A thorough introduction to Carl Jung’s ideas can be found in the 1933 book Modern Man in Search of a Soul. There are 11 essays in the book. The book’s first section covers practical dream interpretation, the challenges and goals of contemporary psychotherapy, and Jung’s notion of psychological types. His views on Archaic man and the stages of life are discussed in the middle section. He also examines how his beliefs differ from those of Sigmund Freud. In the final part of the book, Jung compares priests and psychotherapists while discussing psychology and literature, the fundamental principles of analytical psychology, and the spiritual issues facing modern man.
I liked the book as it made me rethink what I know about psychology and psychotherapy. Specifically, the part related to the problems of modern psychotherapy was insightful. Adler’s individual psychology, which emphasizes a desire for power stemming from a sense of inferiority, and Freud’s (the father of psychoanalysis) emphasis on the pleasure principle are both influences on Jung’s method, which he refers to as “analytical psychology.” I agree with the four steps of Jung’s analytical psychology, which are confession, explanation, education, and transformation. One must undergo a catharsis or cleansing because the concept of sin gave rise to repression. While the stage of education is a social adaptation, the stage of explanation brings unconscious contents back to consciousness. The final stage, transformation, rests on two different types of people: unsuccessful people who try to fit in by trying to be “normal” and successful people who try to live an “abnormal” existence.
It is interesting how Jung identifies unsuccessful and successful people by their ability to live their lives. Although I agree with his four stages of analytical psychology, I disagree that someone can be described as unsuccessful if they live “normal” life. This is because I do not believe that there is a “normal” life. What is normal life? People may have different perspectives on how to live depending on their culture, religion on community. While reading this book, I was also curious about categorization. I do not think that in psychology and psychotherapy require an evident categorization as each case is unique.
However, I liked his discussion related to the idea of archetypes. Jung’s interest in mythology, archaeology, comparative religion, and primitive psychology gave rise to his concept of archetypes, which are a part of what he called the collective unconscious. These archaic pictures are the foundation of the human psyche and have been entrenched in man from the beginning of existence. The rediscovery of these archetypes is wisdom. Jung uses two of his most well-known terms, extraversion and introversion, which are intimately tied to the concepts of thinking, emotion, sensation, and intuition, in his psychological theory of types. Additionally, he discusses his view on complexes. Though they result from conflicts, they have a certain level of autonomy in our brain and impact our conscious intents, allowing us to access new avenues for success.
The book provides an overview on the three main stages of life that are puberty, youth, and middle age. I was intrigued to read how Jung would approach these stages and what he thought of it. Jung avoids talking about childhood because it is ruled by impulse, one essentially lives in the unconscious, and there aren’t many issues because one relies on his parents. Additionally, he excludes extreme old age since at that point, we start to bother other people. The child cannot begin to doubt himself until he is old enough to realize that he has an ego. The dream of childhood is destroyed by the teenage stage. We risk developing a neurosis, though, if we are hooked on the stage of quick fulfillment. People may go through a midlife crisis at the final stage when we are approximately 35 and the human psyche is preparing for a huge transformation. So, in order to change a person into a new, future-looking guy, one must allow the old forms of life to pass away.
While reading this book, I have noticed several differences between Jung and Freud. In addition to not having a one-sided view of the pleasure principle, Jung believes in the value of religious and spiritual concepts, the collective unconscious, and dreams as representing a variety of facets of human life. Due to his approach, Jung is frequently charged with mysticism. Yet, I do not agree with this, as the human psyche has been evolving through spiritual and religious concepts since the beginning of existence.
Moreover, the part about “Archaic Man” was interesting to read. The term “Archaic Man,” which alludes to primitive thinking, is the subject of an article by Jung. However, because it is a part of the collective unconscious, every civilized human being is still an archaic man at the deeper layers of his psyche. The environment in which modern man lives is governed by logical laws. We dislike the concept of arbitrary and invisible forces since we recently managed to flee the unsettling world of dreams, superstitions, and random events. Yet, primitive man believes that all events are caused by unobservable forces that are unique to their world of experience. It seems that the meaning that people attach to their actions is what really matters, “Archaic man does what he does – and only civilized man knows what he does” (Jung, 1933). I like this approach as people should be aware of the consequences of their actions.
The most fascinating fact about the book was that the fundamental tenet of analytical psychology, “psychology with the psyche,” was initially developed by Jung, who broke away from “psychology without the psyche.” But it is not a modern psychology; rather, it refers to the teachings of our ancestors, who saw the spirit as a vital energy. We simply pretend to be the masters of our own head to make ourselves feel better and have a sense of control of what is going on. The unconscious has always existed before as a possible mental operating system passed down through the generations of man. The unconscious psyche gave birth to consciousness much later.
To conclude, I enjoyed the book because it made me reconsider some aspects of psychology and psychotherapy. It also provides an insightful analysis of Freud’s approach while examining existing theories of life and mind. I would like to recommend this book for people who are interested in psychology, philosophy, and Freud’s theory. It will worth your time as Jung writes about fascinating things in proper language and with a good structure of the arguments. The book brings a new perspective toward our mind and reality.
Reference
Jung, C. G. (1933). Modern Man in Search of a Soul. Harcourt, Brace.