christian Gaillard, a Franco-Swiss art historian and analytical psychologist, has studied Jung's role as an artist and art critic.

Criticisms of Jung and his Work

• Jungian psychology has faced criticism from both within and outside the psychoanalytic sphere.
• Freud criticized Jung, labelling him a "mystic and a snob".
• Other critics focused on the "mysticism" in Jung’s writings.
• Concerns were raised about Jung's perceived association with Nazism during World War II.
• Academics outside the field of analytical psychology have also criticized Jung's work.
• Richard Noll, a Catholic historian of psychiatry, argued that analytical psychology is based on a neo-pagan Hellenistic cult.
• French ethnographer and anthropologist, Jean-Loïc Le Quellec, has criticized Jung for his alleged misuse of the term "archetype" and his questionable dealings with some of his colleagues.

Explore the foundations of Analytical Psychology as coined by Carl Jung. This quiz delves into its key concepts, development, and the distinctions from Freud's psychoanalysis. Understand the multidisciplinary influences that shaped Jung's approach to psychotherapy and the unconscious.