Carl Gustav Jung (July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist, an influential thinker and the founder of analytical psychology. Jung is often considered the first modern psychologist to state that the human psyche is “by nature religious” and to explore it in depth. Though not the first to analyze dreams, he has become perhaps one of the most well known pioneers in the field of dream analysis. Although he was a theoretical psychologist and practicing clinician, much of his life’s work was spent exploring other areas, including Eastern and Western philosophy, alchemy, astrology, sociology, as well as literature and the arts.
Jung considered the process of individuation necessary for a person to become whole. This is a psychological process of integrating the conscious with the unconscious while still maintaining conscious autonomy. Individuation was the central concept of analytical psychology.
In Jung’s psychological framework archetypes are innate, universal prototypes for ideas and may be used to interpret observations. A group of memories and interpretations associated with an archetype is a complex, e.g. a mother complex associated with the mother archetype.
More on Jungian Archetypes
It is only possible to live the fullest life when we are in harmony with these symbols; wisdom is a return to them
Psychological or Personality Types
In the fourth of 20 books on his study, Jung categorized people into four types of psychological function, i.e., ways we consciously and unconsciously respond to experience:
1. Sensing (“It smells nice”, “I need to touch it first”, “I can see what you mean.”)
2. Intuiting (“I have a feeling something bad will happen”, “I bet today is going to go wonderfully”, “I have a hunch there’s something special about you.”)
3. Thinking (“Lets look at the problem logically”, “It doesn’t match the set criteria”, “That happened before.”)
4. Feeling (“I feel pain”, “I love the energy in this room”, “It just feels right”)
Sensation and Intuition gather and perceive information. Thought and Feeling evaluate and judge the information. None supersede the other. None have greater value. In the healthy personality, all four functions work together.
Dominant function
All four functions are used at different times depending on the circumstances. However, one of these four functions is generally used more dominantly and proficiently than the other three, in a more conscious and confident way. This dominant function is supported by the secondary (auxiliary) function, and to a lesser degree the tertiary function. The fourth and least conscious function is always the opposite of the dominant function. This inferior function is often called the shadow.
In Jungian analysis, each of these functions relates to an archetype.
The Eight Function Model
John Beebe M.D., a Jungian analyst, is one of many disciples who has made his life’s work furthering Jung’s study. Thanks in large part to his work, the idea that each of us has the potential to access the full range of consciousnesses that Jung identified in Psychological Types has evolved into what is known as the eight-function model.
This theory endorses the idea that each of us has just one superior and one auxiliary function on which we rely heavily; but it goes further, analyzing how our consciousness operates when we find that we must reach beyond these two favored ways of coming up with intelligent responses to life’s demands.
Personality issues begin when one or more of the four functions is blocked. This results in poor self-understanding and a blindness to one’s behavior. Once the person loses a connection with oneself that forms his or her reality, we our personality is considered disordered.
We behave oddly (paranoid, schizoid, schizoitypal), dramatically (antisocial, borderline, histrionic, narcissistic), anxiously (avoidant, dependent, obsessive-compulsive) or we may exhibit a personality that is depressive, passive aggressive, sadistic and self defeating.
Regardless how we show dysfunction, all these behaviors grow out of an injury to our developing psyche at a crucial point in its unfolding.
To cope, we formed a defensive pattern in reaction to the hurt. The trauma may have been real such as physical or emotional abuse. It may have been perceived as real in our interpretation. Real or perceived, it exists in our psyche – a negative energy frozen in time that impairs our ability to work, love and be happy in the present.
To be healthy, whole and free to achieve our fullest potential as a human being, we must find a way to express, process and release these complex patterns.
Jungian analysis is one way.
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