Analytical Psychology
Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961) was a disciple of Sigmund Freud, who in the middle of the second decade of the last century withdrew from him due to a fundamental theoretical dispute. Jung established an independent current in psychoanalysis – analytical psychology. The basic theoretical premise of Jung is that in the human unconscious there is an impersonal layer, which Jung called the ‘collective unconscious’. The collective unconscious is a large-scale repository, in which complex and detailed knowledge about human experience is accumulated in archetypal patterns, knowledge that affects our development, promotes and balances it.
There are different explanations for the formation of the collective unconscious and its purpose; Some see it as an impersonal accumulation of collective experience that goes on and on since the dawn of humanity, and some refer to the archetypes that make it up, as qualities whose origin does not depend on human experience from the dawn of generations since they precede it, and therefore constitute its foundation.
In this short review we will mention three more basic theoretical concepts that are essential to understanding analytical thought: The Self, the transcendent function and individuation. The Self is the archetype of unifying and integration, and Jung referred to him as the center of the unconscious. The Self functions as a directing and balancing factor that guides the totality of the psyche to its full potential. The Self Guides us towards individuation – A concept through which Jung described our movement towards a more integrative and complete state, based on a connection between the conscious and the unconscious and between other mental aspects that without the process of individuation, remain polarized. One of the main mechanisms that enable individuation is the Transcendent Function – The human ability to maintain a fruitful dialogue between the conscious and the unconscious, including the collective unconscious. The essence of this function is to create a two-way movement between the conscious and the unconscious, in a way that on the one hand, does not block and eliminate the unconscious but rather creates conscious contact with it, and on the other hand, does not flood the consciousness with the contents of the unconscious.
Jungian psychotherapy and analysis, like any treatment in a psychoanalytic orientation, is based on the processing of past and current life experiences, and on the therapeutic relationship. Under the influence of the Jungian theory, it has some unique characteristics, and we will mention only some of them: Jungian therapy will tend to be developmental and rely on the healing powers of the self. The therapeutic relationship will seek to create conditions that promote the connection of the patient to his Self, and the activation of the transcendent function. Dream work is one of the central ways to facilitate it, and this is the reason for the importance of dream work in Jungian analysis. Other unique characteristics of Jungian psychotherapy are the use of cultural implications; sensitivity to images and artistic creativity; Recognition of complexes – clusters of behavior and feeling, many times with archetypal core, that functions autonomously (not under the control of the Ego) in a way that influences everyday life and interpersonal relationships (including transference and countertransference).
Dr. Guy Perel
analyst, supervisor (IIJP, Israel)
