Carl Jung: Key Concepts of Personality Theory and Application

The degree to which one attains their own level of psychological development and understanding is often the product of an enduring and precarious pilgrimage bound by one of the most mystifying phenomenon’s known to mankind: the human mind. The ability to render complete understanding of the intricate workings of the mind has not only been cradled at the pentacle of research and academia for centuries, but is at the heart of each individual’s personal journey through life. The concept of understanding one's self can be as complex and overwhelming as trying to understand humanity as a whole; however, there have been many profound movements in thought and theory that conjure strong insight to how we may be able to achieve the ultimate meaning behind it all. Carl Gustav Jung, the founder of Analytical Psychology, went beyond rational thinking to discover the truth of one’s existence; by redirecting the purpose towards the concept of self knowledge, and by reshaping the concept of one’s Self. The nature of Jungian psychology is derived from mythological, mystical, and spiritual concepts which provided the framework for Carl Jung’s quest to develop a “science of the soul” (In lecture June 28, 2011, PSY 225 class, Professor C. Johnston). Jung created his own novel approach to understanding the human mind by cutting through the obscurity of reality and enthralling into a much deeper venture of transcendent enlightenment. Jung believed that there was a connectedness that all human beings share when it comes to mental patterns. He conceptualized the mind and spirit of man as a collective operation, integrating fundamental contents throughout various levels of one’s being. Jung called this operation the reality of the psyche, which mediates everything we know and perceive. He furthered this concept by differentiated levels within the psyche, claiming that each layer had specific and significant functions of an individual’s processes and overall being. The first level of the psyche is what Jung identified as the conscious awareness, which is an individual’s most outer part of their being, the surface layer that has direct contact and awareness with the outside world and all of the conscious processes. At the center of the conscious awareness is the ego, which is the part of the psyche that reflects an individual’s perception of themselves (Feist, 2009). Since the ego only has access to the conscious realm of the psyche, its perception is limited to surface content of the world and our being, therefore making its nature subjective and incomplete. The second level of the psyche is the personal unconscious, which is especially unique to each individual. The contents of this realm consist of an individual’s repressed or forgotten memories, feelings, events, and experiences; which come together to form what Jung identified as complexes (Feist 2009). A complex is the organization or grouping of related thoughts, feelings, and memories that are held together by a common feeling tone (In lecture June 28, 2011, PSY 225 class, Professor C. Johnston). Once activated by an associated representation of the complex within our immediate environment, the feeling tone produces an emotionally charged response in reaction to that representation. This process ultimately serves as an unconscious perceptual filter as we interact with our environment (In lecture June 28, 2011, PSY 225 class, Professor C. Johnston)

The third and deepest level of the psyche is the collective unconscious, also known as the impersonal or transpersonal conscious, consisting of collective universal content originating from the experiences of our ancestors (Feist 2009). This realm is home to the archetype, a formless primordial image possessing significant symbolic representation, producing the very essence of the psyche’s form and energy (Feist 2009). Carl Jung distinguished a fundamentally powerful force within the role of the archetype; crediting it as the most primitive endowment within the core of humanity. Being that the conditions of the archetype is for the image to be unaffected by time, environment, or circumstance, a universally distinct psychic predisposition is created deep within the collective conscious, which ultimately shapes the flow of an individual’s psychic energy. Particular events or situations will correspond with associated archetypes. When an archetype is activated, a channel of energy is actualized from the deepest parts of the unconscious. The archetype them becomes a vessel as it occupies itself with the contents of the psyche, following the flow of energy all the way to the conscious. Jung connected the manifestation of this energy in our expressions of behavior to come from an innate impression within, connecting human instinct as an archetypes counterpart, depicting the relationship as “instinctual patterns in the form of archetypal representation” (Feist, 2009, 105) This is what ultimately results in compelling and emotionally charged behaviors of great significance. The significance of the archetype now went far beyond a mythological or theoretical concept. Psychic energy could now be observed and measured “from a direct empirical method through patterns in our own experience (Laughlin, 1996). Jung identified many archetypes, however emphasis was placed towards those that had the most significance in affecting an individual's psyche. “The archetypes most clearly characterize from the empirical point of view are those which have the most frequent and most disturbing influence on the ego” (Campbell, 1971, 145) Jung identified many archetypes, however emphasis was placed towards those that could be empirically measured and that had the most affect on an individual's psyche. “The archetypes most clearly characterize from the empirical point of view are those which have the most frequent and most disturbing influence on the ego” (Campbell, 1971, 145). Some of the most significant archetypes to be considered in having the greatest affect were the Shadow, the Persona, the Anima or Animus, and the Self. The shadow archetype is the part of the personality most often repressed, as it contains dark and immoral habits or impulses that one does not want to acknowledge or face (Feist 2009). It represents everything we want to hide from ourselves and the world (Feist 2009). Jung identified the importance of getting to know one’s own shadow as the first and most important step towards individuation; the achievement recognizing and integrating all the contents of the psyche in a complete and balanced harmony (Storr, 1991). Jung believed the complete attainment of individuation was the very purpose of life. He also believed that this was the most difficult of things to accomplish, making it very rare. Jung then assorted the integration of the shadow as one of the most difficult tasks to accomplish in the process towards individuation “This act is the essential condition for any kind of self-knowledge, and therefore, as a rule, meets with considerable resistance” (Campbell, 1971, 145). The failure to overcome the resistance to recognize the shadow is the most dangerous of threats to an individual’s psyche. “Our lack of insight deprives us of the capacity to deal with evil” (Coles, 193). The evil is often then disguised through projection, leaving fertile ground for it to take over our personality without ever recognizing the fate of its destructive course. The anima or animus is the archetype that symbolize all the meaningful components of the opposite sex; the anima for the man and the animus for the woman. The anima represents all the psychological elements that are not acceptable to a man’s conscious self image, as the same is for the relationship between animus and woman. Jung understood the activation of the anima or animus as the compensation for what is missing from the individual’s unconscious identification with the opposite sex. English psychiatrist and author Anthony Storr captures this aspect of Jung’s theory by identifying what situations may cause the activation of the animus or anima. Storr highlights the situational factor of one lacking physical the affection from the opposite, leading a man or a woman to “be” what is missing; “A man in the grip of emotion tends to become moody, sentimental, and childish, whereas woman becomes argumentative, irritable, and opinionated” (Storr, 1991, 47). This is one of many examples of how the ego can be heavily influenced by the anima or animus, and can be observed through the behavioral patterns of certain situations.

The persona represents a superficial character or appearance we choose to present when interacting with the world. The term persona is derived from the Latin origin, meaning mask or false face and is orientated primarily towards an individual’s outer processes (Storr, 1991). It is the part of our personality to which we are concerned with reputation and conforming to social norms. Even though Jung believed this was necessary in identifying our place in the world, he also realized it was equally important not to over identify and lose touch with our inner self; keeping ourselves from attaining individuation (Feist 2009). It is through the process of self-realization that the greatest of all archetypes is discovered; the true Self.

The self is the central archetype, representing order, organization and unity. Even though the self extends throughout the personal conscious and conscious awareness, its primary force is formulated from deep within the collective unconscious (Feist 2009). The process of self-realization, sometimes also referred to as the processes or attainment of individuation, is the operational degree to which the self is able to integrate the contents of the psyche. By successfully rendering the psyche’s content to the consciousness, the collective unconsciousness is able to move more towards the center of the personality, creating the balance needed for Individuation.

When applying Jungian theory to my own life and experiences, I find it very easy to identify correlates to integrate with Jung’s key concepts. The first and most powerful correlate I discovered, which I chose not to mention in my summary of Jungian theory, was Jung’s concept of Synchronicity. The most prevalent and recurring example is when my boyfriend or I are thinking about one another, the other one will call or email. I understand that many couples may claim they experience this, however the degree and frequency that it occurs between my boyfriend and I is unbelievable. It happens on a daily basis and is often right down to the very minute that either I will be thinking to call him, have an email that I just started to quick send off, or my phone open to text. It is usually seconds before I pick up the phone to dial, start the words to an email, or hit the send button on the text, that he will send any of these forms of communications to reach me first. We have finally gotten so used to it that we don’t even bother saying “wow; that was so crazy I was just about to call you”, or “Honey, it flipping happened again, you beat me to it”.

Another more dramatic experience of synchronicity happened a few years ago between my best friend and me. She lives out of state, so we usually keep in touch with a phone call every few weeks and a visit every few months. I had just woken up one morning and she suddenly popped into my mind. The source of my thought was not from a random dream, memory or association; it came from a very strong feeling deep within me. Although the feeling was obscured beyond recognition, I knew that it was not good. I thought it to be most bizarre because I hadn’t even had the chance to fully wake up yet. As I wasted another minute or two trying to escape my perplexity, my phone rang. It was Jessica and her Grandmother had just suddenly passed.

Another aspect of Jung's theory that I can easily identify with is the concept of archetypes, especially the Animus and the Shadow. For the Animus, I have always felt deep and unexplainable tendencies to be drawn to certain characteristics belonging to both people and objects. Through my childhood and all the way to adult, I have always had an instinctual-like attraction to mythological or fictional characters that are female, but very masculine in their actual characteristics. For example, in the movie series Underground, I have a very strong attraction to the main female character who is a death slayer. She displays ruthless aggression, cold and calculating persuals, and impressive fighting, shooting, and killing expertise. It is much more than thinking this character is "cool" because I have found this same attraction to the same type of character in my life, over and over. When I was younger I would have dreams about a similar image, and would also find myself drawing this image repeatedly in my childhood and adolescent art. Sometimes the art would start out as a woman, but end up finished more as a unisex figure. Whatever the balance, the same theme always applied. I believe this warrior type image represents a collection of my contents within the Animus of my collective conscious. I also recognize the Animus when getting into arguments with others. I do not feel that I am a violent person, however when a certain emotion springs from within in a moment of intense anger, I get extremely aggressive. It is not necessarily a rage, but more of a calculating challenge to which I feel a surge of emotion that I can only describe when describing the characteristics of my Animus archetype. I have gotten in many fights and confrontations, much more than a lot of people I have known in my life. Well, one of the keys in finding your Animus archetype is supposedly looking closer at your father and what you have identified as masculine. It just so happens that my father has gotten into fights his entire life, with the situations of the fights or confrontations having much similar tone to my own experiences. The fights were never about rage for him as it took him a lot to get stirred up. However, for the few instances that I was witness to, his demeanor, attitude, and mission, all seem to fit the pattern of association. When I look back to experiences of confrontation with my boyfriend, I recognize the general characteristics and expressions of the Animus coming through me. In addition to that, I also recognize the Anima within his behavior. I always seem to become the one that is much more aggressive, unfeeling, and rational. He on the other hand, gets more sensitive and emotional. When these two things occur within each of us, it makes room for more fireworks as it becomes much more frustrating for the other individual to deal with the unfamiliar flip occurring within the other. After the fact, I have sometimes wondered to myself “why can’t I just be more sensitive, pout like most girls I know, say sorry, and the argument ends”. Instead I feel myself clamp up, sometimes I can even feel it happening, but nonetheless … I do not have a choice to change it. While this is going on, he is aggravating me even more by whining with sensitivity. In the real world, this is what I and most woman want. However it is during these specific times it is annoying and abominable. In summary, the personality theory of Carl Jung has affected me greatly. Not only do I have a strong interest to learn the concepts and meaning even more, but I find myself looking at the world around me under a different light, exploring people and their behavior in a different dimension than before. I believe that Jung’s theory was extraordinarily unique and original. Not only has it added great value in broadening the approach to the psychology of personality, but has and will broaden the approach to many individuals such as myself; in search of the Self.
References

Campbell, J. (1971). The Portable Jung. New York, NY: Penguin Books USA Inc.

Feist, G., Feist, J. (2009) Theories of Personality. (7th ed.) New York, NY: Mc-Graw Hill

Laughlin, C. (1996). Archetypes, Neurognosis, and the Quantum Sea. Journal of Scientific Exploration, Vol. 10, No. 3, pp. 375-400.

Storr, A. (1991). Jung. Routledge, London: Chapman and Hall Inc.

Wilmer, H. (1987). Practical Jung: Nuts and Bolts of Jungian Psychotherapy. Wilmette, IL: Chiron Publications.