What do you think?
Rate this book
Myth of Analysis: Three Essays in Archetypal Psychology
In this work, acclaimed Jungian James Hillman examines the concepts of myth, insight, eros, body, and the mytheme of female inferiority, as well as the need for the freedom to imagine and to feel psychic reality. By examining these ideas, and the role they have played both in and outside of the therapeutic setting, Hillman mounts a compelling argument that, rather than locking them away in some inner asylum or subjecting them to daily self-treatment, man's "peculiarities" can become an integral part of a rich and fulfilling daily life.
- GenresPsychologyNonfiction
313 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
13 people are currently reading
415 people want to read
About the author
James Hillman
175 books574 followersJames Hillman (1926-2011) was an American psychologist. He served in the US Navy Hospital Corps from 1944 to 1946, after which he attended the Sorbonne in Paris, studying English Literature, and Trinity College, Dublin, graduating with a degree in mental and moral science in 1950.
In 1959, he received his PhD from the University of Zurich, as well as his analyst's diploma from the C.G. Jung Institute and founded a movement toward archetypal psychology, was then appointed as Director of Studies at the institute, a position he held until 1969.
In 1970, Hillman became editor of Spring Publications, a publishing company devoted to advancing Archetypal Psychology as well as publishing books on mythology, philosophy and art. His magnum opus, Re-visioning Psychology, was written in 1975 and nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Hillman then helped co-found the Dallas Institute for Humanities and Culture in 1978.
Retired into private practice, writing and traveling to lecture, until his death at his home in Connecticut on October 27, 2011 from bone cancer.
In 1959, he received his PhD from the University of Zurich, as well as his analyst's diploma from the C.G. Jung Institute and founded a movement toward archetypal psychology, was then appointed as Director of Studies at the institute, a position he held until 1969.
In 1970, Hillman became editor of Spring Publications, a publishing company devoted to advancing Archetypal Psychology as well as publishing books on mythology, philosophy and art. His magnum opus, Re-visioning Psychology, was written in 1975 and nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Hillman then helped co-found the Dallas Institute for Humanities and Culture in 1978.
Retired into private practice, writing and traveling to lecture, until his death at his home in Connecticut on October 27, 2011 from bone cancer.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
Want to read
August 15, 2014The best definition of individuation I know is an inspired paragraph in James Hillman’s Myth of Analysis:
Transparent Man, who is seen and seen through, foolish, who has nothing left to hide, who has become transparent through self-acceptance; his soul is loved, wholly revealed, wholly existential; he is just what he is, freed from paranoid concealment, from the knowledge of his secrets and his secret knowledge; his transparency serves as prism for the world and the not-world. For it is impossible reflectively to know thyself; only the last reflection of an obituary may tell the truth, and only God knows our real names. #CareoftheSoul
Transparent Man, who is seen and seen through, foolish, who has nothing left to hide, who has become transparent through self-acceptance; his soul is loved, wholly revealed, wholly existential; he is just what he is, freed from paranoid concealment, from the knowledge of his secrets and his secret knowledge; his transparency serves as prism for the world and the not-world. For it is impossible reflectively to know thyself; only the last reflection of an obituary may tell the truth, and only God knows our real names. #CareoftheSoul
March 13, 2007
The first three times I read this book, I highlighted what I thought was important. After seven readings I have not exhausted the iterated complexities of myth and psychology. I am, however, on my second highlighter and the entire work glows yellow in the morning sun. Hillman is sun-brilliant and this is his masterwork; the impeachment of Oedipus, King, as the foundational myth of dysfunctional human relationships and the revelation instead of Eros and Psyche as the model for Coniunctio, the marriage wherein evolved and realized new humans transcend duality and isolation.
January 17, 2022
Let me first get something out of the way: I have no idea why GoodReads lists this book's first publication date as 1983 instead of 1972. The edition I borrowed is a first printing version from '72. The author's two subsequent books Re-Visioning Psychology and The Dream and the Underworld were written as follow-ups to this one expanding upon its ideas, and both entered print in 1975. "Myth of Analysis" itself already expands on the themes commented on in Insearch: Psychology and Religion from 1967, but with a laser-intense focus on a few important threads explored in greater depth.
You probably need a working knowledge of both Freudian and Jungian psychology to understand most of what James Hillman is on to in this book. That said, this was a satisfying read despite me not being on board with all of Hillman's opinions. To start with: I find it awkward and more than a little bit unintentionally comical when an American of German-Jewish descent insists so loudly on modern Western culture's roots in Greco-Roman antiquity. I almost never see actual Greeks and Italians fetishise ancient Greece and Rome that way, and those who do are usually self-declared fascists. (e. g. Giovanni Gentile and Julius Evola)
So, why am I so impressed with "The Myth of Analysis"? To begin with, Hillman has a very elegant prose style. I would go as far as make the statement that he might be one of the most aesthetically engaging non-fiction authors I have encountered in a long time. Then we have the fact that Hillman presents a wealth of important information that are important to anyone wishing to critically examine the history of modern psychology, in a fairly short book.
Hillman spends much of "The Myth of Analysis" explaining point-by-point, blow-by-blow how the entire discipline of psychology as we know it today depends on an extremely narrow set basic metaphysic assumptions that are culturally unique to post-18th century Western Europe. In particular, he criticises Sigmund Freud and even C. G. Jung for not examining the full extent to which their theories rely on metaphysics and science that have not aged well.
Another thing to appreciate is Hillman's in-depth examination of the questionable ideological baggage that went into the formation of modern psychology, in particular misogynistic ideas about women being "imperfect men" in both biology and psyche. "The Myth of Analysis" also makes it clear how Freud's descriptions of the Oedipus and Electra Complexes rely on misunderstanding both myths by projecting neuroses of fin-de-siècle era Austrians unto ancient Greeks. An important point here is that for the ancient Greeks, sexual awakening functioned as a metaphor for initiation into religious mysteries and NOT the opposite way around. Hillman uses this thread in the book to present some interesting information about what we do know about ancient Greek psychology as pre-Socratic philosophers conceived the life and study of the soul. Even C. G. Jung, whom Hillman obviously admires, receives substantial criticism for his reliance on "integral traditionalism" leading him to ignore differences between mythical figures Jung ascribes to the same archetype. (eg Odin and Dionysus, Frigg and Ariadne, the Valkyries and the Maenads)
Hillman appears to be an obscure figure today. I can understand why, his fetishisation of Greco-Roman antiquity looks risible coming from a modern day American with no Greek or Italian ancestry, to say nothing of how inaccessible his books can be to people who have not read the psychologists he criticises. This is still a shame, if you ask me, at least if "The Myth of Analysis" is typical of his books. For all Hillman's quirks, this is a book that is very much worth reading for anyone who wants a critical history of modern psychology or an overview of the shortcomings of integral traditionalists such as C. G. Jung, Mircea Eliade and their ilk.
His subsequent books such as "Re-Visioning Psychology" I also got much out of, but they are even more eccentric being definitely closer to modern occultism than to psychology reminding me more of G. I. Gurdjieff and Alejandro Jodorowsky than Freud or Jung.
You probably need a working knowledge of both Freudian and Jungian psychology to understand most of what James Hillman is on to in this book. That said, this was a satisfying read despite me not being on board with all of Hillman's opinions. To start with: I find it awkward and more than a little bit unintentionally comical when an American of German-Jewish descent insists so loudly on modern Western culture's roots in Greco-Roman antiquity. I almost never see actual Greeks and Italians fetishise ancient Greece and Rome that way, and those who do are usually self-declared fascists. (e. g. Giovanni Gentile and Julius Evola)
So, why am I so impressed with "The Myth of Analysis"? To begin with, Hillman has a very elegant prose style. I would go as far as make the statement that he might be one of the most aesthetically engaging non-fiction authors I have encountered in a long time. Then we have the fact that Hillman presents a wealth of important information that are important to anyone wishing to critically examine the history of modern psychology, in a fairly short book.
Hillman spends much of "The Myth of Analysis" explaining point-by-point, blow-by-blow how the entire discipline of psychology as we know it today depends on an extremely narrow set basic metaphysic assumptions that are culturally unique to post-18th century Western Europe. In particular, he criticises Sigmund Freud and even C. G. Jung for not examining the full extent to which their theories rely on metaphysics and science that have not aged well.
Another thing to appreciate is Hillman's in-depth examination of the questionable ideological baggage that went into the formation of modern psychology, in particular misogynistic ideas about women being "imperfect men" in both biology and psyche. "The Myth of Analysis" also makes it clear how Freud's descriptions of the Oedipus and Electra Complexes rely on misunderstanding both myths by projecting neuroses of fin-de-siècle era Austrians unto ancient Greeks. An important point here is that for the ancient Greeks, sexual awakening functioned as a metaphor for initiation into religious mysteries and NOT the opposite way around. Hillman uses this thread in the book to present some interesting information about what we do know about ancient Greek psychology as pre-Socratic philosophers conceived the life and study of the soul. Even C. G. Jung, whom Hillman obviously admires, receives substantial criticism for his reliance on "integral traditionalism" leading him to ignore differences between mythical figures Jung ascribes to the same archetype. (eg Odin and Dionysus, Frigg and Ariadne, the Valkyries and the Maenads)
Hillman appears to be an obscure figure today. I can understand why, his fetishisation of Greco-Roman antiquity looks risible coming from a modern day American with no Greek or Italian ancestry, to say nothing of how inaccessible his books can be to people who have not read the psychologists he criticises. This is still a shame, if you ask me, at least if "The Myth of Analysis" is typical of his books. For all Hillman's quirks, this is a book that is very much worth reading for anyone who wants a critical history of modern psychology or an overview of the shortcomings of integral traditionalists such as C. G. Jung, Mircea Eliade and their ilk.
His subsequent books such as "Re-Visioning Psychology" I also got much out of, but they are even more eccentric being definitely closer to modern occultism than to psychology reminding me more of G. I. Gurdjieff and Alejandro Jodorowsky than Freud or Jung.
April 27, 2007
I have so many pages dog-eared and highlighted from my dissertation research that I may just have to buy another one to read for pleasure. This book is probably my favorite of all of Hillman's works. Passionate and inventive, turning psychology on its head. Hillman is a bit of an ass in person, but his writing makes me want to be a better therapist.
January 28, 2021
“The transformation of our world-view necessitates the transformation of the view of the feminine.” OH HELLO
“God is dead—but not the Gods.”
“God is dead—but not the Gods.”
April 18, 2022
The Renegade Jungian himself writing about how important polytheism is in understanding ourselves and others. He writes about the dual nature of reality, Apollo vs Dionysus. Apollo representing spirit and Dionysus, the soul. Apollo represents science and logic, Dionysus represents imagination and the arts and the danger we face in the west because of our tendency to repress Dionysus.
Another book on this subject is Madness at the Gates of the City: The Myth of American Innocence
By Barry Spector.
Another book on this subject is Madness at the Gates of the City: The Myth of American Innocence
By Barry Spector.
December 18, 2020
Hillman brings such a timeless way of thinking to very important issues related to the field of psychology. One of my favourites of his writing
August 13, 2023
I read nearly all of Freud, Jung and then Hillman thirty+ years ago. Since then, I've moved several times and thinned out my library. This book is the only representative of that gang I've held onto, and I've not known why. Just a feeling. Now that I'm finally re-reading it, I understand why it was, and still is, important to me. Great thinker, fine writer -- the two go hand-in-hand.
August 10, 2022
This was a very hard read with a difficult flow. Maybe too academic?
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews