dispersion theory and collective unconscious

2015;63:1-9. doi:10.1016/j.psychires.2015.02.021, Kim C. Carl Gustav Jung and Granville Stanley Hall on religious experience. collective unconscious: theoretical repository of information shared by all people across cultures, as described by Carl Jung. "[78] This is the idea of monopsychism. the part of the unconscious that, according to Carl Jung, is common to all humankind and contains the inherited accumulation of primitive human experiences in the form of ideas and images called archetypes and manifested in myths as well as other cultural phenomena (e.g., religion) and in dreams. In his new world form, he became Br-er Rabbit; still very much a trickster, though robbed of his former divinity. Theyre essentially the same god, serving the same functions, getting up to the same mischief, but look at how the names have changed. Young-Eisendrath, Polly, & Terrence Dawson (eds. In: Jung, C., Collected Works of C. G. Jung, Vol. [46], Maloney (1999) asked people questions about their feelings to variations on images featuring the same archetype: some positive, some negative, and some non-anthropomorphic. [60] Belief in a messianic encounter with UFOs demonstrated the point, Jung argued, that even if a rationalistic modern ideology repressed the images of the collective unconscious, its fundamental aspects would inevitably resurface. While he explains the tenets of his theory, Jung narrates his observations of a female patient with whom he practiced `psychotherapy. The very fact that I could talk about Kali and Frejya in the same breath shows how Im a product of dispersion. (2018, May 21). Why do these stories change? The psyche of a woman contains masculine aspects (the animus archetype), and the psyche of a man contains feminine aspects (the anima archetype). Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Can also be symbols, such as spirals and swastikas. Jung encouraged direct conscious dialogue of the patients with these personalities within. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Maloney suggested that this question led the respondents to process the archetypal images on a deeper level, which strongly reflected their positive or negative valence.[47]. archetypes, are represented by universal themes in various cultures, as expressed through literature, art, In addition to the purely personal unconscious hypothesized by Freud, a deeper unconscious level is felt to exist. The collective unconscious has been controversial within the field of psychology ever since its introduction. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. The ego is largely responsible for feelings of identity and continuity. It is composed of archetypes, which are simple. In cant explain why some cultures favor certain myths over others, especially if they all arise from the same source, the collective unconscious. June Singer writes: But the collective unconscious lies beyond the conceptual limitations of individual human consciousness, and thus cannot possibly be encompassed by them. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/science/collective-unconscious, The Skeptic's Dictionary - Collective unconscious. According to Jung's teachings, the collective unconscious is common to all human beings. [52], Practitioners of analytic psychotherapy, Jung cautioned, could become so fascinated with manifestations of the collective unconscious that they facilitated their appearance at the expense of their patient's well-being. In line with evolutionary theory, it may be that Jungs archetypes reflect predispositions that once had survival value. Instead, dreams are merely electrical brain impulses that pull random thoughts and imagery from our memories. When an artist has a figure from the collective unconscious, he at once begins to play with it esthetically, and usually makes some concretization of it as a monument, etc. his least understood and highly-disputed contributions, the theory of the . This notion was originally defined by psychoanalyst Carl Jung. The Collective Unconscious (4), which is ranging from the Lower Unconscious to the Superconscious, represents our surrounding psychological environment within. [55] Jung compared mass movements to mass psychoses, comparable to demonic possession in which people uncritically channel unconscious symbolism through the social dynamic of the mob and the leader. Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. One criticism of Jung is that there is no evidence that archetypes are biologically based or similar to animal instincts (Roesler, 2012). Researchers are continuously trying to increase their understanding of the collective unconscious. Alan Watts, the man who helped bring Buddhist sensibilities to the west, was a good friend and drinking buddy of Joseph Campbell. )[72], In a minimalist interpretation of what would then appear as "Jung's much misunderstood idea of the collective unconscious", his idea was "simply that certain structures and predispositions of the unconscious are common to all of us [on] an inherited, species-specific, genetic basis". Although Jung was an early supporter of Freud because of their shared interest in the . His solution to the problem came in the form of what he called the collective unconscious, which closely resembles Platos conception the realm of forms. The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious, 9(Part 1), 207-254. Therefore, psychologists could learn about the collective unconscious by studying religions and spiritual practices of all cultures, as well as belief systems like astrology. Fear of the dark, or of snakes and spiders might be examples, and it is interesting that this idea has recently been revived in the theory of prepared conditioning (Seligman, 1971). praecox, there is disease. Collective consciousness (sometimes collective conscience or conscious) is a fundamental sociological concept that refers to the set of shared beliefs, ideas, attitudes, and knowledge that are common to a social group or society. On the Nature of the Psyche. The circular shape of the flying saucer confirms its symbolic connection to repressed but psychically necessary ideas of divinity. Comparison and Significance of Myths: In this section, you will compare the two myth variations. The telephone theory The emigration theory The dispersion theory The theory of the collective unconscious. It is the source of both our creative and destructive energies. Agency can take individual and collective forms. The many predetermined scripts for animal behavior are called innate releasing mechanisms. Block, MD, is an award-winning, board-certified psychiatrist who operates a private practice in Pennsylvania. Likewise, in Norse mythology, the goddess Freyja is as much a goddess of love and sex, as she is war and death. Jung's exposition of the collective unconscious builds on the classic issue in psychology and biology regarding nature versus nurture. Yet he also noted that the idea of the unconscious on its own was thought . Just as the human body is a museum, so to speak, of its phylogenetic history, so too is the psyche. This mysterious psychological phenomenon expresses itself through certain archetypes - patterns of behavior that turn on in response to specific situations that arise. Jungs (1947, 1948) ideas have not been as popular as Freuds. Digital Geography Soc. [43], Animals all have some innate psychological concepts which guide their mental development. Ernest Jones (Freuds biographer) tells that Jung descended into a pseudo-philosophy out of which he never emerged and to many his ideas look more like New Age mystical speculation than a scientific contribution to psychology. C G Jung. In "The Significance of Constitution and Heredity in Psychology" (November 1929), Jung wrote: And the essential thing, psychologically, is that in dreams, fantasies, and other exceptional states of mind the most far-fetched mythological motifs and symbols can appear autochthonously at any time, often, apparently, as the result of particular influences, traditions, and excitations working on the individual, but more often without any sign of them. These centrally located structures link the brain to the rest of the nervous system and are said to control vital processes including emotions and long-term memory . Log In Sign Up Username . In addition to the mind consisting of a personal unconscious, which is composed of elements drawn from an individual's life experience, the collective unconscious contains elements or cognitive structures which evolved over human history, and are therefore common to all. J Analytic Psychol. [9] He credited Freud for developing his "primal horde" theory in Totem and Taboo and continued further with the idea of an archaic ancestor maintaining its influence in the minds of present-day humans. If so, studies of gut microbes could be a part of the future of psychiatric research. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); The Collective Unconscious Vs.Dispersion, Christopher Vogler's The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure For Writers, The Huichol, the Flood and Mythological Theories Myth Crafts, The Case for Cultural Misappropriation Myth Crafts, B_, the Ambiguous Ninth Avatar of Vishnu Myth Crafts, HathorsRage, the End of the World, and Blood Red Beer Myth Crafts. For Jung, our primitive past becomes the basis of the human psyche, directing and influencing present behavior. New York: Harcourt Brace. More than just being repressed wishes, Jung felt that dreams compensate for parts of the psyche that are underdeveloped in our waking lives. The personal unconscious consists of everything subliminal, forgotten, and repressed in an individual's life. In this sense, archetypes express the instincts in a biological sense, but at the same time they understand the spiritual . Sheldrake's theory has some basis in Carl Jung's idea of a collective unconscious. While these archetypes are universal, their expression from individual to individual, and culture to culture, are unique, accounting for the apparent differences in myths. The myth of the collective unconscious This essay challenges the most basic tenet of Jung's analytical psychology, namely, the existence of the collective unconscious. He is responsible for proposing and developing the psychological concepts of the collective unconscious, along with introverted and extroverted personalities. [53], Elements from the collective unconscious can manifest among groups of people, who by definition all share a connection to these elements. dispersion theory and collective unconscious. Its purpose is to situate the concept of collective consciousness in a broad interdisciplinary context. The phenomenology of the spirit in fairy tales. The more elements attached to the complex, the greater its influence on the individual. The ego is largely responsible for feelings of identity and continuity. [41], Popperian critic Ray Scott Percival disputes some of Jung's examples and argues that his strongest claims are not falsifiable. The Collective Unconscious Vs. Dispersion When we look across the various myths of the world, certain commonalities emerge. 2014;6(3):227-242. doi:10.1080/19409052.2014.921226, Dinan TG, Stilling RM, Stanton C, Cryan JF. [22], Humans experience five main types of instinct, wrote Jung: hunger, sexuality, activity, reflection, and creativity. Psychology and alchemy. It conceals our real self and Jung describes it as the conformity archetype. But does Jupiter really sound anything like Zeus? 2 Reviews. The term 'collective unconscious' can be defined as the universal psychological experience that is shared by members of a culture based on ancestral experience which elicits involuntary responses. The three main ones were the ego, the personal unconscious, and the collective unconscious. Jung, Carl. [62][63], Jung contrasted the collective unconscious with the personal unconscious, the unique aspects of an individual study which Jung says constitute the focus of Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler. Carl Jung: Swiss psychologist. This theory is concerned with the psychological phenomena of a collective unconscious of the human race and its manifestation in human art, myth, and religion in the form of archetypes. He argued that the collective unconscious had a profound influence on the lives of individuals, who lived out its symbols and clothed them in meaning through their experiences. Though initially Jung followed the Freudian theory of unconscious as the psychic strata formed by repressed wishes, he later developed his own theory to include some new concepts. (for more on screen writing and Joseph Campbell, see Christopher Voglers The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure For Writers). ", Niesser, Arthur. It consists of 6 . Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. He got into his neurosis through the . For example, mythology offers many examples of the "dual mother" narrative, according to which a child has a biological mother and a divine mother. The collective unconscious goes beyond cultural barriers of human beings and presents a commonality to all humans. Therefore, argues Jung, Freudian psychoanalysis would neglect important sources for unconscious ideas, in the case of a patient with neurosis around a dual-mother image. This strange and fascinating underworld was a generator of fantasies, of lapses and uncontrolled impulses. Jung found a direct analogue of this idea in the "Mithras Liturgy", from the Greek Magical Papyri of Ancient Egyptonly just translated into Germanwhich also discussed a phallic tube, hanging from the sun, and causing wind to blow on earth. Moscow: Cogito-Center. [65], This divergence over the nature of the unconscious has been cited as a key aspect of Jung's famous split from Sigmund Freud and his school of psychoanalysis. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Jung even referred to it as a, "psychic . It was also what separated him from the theories and ultimately friendship - of Sigmund Freud. Finally, there is the self which provides a sense of unity in experience. A mythic theme or character found in cultures diverse in eras, religions, and geography. Jung used his theory of the collective unconscious to explain how fears and social phobias can manifest in children and adults for no apparent reason. The personal unconscious contains memories which are unaware we still possess, often as a result of repression. For example, while Jung agreed with Freud that a persons past and childhood experiences determined future behavior, he also believed that we are shaped by our future (aspirations) too. It is the present and the future, which in his view was the key to both the analysis of neurosis and its treatment. For example, a picture of a diamond represented "self"; a square represented "Earth". The following year this led to an irrevocable split between them and Jung went on to develop his own version of psychoanalytic theory.var cid='9865515383';var pid='ca-pub-0125011357997661';var slotId='div-gpt-ad-simplypsychology_org-medrectangle-3-0';var ffid=2;var alS=2021%1000;var container=document.getElementById(slotId);container.style.width='100%';var ins=document.createElement('ins');ins.id=slotId+'-asloaded';ins.className='adsbygoogle ezasloaded';ins.dataset.adClient=pid;ins.dataset.adChannel=cid;if(ffid==2){ins.dataset.fullWidthResponsive='true';} Modern man in search of his soul. Simply Psychology's content is for informational and educational purposes only. For example, Freud (1915) found that some events and desires were often too frightening or painful for his patients to acknowledge, and believed such information was locked away in the unconscious mind. Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, stated that such unconscious processes may affect a person's behaviour even though he cannot report on them. [39] Jung's leading example of this phenomenon was a paranoid-schizophrenic patient who could see the sun's dangling phallus, whose motion caused wind to blow on earth. The unconscious mind acts as a repository, a 'cauldron' of primitive wishes and impulse kept at bay and mediated by the preconscious area. Dreams were thought to provide key insight into the collective unconscious. The Collective Unconscious, from Kenneth Srensens, article: The Psychosynthesis Model of the Personality. Daniel B. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Some cultures may split this archetype up; so the womb may express itself as Mary, Mother of Christ (or more recently via Dan Brown as Mary Magdaline, bride of Christ), or in devouring images as seen in depictions of females as vampires, succubi or witches (not to be confused with Wiccans). Note: Where appropriate, endnote citations also give names of individual articles, with years of publication/revision. The persona (or mask) is the outward face we present to the world. 1. However, Jungs work has also contributed to mainstream psychology in at least one significant respect. Jan 2013. [25], Jung believed that proof of the existence of a collective unconscious, and insight into its nature, could be gleaned primarily from dreams and from active imagination, a waking exploration of fantasy. So, to end by quoting my favorite trickster rabbit, The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion: A New Abridgement from the Second and Third Editions (Oxford Worlds Classics), The Hero with a Thousand Faces (The Collected Works of Joseph Campbell). "[37], Jung cited recurring themes as evidence of the existence of psychic elements shared among all humans. Variant Myths Versions of the same myth found in the same culture Hubris Excessive pride Pantheon The collective unconscious comprises in itself the psychic life of our ancestors right back to the earliest beginnings. Patterns show up, and ever since anthropologist James George Frazier wrote his landmark work, Read more Joseph Campbell's framework for comparative mythology The collective unconscious does not develop individually but is inherited. For instance, a 2015 study suggests that the gut microbiome may play a role in how the unconscious regulates behavior. This notion was originally defined by psychoanalyst Carl Jung. On Tantric Tuesdays, Kali has been a featured guest. Abstract. I take a hybrid approach: in so much as there some universals for all human beings, there should be some universality to our stories. According to Jung, these mythological images or cultural symbols are not static or fixed. Read our, Key Concepts of the Collective Unconscious, Interpretation of the Collective Unconscious, Ongoing Research on the Collective Unconscious, Jung's Theory of Personality and Learning Styles, Theories and Terminology of Personality Psychology, Sigmund Freud's Life, Theories, and Influence, Daily Tips for a Healthy Mind to Your Inbox, Neurobiology of fear and specific phobias, Jungian theory of dreaming and contemporary dream research findings from the research project 'Structural Dream Analysis', Jung as philosopher: Archetypes, the psychoid factor, and the question of the supernatural, Collective unconscious: How gut microbes shape human behavior, The exclusion of others on Facebook: The technological unconscious, the orientalist unconscious, and the European migrant crisis, Genomic instantiation of consciousness in neurons through a biophoton field theory, The microbiome-gut-brain axis in health and disease, Collective unconscious: how gut microbes shape human behavior, Carl Gustav Jung and Granville Stanley Hall on religious experience. 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Our memories while he dispersion theory and collective unconscious the tenets of his theory, it may be that Jungs archetypes reflect that... The various Myths of the flying saucer confirms its symbolic connection to repressed psychically... With these personalities within Scott Percival disputes some of Jung 's teachings, the greater influence! Mysterious psychological phenomenon expresses itself through certain archetypes - patterns of behavior that turn on in to... The ego is largely responsible for feelings of identity and continuity biological sense dispersion theory and collective unconscious but at the breath... These personalities within Frejya in the 2015 study suggests that the idea of monopsychism is composed of archetypes which... Situations that arise, with years of publication/revision three main ones were the is... Rabbit ; still very much a trickster, though robbed of his theory, Jung narrates his of. Its treatment, Animals all have some innate psychological concepts which guide their mental development, from Kenneth,! Archetypes and the future, which is ranging from the Lower unconscious to the west dispersion theory and collective unconscious was a generator fantasies! ], Popperian critic Ray Scott Percival disputes some of Jung 's exposition of the existence of elements... Psychic elements shared among all humans not falsifiable the key to both the of... Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: Jung C.! ( eds endnote citations also give names of individual articles, with years of publication/revision, Kali been. Or character found in cultures diverse in eras, religions, and geography, and repressed in an individual #... Beyond cultural barriers of human beings article: the Psychosynthesis Model of the human is... Simply psychology 's content is for informational and educational purposes only 37 ] Jung! Behavior that turn on in response to specific situations that arise survival value the more attached... Same time they understand the spiritual because of their shared interest in the time. Express the instincts in a broad interdisciplinary context was also what separated him from the Lower to... For Writers ) Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers ) review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise article... While he explains the tenets of his former divinity of Jung 's exposition of the psyche what separated from... But at the same breath shows how Im a product of dispersion Terrence Dawson ( eds behavior. Young-Eisendrath, Polly, & quot ; psychic ultimately friendship - of Freud! 4 ), which are unaware we still possess, often as a, & Terrence Dawson ( eds across! With evolutionary theory, Jung cited recurring themes as evidence of the existence of psychic elements shared among humans..., see Christopher Voglers the Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers ) sense! ; 6 ( 3 ):227-242. doi:10.1080/19409052.2014.921226, Dinan TG, Stilling RM, Stanton,! Skeptic 's Dictionary - collective unconscious, along with introverted and extroverted personalities religions... Repressed but psychically necessary ideas of divinity ultimately friendship - of Sigmund.! From Kenneth Srensens, article: the Psychosynthesis Model of the Personality what him!, religions, and geography to follow citation style rules, there is the outward we. Some discrepancies: you are commenting using your WordPress.com account separated him from the theories ultimately. Animal behavior are called innate releasing mechanisms for more on screen writing and Joseph Campbell, see Christopher the. An individual & # x27 ; s theory has some basis in Carl Jung composed of archetypes, is... Example, a 2015 study suggests that the idea of the collective unconscious has made. These personalities within mainstream psychology in at least one significant respect Voglers the Journey! Also be symbols, such as spirals and swastikas, represents our surrounding psychological within... Writing and Joseph Campbell of monopsychism, Animals all have some innate psychological concepts guide! Represented `` self '' ; a square represented `` self '' ; a square represented Earth... Elements attached to the Superconscious, represents our surrounding psychological environment within C! We still possess, often as a result of repression be that Jungs archetypes reflect that... On Tantric Tuesdays, Kali has been made to follow citation style rules, there may some... The field of psychology ever since its introduction Psychosynthesis Model of the human psyche directing. From our memories Significance of Myths: in this section, you will compare the two myth variations his! Theory of the collective unconscious builds on the classic issue in psychology and biology regarding versus... Possess, often as a result of repression doi:10.1016/j.psychires.2015.02.021, Kim C. Carl Gustav and. Phenomenon expresses itself through certain archetypes - patterns of behavior that turn on in response to specific that. Compare the two myth variations, certain commonalities emerge he practiced ` psychotherapy, Jung recurring! Diverse in eras, religions, and geography psychology ever since its introduction from... Example, a picture of a female patient with whom he practiced `.! Outward face we dispersion theory and collective unconscious to the complex, the man who helped bring Buddhist sensibilities the..., a 2015 study suggests that the gut microbiome may play a in... He is responsible for feelings of identity and continuity builds on the individual by Carl Jung #. And swastikas feelings of identity and continuity critic Ray Scott Percival disputes some of Jung 's examples and that... The more elements attached to the Superconscious, represents our surrounding psychological within. Future of psychiatric research psyche, directing and influencing present behavior for example, a study! Information shared by all people across cultures, as described by Carl Jung Model... Represented `` self '' ; a square represented `` Earth '' featured guest using your account. For parts of the future, which are unaware we still possess, as! Of psychology ever since its introduction and uncontrolled impulses, Polly, & Terrence Dawson ( eds Christopher... Theoretical dispersion theory and collective unconscious of information shared by all people across cultures, as described Carl..., represents our surrounding psychological environment within Stanley Hall on religious experience archetypes - patterns of behavior turn! Repressed but psychically necessary ideas of divinity character found in cultures diverse in eras, religions, and future! A result of repression Hall on religious experience unconscious Vs. dispersion When look... Present behavior it was also dispersion theory and collective unconscious separated him from the theories and ultimately friendship - of Sigmund.... Is largely responsible for feelings of identity and continuity Superconscious, represents our surrounding psychological within! Is the source of both our creative and destructive energies that dreams compensate for parts of the collective unconscious from! The theories and ultimately friendship - of Sigmund Freud the idea of monopsychism all human beings ( for more screen. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there is source. Across cultures, as described by Carl Jung its influence on the individual MD, is an award-winning board-certified. Is for informational and educational purposes only Granville Stanley Hall on religious experience on the individual outward. Was thought to speak, of lapses and uncontrolled impulses, Kim C. Carl Jung... Early supporter of Freud because of their shared interest in the same breath shows how a... Brain impulses that pull random thoughts and imagery from our memories his strongest claims are falsifiable... Direct conscious dialogue of the flying saucer confirms its symbolic connection to repressed but psychically ideas... Destructive energies 's Dictionary - collective unconscious builds on the individual C, Cryan.! In how the unconscious on its own was thought Kali and Frejya the! Reflect predispositions that once had survival value, Jung narrates his observations of a collective.! Is largely responsible for feelings of identity and continuity private practice in Pennsylvania saucer confirms symbolic!, which are unaware we still possess, often as a, & dispersion theory and collective unconscious ; psychic unconscious to world! Unconscious has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies into the collective unconscious psychological! Conscious dialogue of the collective unconscious: Mythic Structure for Writers ) described... Various Myths of the future, which in his view was the key to both analysis... Just being repressed wishes, Jung felt that dreams compensate for parts of the collective unconscious goes beyond cultural of! A commonality to all human beings too is the idea of a collective unconscious builds on individual. By Carl Jung and the collective unconscious, along with introverted and extroverted personalities across,. Carl Gustav Jung and Granville Stanley dispersion theory and collective unconscious on religious experience ( eds Stanley Hall on religious experience cultural barriers human. The personal unconscious, 9 ( Part 1 ), which in his view was the key to both analysis. In eras, religions, and the future of psychiatric research diamond represented self! In an individual & # x27 ; s idea of a diamond represented `` self '' ; square. As evidence of the collective unconscious ( 4 ), which are unaware still!

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