Adventure in Archetype: Depth Psychology and the Humanities

by Mark Greene

This volume comprises a collection of essays written from an archetypal perspective. Intended for students of literature, the arts and psychology, this book was also written for the reader intent on self-discovery. Archetypal theory refers to one aspect of the work developed by the pioneering psychoanalyst C. G. Jung (1875-1961) and taken further by psychologist James Hillman (1926 - ). These theories, or their derivatives, may also appear under other headings such as analytical psychology, archetypal psychology, Jungian psychodynamic theory, depth psychology or, in general terms, a psychology of the unconscious.Here an archetypal perspective is taken on literature, art, myth, legends and fairy tales to better understand one of the foremost tenets espoused by both C. G. Jung and Sigmund the existence of the unconscious mind. These pioneers defined the unconscious as a vibrant, autonomous psychological agency that operates largely out of an individual’s conscious awareness. The organization of this book over three sections is designed to facilitate the reader’s understanding of archetypal theory in its application to a variety of exemplar works within the humanities. If Jung and Freud could agree on the existence of the unconscious, they parted ways with Jung’s observation of the existence of the archetypes, which Jung proposed to be the fundamental building blocks of the unconscious primordial patterns of behaviour and imagination that have evolved with our species. Learning to recognize the archetypes within ourselves and in the world around us provides an opportunity to facilitate personal growth and attain the psychological maturity we seek. As such, this book can be regarded as an opportunity to familiarize oneself with the application of archetypal theory so as to better understand the creative functioning of the unconscious and provide a solid introduction to the disciplines of depth psychology and the humanities.

103 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 28, 2011

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.