complex Archives - Applied Jung

The Middle Passage, from Misery to Meaning in Midlife by James Hollis

This book review is by Lynelle Pieterse and will be explored in the bookclub. Follow this link to join the Jungian Bookclub. James Hollis received his Diploma in Analytical Psychology from the C.G. Jung Institute in Zurich, and is the Director of the C.G. Jung Educational Center in Houston, Texas. He is a frequent guest speaker who spends winters in analytic practice and writes during the summers. In his books, he elaborates on the theories of C. G. Jung. Contemplated...

April 14, 2017

By Stephen FarahBook and Movie ReviewsA meaningful life, animus, archetypes, C.G. Jung, choice, complex, consciousness, destiny, freedom, individuation, Jung, Jungian, jungian perspective, Living meaningfully, love, meaning, psychoanalysis, relationships, shadow, symbols, unconscious4 Comments

COMPLEX, ARCHETYPE, SYMBOL in the Psychology of C.G. Jung by Jolande Jacobi

This is a book review by Lynelle Pieterse who manages the Jungian Book Club. Click here to buy this book. Complex/Archetype/Symbol in the Psychology of C.G. Jung (Bollingen Series (General))

Introduction

In the foreword, Jung writes: “…the concept of the archetype has given rise to the greatest misunderstandings.” The book is a discussion about the intricate terms Complex, Archetype, and Symbol and specifically about how they are interrelated. Jolande Jacobi was an associate of C.G. Jung for many years. She is known for...

February 7, 2017

By Anja van KralingenBook and Movie Reviewsarchetypes, complex, consciousness, Jung, Jungian, jungian perspective, meaning, psychoanalysis, symbols8 Comments

A Bullet in the Chamber: A Jungian Perspective on a Murderous Gun Complex

Oscar Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend on Valentines Day. He was devastated and cried uncontrollably at his first court appearance and frequently at his bail hearing. His affidavit stated that that he believed that there was a burglar in his bathroom whom he shot, only to realise to his horror that he had shot Reeva Steenkamp. Whether his version of events is true or whether, as the state claims, the killing was in fact intentional, i.e. murder, remains undecided....

February 27, 2013

By Anja van KralingenComplexes, Jungian Themesblame, complex, consciousness, ego, Jung, neurosis, relationships, unconscious23 Comments

Of Butterflies and other Symbols of Transformation

I have a butterfly in a bottle on my desk. It is not a real butterfly, it is fake. There is a wire attached to it and it is battery operated. When you tap the top of the bottle, the butterfly flutters and flies and flaps its wings. It is absolutely convincingly real. I LOVE it! I am fascinated by it and it is a symbol for me. Perhaps it is the ingenuity of the design, or the fact that it...

September 18, 2012

By Anja van KralingenJungian Themes, Symbolscomplex, consciousness, ego, individuation, meaning, movie10 Comments

A Roadmap of the Soul

Although not our natural state, I believe in the possibility of a truly meaningful and fulfilled life. A life lived with a sense of profound excitement and awe; a life where the depth, complexity and beauty of the cosmos live in us. I don’t suggest that suffering is not a reality, or that I have personally reached such an elevated state of consciousness. I suggest rather, that much suffering we do endure is illegitimate and that: a meaningless existence, boredom, lack of purpose, a...

September 4, 2012

By Stephen FarahJungian Themes, Symbolscomplex, consciousness, Freud, individuation, Jung, meaning1 Comment

To Have or Not to Have an Ego

In western culture the ego has had a bad rap. Most people think that an ego is something negative. That it should be suppressed. You have an over inflated ego, or you are egocentric or egotistical. And Eastern religions say you should abandon it altogether, it just causes problems. :) But what is the ego? Is it something good or bad? Should you give up on it or hold on to it? In both analytical psychology (Jungian) and psychoanalysis (Freudian), the Ego plays...

May 3, 2012

By Anja van KralingenEgo, Jungian Themescomplex, consciousness, Freud, Jung, shadow, unconscious3 Comments

How to make money and (still) be a nice person

If you are really wealthy, don’t read this blog. :) I was reading an article that James Hillman wrote “A contribution to soul and money”. He says lots of interesting things in it, but what struck me as most interesting is the idea that money = psyche. Money is an Archetype which is translated into psychic energy. This psychic energy is limited, so it can only be used by the ego for either external (conscious) development, i.e. manifesting money or...

March 6, 2012

By Anja van KralingenComplexes, Personallycomplex, money, neurosis, unconscious4 Comments