Jung was a psychiatrist. He was a contemporary of Freud. However while he built on the theories of Freud a lot of his conclusions were a very different. One concept he was particularly interested in was what is known as the collective unconscious and what we now know as Jungian or Jung symbols.
A good example is mythology. In a lot of major mythologies and religions there are certain stories that recur. A lot of them will look at how the world was first created or they foretell the end of the world. In these stories recurring images such as floods or fire will appear in order to symbolise the end of one order and the beginning of another.
What Jung noticed is that a lot of people seemed to see the same kind of images recur over and over. For example in most cultures fear can be personified in the form of a scarecrow and a lot of cultures recognise the fox as a symbol of cunning. It is these symbols that help people make sense of the world.
The idea is that there are certain culturally transcendent images known as archetypes. For example almost all cultures have some kind of myth involving a flood. A lot of religions have a story where a central figure overcomes an older order and decries its corruption before establishing a new order. While the content of the story and the characters involved may be different the essential concept appears to be unshifting and universal.
A lot of these recurring symbols help people to make sense of the world. One reason that fairy and folk tales are handed down through the ages is because they teach children right and wrong, helping them to be aware of the potential danger around them without putting them under any real threat.
While Jung did acknowledge that these symbols often represented repressed desires he felt they may not necessarily be bad things. He felt that this was more to do with having a psyche balanced by both male and female aspects and that this interpretation was not necessarily purely about sex or indulgence.
In both Jungian and Freudian interpretations there is a need to acknowledge that darker instincts should not be ignored. The danger of repression is that it results in developing neuroses and could potentially damage mental health. Equally a person who continually lashes out or indulges could equally harm themselves and others.
There is a wide array of archetypes and there are a number of sites that list them all. In simple terms all of them stem from people looking to understand themselves and what is happening in the world around them. It is worth looking online to learn about Jungian theories and articles in more depth as well as offering a new way to interpret the stories that you love as well as providing psychological insight.
A good example is mythology. In a lot of major mythologies and religions there are certain stories that recur. A lot of them will look at how the world was first created or they foretell the end of the world. In these stories recurring images such as floods or fire will appear in order to symbolise the end of one order and the beginning of another.
What Jung noticed is that a lot of people seemed to see the same kind of images recur over and over. For example in most cultures fear can be personified in the form of a scarecrow and a lot of cultures recognise the fox as a symbol of cunning. It is these symbols that help people make sense of the world.
The idea is that there are certain culturally transcendent images known as archetypes. For example almost all cultures have some kind of myth involving a flood. A lot of religions have a story where a central figure overcomes an older order and decries its corruption before establishing a new order. While the content of the story and the characters involved may be different the essential concept appears to be unshifting and universal.
A lot of these recurring symbols help people to make sense of the world. One reason that fairy and folk tales are handed down through the ages is because they teach children right and wrong, helping them to be aware of the potential danger around them without putting them under any real threat.
While Jung did acknowledge that these symbols often represented repressed desires he felt they may not necessarily be bad things. He felt that this was more to do with having a psyche balanced by both male and female aspects and that this interpretation was not necessarily purely about sex or indulgence.
In both Jungian and Freudian interpretations there is a need to acknowledge that darker instincts should not be ignored. The danger of repression is that it results in developing neuroses and could potentially damage mental health. Equally a person who continually lashes out or indulges could equally harm themselves and others.
There is a wide array of archetypes and there are a number of sites that list them all. In simple terms all of them stem from people looking to understand themselves and what is happening in the world around them. It is worth looking online to learn about Jungian theories and articles in more depth as well as offering a new way to interpret the stories that you love as well as providing psychological insight.
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