Jung's Neopsychoanalytical Approach

• Personality Theories: HPSE032 facilitated by Dr. M Mothapo, email [email protected], Tel: 015 2683 505

Jung's Neopsychoanalytical Approach

• Topics covered include: Introduction to Jung's neopsychoanalytical approach, the Libido, the structure of the psyche, psychological types and evaluating Jung's theory.

Introduction to Jung's Neopsychoanalytical Approach

• Jung's school of thought is called analytic psychology
• The approach to personality development uses the psychoanalytic approach as a major frame of reference
• The idea that the sex instinct was a major determinant of behaviour was rejected
• Behaviour is proposed as purpose driven and people's personalities develop throughout their lives
• Human psyche contains psychological constructs developed throughout the evolution of the human species

Jung and the Libido

• Jung saw libido as a generalized life force from 2 perspectives
• Libido as a general life energy refers not only to sexuality but also other human strivings and desires
• Libido is focused/dynamic psychic energy that facilitates how the personality functions

The Structure of the Psyche

• Jung divided the structure of the mind into three important levels
• The EGO or conscious realm
• The PERSONAL unconscious
• The COLLECTIVE Unconscious

Consciousness or the EGO

• The part of us that is awake, thinks and remembers: field of one's awareness
• Combination of all of conscious experience helps maintain stability in time and place

The Personal Unconscious

• Unique and mostly personal to each individual
• This level contains complexes or modern day schemas
• Complexes: all forgotten/repressed experiences or clusters of feelings associated around a common theme
• Or group of emotionally charged thoughts that are related to a particular theme
• Complexes interfere with the intentions of the will and disturb the conscious performance performing like independent beings

The Collective Unconscious

• It is the inherited part of the psyche, shared by all humans
• Reflected by similarities of human behavior and experiences seen across cultures
• Essentially, all humans share a common psychological heritage
• Composed of what Jung called 'instincts' and archetypes

Archetypes

• Primordial images contained within the collective unconscious
• They are universally shared ways of thinking
• Common archetypes include the persona, the shadow, the anima and the animus, and the self
• Humans are born with similar patterns of thought, emotion, and reaction
• Cultures have a common response to the "hero" or the concept of "mother"

Archetypes: The Persona

• Social roles assumed in society,the mask for the world
• Persona represents a compromise between true and a social identity
• Becoming asocial might occur due to neglect of developing persona
• Over-focus on persona development can stifle personality development

Archetypes: The Shadow

• Shadow refers to unacceptable thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to society or the individual
• Reflects social desires and emotions that are incompatible with the persona
• It is the opposite side of the persona

Archetypes: The Anima and Animus

• Anima and animus: refers to the feminine and masculine parts
• Despite our biological sexes, mentally none of us is only male or only female
• Every man has a feminine energy/part, the anima, which needs to be expressed if optimal growth is to be attained
• Every woman has the masculine energy/part, the animus, which also has to be expressed for optimal growth

Archetypes

• The SELF represents attempt to unify all aspects of personality
• The development of the self a lifelong goal can never be fully developed but can provide:
• Being socially acceptable (use the persona)
• Ability to Do something never done under normal circumstances (shadow)
• Displaying way of opposite sex (anima or animus)
• Therefore, the 'self'- often symbolized through the mandala-controls psychic energy allocation so personality portions are expressed appropriately
• A mandala is a psychological expression of the totality of the self by Carl Jung

Psychological Types

• Psychological types arise from combinations of 2 attitudes and 4 functions
• The 2 attitudes are Extraversion and introversion, based on orientation to external objects including people
• An introvert withdraws libido/energy from objects to prevent object having power over person
• An the extravert extends libido towards an object, establishing an active relationship
• The 4 functions are Sensing intuition, thinking, feeling usually grouped into two pairs of opposites
• One function in each group is dominant while others have supplementary roles

Evaluating Jung's Theory

• Jung's approach has influenced numerous disciplines such as sociology and history
• Critics observe that the archetype concept is metaphysical with no scientific proof of its existence