Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with jung

Help Me Find Synchronicities

dmaterialized — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 15:53:13 -0800

Looking for examples of synchronicity, or evidence of "collective unconscious"-- like world records that, once broken, are broken by many others, or two musicians coming up with similar tunes without knowing each other, etc. Has there ever been historical evidence of synchronized events?

Say it aint so, C.G.: What kind of man was Jung?

bunky — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 00:57:17 -0800

I recently heard a rumor that Carl Gustav Jung would rape female patients and hypnotize them so they would have no memory of the attack. Is there any truth to this, or is this the sort of story professional rivals spread to discredit his ideas?

What's the current state of thought regarding symbolism within psychological analysis?

humblepigeon — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 05:09:50 -0800

What's the current state of thought regarding symbolism within psychological analysis (ie Freud and Jung)? I have only a slight knowledge of psychology, but I understand that both Freud and Jung have been widely discredited. Has there been any advances in symbolistic psychology since Freud and Jung's time? Is it still considered a valid tool with which to analyse the human mind and, in a wider context, the workings of the world? As you might be able to guess, I'm approaching this from the angle of critical theory but it all comes from a psychological root that was once highly regarded and I'm interested in understanding the validity or otherwise of it nowadays.

Jungian literary criticism

leibniz — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:49:45 -0800

Help me find examples of literary criticism adopting the Jungian idea that all the characters are aspects of the same person. I am researching character from the standpoint of analytic philosophy of mind/emotions and aesthetics of literature. I am interested in exploring the idea that every character in a book is really just different aspects of one person. I take this to be derived from Jung's claim that everyone in your dreams is really yourself. So first of all, can anyone point me to an exact reference to this idea (preferably accessible online). And if not in dreams, then in literature, or even in real social life? Related to this is of course the stuff about archetypes, but I consider that idea completely secondary to the first one about distributed identity and I am much less interested in it.

Second, I am interested in finding examples of literary/film criticism that use this basic assumption to analyse a work. I am personally applying it to the work of Herman Hesse (who was analysed by Jung and where the connection to his works has been made before). But can anyone provide references to scholarly articles that do this (again preferably accessible online)?

By the way, I don't know much about the literary criticism tradition, and am generally sceptical of their style, so tips regarding that are also welcome.

Freud and Jung Book Recommendations

majikstreet — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 09:20:26 -0800

I'd like to start reading Freud and Jung. Any recommendations for books? I'm already considering "How to read Freud," "How to read Jung," "Two Essays on Analytical Psychology," and "Memories, Dreams, Reflections." I know that the hive mind must have some other suggestions (and something more for Freud). Thanks!

Intro to Jung

regicide is good for you — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 12:04:42 -0800

What text(s) should I read for a substantial (but not daunting) introduction to Jung? I'm not a completist, so I've no interest in reading all his stuff, or anywhere near to it, but I would like to get acquainted with his main ideas (especially relating to the unconscious, and synchronicity). Ideally it would be in his own flavour as much as possible, but I'm not opposed to secondary texts (barring those "For Beginners" comic books and their ilk, please.)

I don't know if I'm looking for a shortlist of his works, one of his works in particular, or a specific anthology.

Some critical analysis would probably also be of great benefit.

Thanks!

Jung: Gifted and Wack?

hermitosis — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 06:35:46 -0800

To what extent has Carl G. Jung's work has been replaced, rejected, or made obsolete, and how ought this affect how one reads his books? I've read Jung off and on over the years. Lately I've been reading "Man and His Symbols" and am interested in getting deeper into his work. I don't know enough about modern psychology to know how discriminatingly I should proceed. I came across this thread about Freud, and while the judgments there didn't surprise me, it made me realize what little context I have for what I'm reading except for what I myself have experienced.

Is there a doctor in the House?

tellurian — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 06:58:23 -0800

I know that House is a TV construct but I'm wondering, are there doctors that perform this role in real life? For example, if I was to turn up in an emergency ward with some weird and unexplainable condition, do hospitals employ a Gregory House that would take on my case?

I don't know if I find it difficult to talk about my feelings!

cilantro — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 01:16:48 -0800

Meyers - Briggs Personality Inventory scores seem to pop up a lot in explanations for askme questions as background on the poster to help people answer his or her questions, and occasionally I've heard people I know discussing their 'types' and how it affects their lives. Because of my own experience with the test, my knee-jerk reaction is that it seems only slightly more helpful than giving one's astrological sign as background. I took the real test over ten years ago when I was in high school, though I don't remember my 4 letters, and I took a short version online a few minutes ago. I remember the first time I took the test feeling just like I did when I took the test just now - I simply don't know the answer to most of the questions. Would I rather read a book or go to a party? Well, it depends completely on both the book and the party - and as a nearly-30-year old almost-married lady, I must say that the parties in my life are few and far between. Other questions that leave me scratching my head include 'Objective criticism is always useful in any activity', 'When solving a problem you would rather follow a familiar approach than seek a new one', and 'Strict observance of the established rules is likely to prevent a good outcome'. My response to these questions is 'I have absolutely no idea' but there is no checkbox for that.

I am willing to accept the idea that maybe I am just living an unexamined life, but I honestly feel that I am a fairly thoughtful and introspective person. I just find that I don't have an answer for most of these questions, or if I do it's completely situational. Even fairly obvious questions like 'do you get excited easily' are pretty much impossible for me to answer. Is anyone else as confused and skeptical as me about this test? Or are you just the opposite, do you think it's really accurate and helpful and awesome? Or do you have no idea? Are my skepticism and inability to choose answers part of my personality as expressed in my 4 letter code*? Are there 'trick' questions built in to gage whether I am sure about my answers or just making guesses? I am interested in personal experiences/opinions regarding Meyers Briggs as well as links to articles or names of books that might explain the history of the test and/or any controversy surrounding it.

*I'm an eNTp according to the most-likely-not-accurate test I took online here

Raw material for understanding subconcious and emotional undercurrents in situations

beatrice — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 09:59:59 -0800

The terrain of the subconscious. The stories we tell ourselves. Book recommendations to better pick out and respond to the undercurrents of situations. Maybe books on archetypes, folklore, symbols, fantasy. Maybe just books with strong character development. I've been reading pop psychology and business inspiration. (Who did move my cheese?) Great and all, but there has got to be more to life than knowing your bottom line and communicating it clearly. I mean, what truly motivates people? What are these subconcious drives driving me? I need an infusion of new ideas.

Looking at some of the patterned ways I see situations and react, I've started to realize that I have this sort of persona, there's a certain persona I always fall for, there's someone I'm trying to prove I'm not, etc. I can discern some of the easy patterns just by reading cognitive psychology (a la the Feeling Good Handbook). But it's more than just single recurring thoughts. It's a whole complex of ideas. In ways, I've gotten more insight by reading novels with strong character development. Learning how others see things, feeling what it's like inside others' lives and minds.

So I am looking for book recommendations, from non-fiction books that explicitly explain things like archetypes, to compilations of folklore, to great novels... Books that are complex and textured enough to serve as raw material for understanding myself and others, seeing the deeper dynamics in situations, etc.

All other tips, beyond book recommendations, are also welcome.