Psychic Energy: Its Source and Its Transformation [Bollingen Series X]

by Mary Esther Harding, C.G. Jung (Foreword)

A study of the primitive & unconscious aspects of human nature & the processes by which their energies may contribute to the integration of personality. New edition, comprehensively revised & enlarged, with many new illustrations.
Preface to 2nd Edition
Preface to 1st Edition
Acknowledgments
List of Illustrations
Foreword
The transformation of the instinctive drives
Inertia: sloth & restlessness
Hunger: want & greed
Self-defence: enmity & friendship
Reproduction: 1 sexuality
Reproduction: 2 maternity
The ego & the power problem: self-respect & the will to dominate
The inner conflict: the dragon & the hero
The psyche as a whole: drawing the circle
The reconciliation of the opposites: the mandala
The transformation of the libido: the hermetic vessel
Bibliography
Index

Genres: Psychology, Spirituality, Nonfiction

517 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1948

About the author

Mary Esther Harding (1888–1971) was a British-American Jungian analyst who was the first significant Jungian psychoanalyst in the United States.

Reviews

[Sarahc Caflisch · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Harding's "The Way of All Women," and "Women's Mysteries," but fandom waned with this volume. She does a fine job distilling and explaining some of Jung's big and sometimes hard-to-grasp concepts of the Self, Ego, and instinctual drives in this volume, but it seems like too big of a topic for this one book. The two books by Harding that I previously read were on a very discrete topic (the feminine in myth, jungian views of the feminine) and she goes very deep and has much to offer students of Jung and archetypal psychology. The topic of "Psychic Energy" seemed too broad to get the kind of analysis and depth I expect from Ms. Harding. Still worth a read by fans of Jung and his work.

[Woman Inside Water · Rating 3 out of 5]

The power of mythological archetypes is the concern in Jungian psychology. I have read Jungian books before (such as those by Robert A. Johnson), and this one had some of the same material already covered in others. It was also very long-winded in places; I felt that it took the author several sentences to explain what could have easily been summed up in much shorter ones. What I would have also liked to see were some actual, concrete examples of the situations the author was alluding to - most were too vague to see the connection.

[J. Astor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly a hidden gem in Jungian psychology.

[Giulio]

Letto in italiano, ovvero: "L'energia psichica. La sua fonte e le sue trasformazioni", edito da Astrolabio Ubaldini
Non presente nel catalogo Goodreads

[Simón Temperans · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book. If you want to understand the challenges and the conundrum mankind faces on this earth, you must read this book. I have read in the last 20 years many Jungian books among others in my quest for knowledge about life, CGJ himself, Yolande Jacobi, MLvF, Robert Johnson, John A. Sanders, James Hillman, Erich Neumann, Rober Bly, and others, all worthwhile and valuable, but, M.E. Harding takes the top by far over even the master himself who was her guide. I am usually rather critical of some books, but this one is a true jewel.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite liked this book - alot more than I thought I would - It was written before Jung finished his Opus of material, so the wording is different, but it is a nice formalized approach - very unique, inspirational, and particularly helpful for understanding the psyche of normal people - complexes, slight neuroses, etc. The "Libido" has never been clearer.