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A Primer of Jungian Psychology
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September 29, 2025
A BASIC INTRODUCTION TO JUNG’S CONCEPTS AND IDEAS ABOUT PERSONALITY, ETC.
Authors Calvin Hall and Vernon Nordby wrote in the Preface to this 1973 book, “‘A Primer of Freudian Psychology’ was published in1954. Th[at] book was written to introduce students and the public to Freud’s ideas about the structure, dynamics and development of the ‘normal’ personality … it has been read by a very large number of people … we have wanted to write a similar introduction to the psychological views of C.G. Jung. We hesitated, however, because we felt there would not be much of an audience for such a book…. Within the last few years, a positive interest in Jung’s psychology has begun to develop, especially among younger psychologists, students, and the general public. They believe he has something significant to say about human behavior. So do we. We think Jung is one of the prime innovators or movers of modern thought; to ignore him is to lose ideas that are very pertinent to these troubled times. That is why we have written this book. We hope it will serve… to introduce the reader to the basic Jungian concepts concerning the structure, dynamics, and development of the NORMAL personality.”
They report that after Jung’s first year in the university, “During the … summer vacation several occult experiences occurred which were to influence Jung’s vocational choice…. The first mysterious experience happened … when Jung was in his room studying. Suddenly he heard a loud noise like a pistol shot. He went into the next room, where his mother was sitting about three feet from the large dinner table… [which] was split from the rim to the center… It was made of aged walnut, and the splitting could not have been caused by a change in temperature or humidity. Jung was baffled. The second experience … was [his finding] a large bread knife … that had shattered into several pieces… Shortly after these events, Jung began attending séances and table turnings which were held in the home of relatives every Saturday night. His interest in the occult never diminished … These mysterious phenomena were instrumental in turning Jung’s interest to psychology and psychopathology.” (Pg. 21)
They note, “Concepts have their dangers, too, as Jung realized. A concept may bias or limit our observations so that we see things that DO NOT exist and we do not see things that DO exist. That is why Jung cautioned against becoming too attached to one’s concepts and why he insisted upon the priority of observable facts over theories.” (Pg. 32)
They explain, “The word ‘persona’ originally denoted a mask worn by an actor which enabled him to portray a specific role in a play… In Jungian psychology, the persona archetype serves a similar purpose; it enables one to portray a character that is not necessarily his own. The persona is the mask or façade one exhibits publicly, with the intention of presenting a favorable impression so that society will accept him.” (Pg. 44)
They state, “Jung called the persona the ‘outward face’ of the psyche because it is that face which the world sees. The ‘inward face’ he called the ANIMA in males and the ANIMUS in females. The anima archetype is the feminine side of the male psyche; the animus archetype is the masculine side of the female psyche. Every person has qualities of the opposite sex, not only in the biological sense that man and woman secrete both male and female sex hormones but in a psychological sense of attitudes and feelings.” (Pg. 46)
They report, “There is another archetype that represents one’s own gender and that influences a person’s relationships with his own sex. Jung called this archetype the ‘shadow.’ The shadow contains more of man’s basic animal nature than any other archetype does. Because of its extremely deep roots in evolutionary history, it is powerful and potentially the most dangerous of all the archetypes. It is the source of all that is best and worst in man, especially his relations with others of the same sex… The person who suppresses the animal side of his nature may become civilized, but he does so at the expense of decreasing the motive power for spontaneity, creativity, strong emotions, and deep insights.” (Pg. 48-49) They summarize, “the shadow archetype … gives to man’s personality a full-bodied, three-dimensional quality. These instincts are responsible for man’s vitality, creativity, vivacity, and vigor. Rejection of the shadow flattens the personality.” (Pg. 51)
They say, “The unconscious always compensates for weaknesses in the personality system. Compensation also occurs between functions. A person who stresses thinking or feeling in his conscious mind will be an intuitive, sensation type unconsciously.” (Pg. 54)
They explain, “As a general rule, psychic energy can be transferred from one structure to another only on the basis of equivalence. That is, if a person has an intense attachment to a person, object, or activity, it can only be replaced by something of an equally intense value. Sometimes, however, not all of the energy will be used by the new value; in that case, the excess energy will go into an unconscious element.” (Pg. 67) Later, they add, “Thinking and feeling must reach a state of interaction and mutual influence, thus preventing the psychic functions from becoming unbalanced in their development. If this is not done, psychic energy comes to a standstill and the pair of opposites cannot be coordinated.” (Pg. 73)
They continue, “The struggle between the opposites would continue indefinitely if the process of REGRESSION did not step in to interrupt the conflict. Regression is the backward movement of libido. Through the collision and interactions of the opposites, they steadily become deprived of their energy… by the process of regression. Regression SUBTRACTS energy from psychic elements whereas progression ADDS energy to psychic elements.” (Pg. 74)
They state, “The first step toward integration is, as we have just seen, integration of ALL aspects of personality. The second stage is controlled by what Jung calls the ‘transcendent function.’ This function is endowed with the capability of uniting all the opposing trends in personality and of working toward the goal of wholeness.” (Pg. 84) They continue, “The man who has integrated his anima with his maleness is NOT one whose behavior is sometimes in the masculine mode and sometimes in the feminine mode. He is NOT part man and part woman. Rather, a true synthesis between opposites has been achieved so that it may be said transcendence has abolished gender except in a biological sense.” (Pg. 85)
They explain, “Jung’s well-known distinction between the basic attitudes of extraversion and introversion constitutes one dimension for his system of classification… In ‘extraversion,’ psychic energy is channeled into representations of the objective external world, and invests itself in perceptions, thoughts, and feelings about objects, people and animals, and other environmental circumstances and conditions. In introversion, libido flows toward subjective psychic structures and processes. Extraversion is an objective attitude; introversion is a subjective attitude. These two attitudes are mutually exclusive; they cannot coexist simultaneously in consciousness, although they can and do alternate with one another. A person may be extraverted on some occasions and introverted on other occasions. However, one attitude usually predominates in a given individual during his lifetime. If the objective orientation predominates, the person is called an ‘extravert,’ whereas if the subjective orientation is ascendent, he is called an ‘introvert.’” (Pg. 97)
Later, they continue, “‘Extraverted thinking’ utilizes information supplied to the brain by stimulation of the sense organs… ‘introverted thinking’… consists of thinking subjectively… the introverted thinker is interested in ideas for their own sake. He may search the external world for facts to confirm his ideas… The extraverted thinker is more pragmatic or practical. He is a problem solver. Extraverted feeling is governed by external or objective criteria… Introverted feeling is aroused by internal or subjective conditions…” (Pg. 100)
They point out, “It would be no exaggeration to say that Jung’s most important concepts are the archetype and the symbol. The two concepts are intimately related. Symbols are the outward manifestations of archetypes. Archetypes can only express themselves through symbols, since the archetypes are deeply buried in the collective unconscious, unknown and unknowable to the individual. Nevertheless, the archetypes are constantly influencing and directing the conscious behavior of the person.” (Pg. 111)
They add, “For Jung, a symbol, whether used in nocturnal dreams or in waking life, serves two major purposes. On the one hand, it represents an attempt to satisfy an instinctual impulse that has been frustrated… For Jung, a symbol is more than a disguise. Symbols are also transformations of primitive instinctual drives. They attempt to channel instinctual libido into cultural or spiritual values.” (Pg. 116)
They note, “Jung was probably the first person to suggest that in addition to analyzing single dreams as the Freudians did, one could also analyze a series of dreams recorded over a period of time by an individual. In fact, Jung attached little importance to the interpretation of a single dream and required his patients to keep a careful log of their dreams.” (Pg. 119)
This is a fine, detailed, and clear explanation of Jung’s main ideas, that will be very helpful as an introduction to his work.
Authors Calvin Hall and Vernon Nordby wrote in the Preface to this 1973 book, “‘A Primer of Freudian Psychology’ was published in1954. Th[at] book was written to introduce students and the public to Freud’s ideas about the structure, dynamics and development of the ‘normal’ personality … it has been read by a very large number of people … we have wanted to write a similar introduction to the psychological views of C.G. Jung. We hesitated, however, because we felt there would not be much of an audience for such a book…. Within the last few years, a positive interest in Jung’s psychology has begun to develop, especially among younger psychologists, students, and the general public. They believe he has something significant to say about human behavior. So do we. We think Jung is one of the prime innovators or movers of modern thought; to ignore him is to lose ideas that are very pertinent to these troubled times. That is why we have written this book. We hope it will serve… to introduce the reader to the basic Jungian concepts concerning the structure, dynamics, and development of the NORMAL personality.”
They report that after Jung’s first year in the university, “During the … summer vacation several occult experiences occurred which were to influence Jung’s vocational choice…. The first mysterious experience happened … when Jung was in his room studying. Suddenly he heard a loud noise like a pistol shot. He went into the next room, where his mother was sitting about three feet from the large dinner table… [which] was split from the rim to the center… It was made of aged walnut, and the splitting could not have been caused by a change in temperature or humidity. Jung was baffled. The second experience … was [his finding] a large bread knife … that had shattered into several pieces… Shortly after these events, Jung began attending séances and table turnings which were held in the home of relatives every Saturday night. His interest in the occult never diminished … These mysterious phenomena were instrumental in turning Jung’s interest to psychology and psychopathology.” (Pg. 21)
They note, “Concepts have their dangers, too, as Jung realized. A concept may bias or limit our observations so that we see things that DO NOT exist and we do not see things that DO exist. That is why Jung cautioned against becoming too attached to one’s concepts and why he insisted upon the priority of observable facts over theories.” (Pg. 32)
They explain, “The word ‘persona’ originally denoted a mask worn by an actor which enabled him to portray a specific role in a play… In Jungian psychology, the persona archetype serves a similar purpose; it enables one to portray a character that is not necessarily his own. The persona is the mask or façade one exhibits publicly, with the intention of presenting a favorable impression so that society will accept him.” (Pg. 44)
They state, “Jung called the persona the ‘outward face’ of the psyche because it is that face which the world sees. The ‘inward face’ he called the ANIMA in males and the ANIMUS in females. The anima archetype is the feminine side of the male psyche; the animus archetype is the masculine side of the female psyche. Every person has qualities of the opposite sex, not only in the biological sense that man and woman secrete both male and female sex hormones but in a psychological sense of attitudes and feelings.” (Pg. 46)
They report, “There is another archetype that represents one’s own gender and that influences a person’s relationships with his own sex. Jung called this archetype the ‘shadow.’ The shadow contains more of man’s basic animal nature than any other archetype does. Because of its extremely deep roots in evolutionary history, it is powerful and potentially the most dangerous of all the archetypes. It is the source of all that is best and worst in man, especially his relations with others of the same sex… The person who suppresses the animal side of his nature may become civilized, but he does so at the expense of decreasing the motive power for spontaneity, creativity, strong emotions, and deep insights.” (Pg. 48-49) They summarize, “the shadow archetype … gives to man’s personality a full-bodied, three-dimensional quality. These instincts are responsible for man’s vitality, creativity, vivacity, and vigor. Rejection of the shadow flattens the personality.” (Pg. 51)
They say, “The unconscious always compensates for weaknesses in the personality system. Compensation also occurs between functions. A person who stresses thinking or feeling in his conscious mind will be an intuitive, sensation type unconsciously.” (Pg. 54)
They explain, “As a general rule, psychic energy can be transferred from one structure to another only on the basis of equivalence. That is, if a person has an intense attachment to a person, object, or activity, it can only be replaced by something of an equally intense value. Sometimes, however, not all of the energy will be used by the new value; in that case, the excess energy will go into an unconscious element.” (Pg. 67) Later, they add, “Thinking and feeling must reach a state of interaction and mutual influence, thus preventing the psychic functions from becoming unbalanced in their development. If this is not done, psychic energy comes to a standstill and the pair of opposites cannot be coordinated.” (Pg. 73)
They continue, “The struggle between the opposites would continue indefinitely if the process of REGRESSION did not step in to interrupt the conflict. Regression is the backward movement of libido. Through the collision and interactions of the opposites, they steadily become deprived of their energy… by the process of regression. Regression SUBTRACTS energy from psychic elements whereas progression ADDS energy to psychic elements.” (Pg. 74)
They state, “The first step toward integration is, as we have just seen, integration of ALL aspects of personality. The second stage is controlled by what Jung calls the ‘transcendent function.’ This function is endowed with the capability of uniting all the opposing trends in personality and of working toward the goal of wholeness.” (Pg. 84) They continue, “The man who has integrated his anima with his maleness is NOT one whose behavior is sometimes in the masculine mode and sometimes in the feminine mode. He is NOT part man and part woman. Rather, a true synthesis between opposites has been achieved so that it may be said transcendence has abolished gender except in a biological sense.” (Pg. 85)
They explain, “Jung’s well-known distinction between the basic attitudes of extraversion and introversion constitutes one dimension for his system of classification… In ‘extraversion,’ psychic energy is channeled into representations of the objective external world, and invests itself in perceptions, thoughts, and feelings about objects, people and animals, and other environmental circumstances and conditions. In introversion, libido flows toward subjective psychic structures and processes. Extraversion is an objective attitude; introversion is a subjective attitude. These two attitudes are mutually exclusive; they cannot coexist simultaneously in consciousness, although they can and do alternate with one another. A person may be extraverted on some occasions and introverted on other occasions. However, one attitude usually predominates in a given individual during his lifetime. If the objective orientation predominates, the person is called an ‘extravert,’ whereas if the subjective orientation is ascendent, he is called an ‘introvert.’” (Pg. 97)
Later, they continue, “‘Extraverted thinking’ utilizes information supplied to the brain by stimulation of the sense organs… ‘introverted thinking’… consists of thinking subjectively… the introverted thinker is interested in ideas for their own sake. He may search the external world for facts to confirm his ideas… The extraverted thinker is more pragmatic or practical. He is a problem solver. Extraverted feeling is governed by external or objective criteria… Introverted feeling is aroused by internal or subjective conditions…” (Pg. 100)
They point out, “It would be no exaggeration to say that Jung’s most important concepts are the archetype and the symbol. The two concepts are intimately related. Symbols are the outward manifestations of archetypes. Archetypes can only express themselves through symbols, since the archetypes are deeply buried in the collective unconscious, unknown and unknowable to the individual. Nevertheless, the archetypes are constantly influencing and directing the conscious behavior of the person.” (Pg. 111)
They add, “For Jung, a symbol, whether used in nocturnal dreams or in waking life, serves two major purposes. On the one hand, it represents an attempt to satisfy an instinctual impulse that has been frustrated… For Jung, a symbol is more than a disguise. Symbols are also transformations of primitive instinctual drives. They attempt to channel instinctual libido into cultural or spiritual values.” (Pg. 116)
They note, “Jung was probably the first person to suggest that in addition to analyzing single dreams as the Freudians did, one could also analyze a series of dreams recorded over a period of time by an individual. In fact, Jung attached little importance to the interpretation of a single dream and required his patients to keep a careful log of their dreams.” (Pg. 119)
This is a fine, detailed, and clear explanation of Jung’s main ideas, that will be very helpful as an introduction to his work.
October 21, 2025
This guy Jung keeps coming up in my world, through friends, teachers, and in what I study. So when I saw this Primer in a book sale at a library I decided to take a stab at studying him in more depth.
This book was written in the 50's before Jung was super popular and it gave a really good overview of the main concepts of Jungian Psychology.
It was easy enough to understand while also feeling to be in depth enough to start to apply the concepts Jung describe as they show up in my life.
I would be interested in reading more on Jung, and am thankful for this short book as a start for me into his fascinating world of psychology.
This book was written in the 50's before Jung was super popular and it gave a really good overview of the main concepts of Jungian Psychology.
It was easy enough to understand while also feeling to be in depth enough to start to apply the concepts Jung describe as they show up in my life.
I would be interested in reading more on Jung, and am thankful for this short book as a start for me into his fascinating world of psychology.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews