Why Carl Jung Still Shapes Psychology Through Meaningful Breakthroughs

I studied all of Carl Jung’s books with great dedication when I had psychological problems and I was cured thanks to his work.

I could then continue his research into the ignored region of the psychic sphere precisely because his discoveries were valid and real.

He was a professional far superior to all others who did not only deal with the psychological field, as you will verify in this article.

Analytical Psychology and Individuation

Jung recognized the psychological value of spiritual experiences, beliefs, and experiences derived from the psyche’s internal tendency toward wholeness.

In other words, human beings need to overcome their ego and see all aspects of their personality, thanks to the individuation process, which represents a greater awareness of the factors that influence how they relate to their psychological and cultural experiences.

Individuation is the process of the individual’s development in search of the Self, the deepest and most central part of the personality, which goes far beyond the ego. This process involves integrating conscious and unconscious aspects, including the shadow, a hidden part of the personality that harbors traits and feelings rejected by the ego.

According to Carl Jung’s psychology, to become an individual is to defeat the ego in favor of experiencing the Self, which encompasses all the characteristics of the human being and leads to completion.

Important Lessons

One of Jung’s most important contributions to psychology was his understanding of the existence of the collective unconscious, which is a reservoir of shared and universal human experiences. The collective unconscious houses archetypes, instincts, and innate patterns that influence our behavior and thoughts.

Only later in his career did Jung conclude that the unconscious mind is the mind of God, although at first, he considered the collective unconscious to be merely a historical archive of human experiences of basic importance.

Archetypes

Jung concluded that we are born with a psychological inheritance, just as we receive a biological inheritance. Therefore, our mind stores models of behavior. These models are archetypes. Archetypes, found in the collective unconscious, are universal forms of the psyche that reflect human experiences of great importance.

An archetype represents the first model of something. The term originated in ancient Greece and comes from the combination of the words: archein, which means “origin, beginning” and typos, which means “pattern, model”.

Archetypes are a set of models of ideals and behaviors formed by the constant repetition of experiences that are engraved in us and guide us indirectly throughout our lives. These images are visible in mythology, symbols, and dreams.

For example, the Sage represents the archetype of the search for truth through knowledge and logical speculation. The Hero archetype reflects grand and courageous attitudes, to achieve the greater good. The Magician archetype is linked to beliefs and religions and wants to understand the laws that govern the universe.

There are several archetypes that reflect human tendencies found in our history.

With this discovery, Jung showed us that the way we behave is linked to humanity’s behavioral models, which help us understand how we should act without having to make tiresome and frustrating speculations. We already instinctively know the behavioral models we should follow to act in the world.

Synchronicity

Furthermore, Jungian analysis showed us that there is a relationship between our psychological world and external reality.

Synchronicity is a concept he proposed to explain seemingly unrelated events that occur simultaneously and have a psychological meaning, that is, a meaningful coincidence. These events are manifestations of the unconscious mind that arise between the internal and external world, attributing meaning to the individual.

With this discovery, Jung demonstrated to us that the nature of the psyche is linked to our daily lives and that the unconscious mind constantly gives us information through signs and significant facts.

Jung’s Most Important Contribution

After discovering the existence of several psychological types and studying the meaning of numerous symbols that are important to various peoples from all over the world, as well as studying medieval alchemical texts, Carl Jung managed to discover the symbolic language of the unconscious mind that produces dreams.

While Freud and other psychoanalysts tried to understand the meaning of dreams based on their assumptions, Jung strove to discover the meaning of the symbolic language of the unconscious mind like an archaeologist, without inventing or assuming anything.

I was able to continue his research even though I was ignorant precisely because I faithfully followed the guidance of the unconscious mind that produces dreams, which showed me exactly what I should do.

This was only possible because Jung was a true genius who discovered how to translate the symbolic language of dreams in a clear and real way. His method of dream interpretation is perfect.

Otherwise, I would never have been able to see more details and verify that we have a primitive and wild part of our brain that generates mental illnesses in our consciousness when it manages to invade the conscious region with absurd thoughts and dangerous suggestions.

Thanks to this vision, I began to translate the meaning of dreams with greater precision and clarity, helping many people acquire mental health through this alternative.

Conclusion

Carl Jung dared to relate philosophy, religion, and mysticism to psychology in order to see all the manifestations of the psychic sphere and show us how we can prevent and cure mental illnesses.

He not only taught us how we can achieve sound mental health but also how we can undergo a spiritual purification that gives true meaning to our lives.

Therefore, you should study his lessons and, above all, learn to translate the meaning of your dreams with the method he discovered after relating all the aspects he meticulously analyzed over many years.

===========

Originally published on Medium:

https://medium.com/illumination/why-carl-jungs-contribution-to-psychology-is-so-important-d516213464e8