Product Description

The concepts of the archetype is crucial to Jung's radical interpretation of the human mind. Here he considers the archetypes he considered fundamental to every living individual: mother, rebirth, spirit and trickster.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #126541 in Books
• Published on: 2003-01-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 216 pages

Review
'Jung believed that the unconscious is not merely the hiding place of demons but the province of angels and ministers of grace, which he called the 'archetypes', symbols of all the inner forces that work toward unity, health, fullness of life, and purposeful conscious development.' - Lewis Mumford, The New Yorker 'His idea of the archetype involves profound attitudes towards man's existence and intimate values through which very many people have found a new significance in their lives.' - R.F. Hobson, Journal of Analytical Psychology

From the Back Cover

‘Jung believed that the unconscious is not merely the hiding place of demons but the province of angels and ministers of grace, which he called the ‘archetypes’, symbols of all the inner forces that work toward unity, health, fullness of life, and purposeful conscious development.’ – Lewis Mumford, The New Yorker

In this book Jung describes the four archetypes that he considers fundamental to the psychological make-up of every individual: mother, rebirth, spirit and trickster. Exploring their role in myth, fairytale and scripture, Jung engages the reader in discoveries that challenge and enlighten the ways we perceive ourselves and others. First published in English: 1967.

About the Author
Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961). Founded the analytical school of psychology and developed a radical new theory of the unconscious. Carl Gustav Jung (1875

Customer Reviews

A book that requires further reading...
For those who have never encountered Jung's primary works, rather than the massive body of interpretations, especially New Age, it comes as no surprise, that a permanent mythological dictionary is required at hand before delving deeply into the mysteries this book uncovers!

Also, I was made keenly aware that this book assmumes a prior understanding of Jung's concepts of the anima, eros, and the shadow for instance, and that the chapters are in actual fact extracts from Volume 9 of The Collected Works.

Therefore, if the reader is seeking a precis of Jung's overarching theories or a major delineation of the concept of the archetype - which I was naively led to think would be the case from the book cover - then this book will only ever be an entry point.

More than anything else then, I was left with the impression that this book provides an amazing insight into the mind of a brilliant analytical psychologist (though translated). In particular his elaboration of the figure Kdidr that plays a great role in Islamic mysticism, as a set of symbols outlining the process of tranformation (rebirth), and a "very" detailed psychoanalysis of the animal spirit (wise man) symbolism in a fairy tale about a three-legged horse, both left me wondering at the power of his archetypal interpretations.

However, at the same time I also pondered on how open Jung's radical approach is to allowing the assumption that one cannot assume a disposition and attitude as universal, even his own analysis. But in the introduction to the book, there is an answer, and a credible one at that: one can never know the archetype "..it designates only those psychic contents which have not yet been submitted to conscious elaboration.." The historical formula of the archetype that has evolved through personal consciousness is coloured by individuals, society and culture in the shape of myths, fairy tales and dreams. The question is then, is Jungs personal analysis taken as a gateway to the archetypal realm - a man closer to its understanding than most - or have we accepted at face value his own interpretations as actual archetypal fact too fully, and ignore too readily his "..critical and evaluating influence of conscious elaboration"??