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Psyche and Symbol
The archetypes of human experience which derive from the deepest unconscious mind and reveal themselves in the universal symbols of art and religion as well as in the individual symbolic creations of particular people are, for C. G. Jung, the key to the cure of souls, the cornerstone of his therapeutic work. This volume explains the function and origin of these symbols. Here the reader will find not only a general orientation to Jung's point of view but extensive studies of the symbolic process and its integrating function in human psychology as it is reflected in the characteristic spiritual productions of Europe and Asia. Violet de Laszlo has selected for inclusion in Psyche and Symbol five selections from Aion: "The Ego," "The Shadow," "The Syzygy: Anima and Animus," "The Self," and "Christ, A Symbol of the Self." The book continues with "The Phenomenology of the Spirit in Fairy Tales," "The Psychology of the Child Archetype," and "Transformation Symbolism in the Mass." Also included are the foreword to the Cary Banes translation of the I Ching, two chapters from Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle, "Psychological Commentary on The Tibetan Book of the Dead," and "Commentary on The Secret of the Golden Flower."
424 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1958
38 people are currently reading
853 people want to read
About the author
C.G. Jung
1,875 books11.5k followersCarl Gustav Jung (/jʊŋ/; German: [ˈkarl ˈɡʊstaf jʊŋ]), often referred to as C. G. Jung, was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist who founded analytical psychology. Jung proposed and developed the concepts of extraversion and introversion; archetypes, and the collective unconscious. His work has been influential in psychiatry and in the study of religion, philosophy, archeology, anthropology, literature, and related fields. He was a prolific writer, many of whose works were not published until after his death.
The central concept of analytical psychology is individuation—the psychological process of integrating the opposites, including the conscious with the unconscious, while still maintaining their relative autonomy. Jung considered individuation to be the central process of human development.
Jung created some of the best known psychological concepts, including the archetype, the collective unconscious, the complex, and synchronicity. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), a popular psychometric instrument, has been developed from Jung's theory of psychological types.
Though he was a practising clinician and considered himself to be a scientist, much of his life's work was spent exploring tangential areas such as Eastern and Western philosophy, alchemy, astrology, and sociology, as well as literature and the arts. Jung's interest in philosophy and the occult led many to view him as a mystic, although his ambition was to be seen as a man of science. His influence on popular psychology, the "psychologization of religion", spirituality and the New Age movement has been immense.
The central concept of analytical psychology is individuation—the psychological process of integrating the opposites, including the conscious with the unconscious, while still maintaining their relative autonomy. Jung considered individuation to be the central process of human development.
Jung created some of the best known psychological concepts, including the archetype, the collective unconscious, the complex, and synchronicity. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), a popular psychometric instrument, has been developed from Jung's theory of psychological types.
Though he was a practising clinician and considered himself to be a scientist, much of his life's work was spent exploring tangential areas such as Eastern and Western philosophy, alchemy, astrology, and sociology, as well as literature and the arts. Jung's interest in philosophy and the occult led many to view him as a mystic, although his ambition was to be seen as a man of science. His influence on popular psychology, the "psychologization of religion", spirituality and the New Age movement has been immense.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
December 16, 2009
This was a little thick at first, but then I started to really enjoy it. I came to it assuming that I'd appreciate Jung since I disagree with so much Freud, but I'm Jung is far from perfect himself. Actually, I find this to be more of about culture, literature and myth than it is so much about how the mind functions- although I can see much of where he's coming from and agree with some of it. For one thing, we are such a post-literate society that I just can't imagine that our collective unconscious operates nearly the same way that it once did, assuming he's correct in many of his assumptions. TV, movies, music, video games and other computer and internet media have dramatically altered our shared experiences, not to mention our processing modes.
Still, its fascinating to consider how are minds collaborate within, with different aspects of our selves and with the rest of society both here and now and in the continuum of human history. When considered through my faith paradigm, its amazing to consider how fearfully and wonderfully made we are- in God's image and intended to be in relationship and in community.
This should give me a great context to read some more Frankel next, then eventually perhaps I'll double-back and read Freud on dreams. Hate to wonder how much I'm probably misinterpreting. I guess that if/when I ever go back for a Masters and try to take some psych classes I'll find out.
Still, its fascinating to consider how are minds collaborate within, with different aspects of our selves and with the rest of society both here and now and in the continuum of human history. When considered through my faith paradigm, its amazing to consider how fearfully and wonderfully made we are- in God's image and intended to be in relationship and in community.
This should give me a great context to read some more Frankel next, then eventually perhaps I'll double-back and read Freud on dreams. Hate to wonder how much I'm probably misinterpreting. I guess that if/when I ever go back for a Masters and try to take some psych classes I'll find out.
November 20, 2007
No review... the archtypical must be examined in your own mind... then know that you are not alone... when then we go from there...
April 20, 2011
I read this very carefully, did not get a chance to finish the second reread. Wow what a book. If you ever read the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Follow Jung's instructions.
August 29, 2023
I think I’m just stupid but I have no idea what I read. There were some interesting points and aspects but I think I lacked a background to fully grasp what was being said.
June 17, 2011
Having been intrigued by the copy of Archetypes of the Collective Unconscious that Ed Erickson had borrowed from the Grinnell College library, I began to search out everything I could find about Analytical Psychology and C.G. Jung. One of the first books, if not the first, purchased was Psyche and Symbol, a collection of essays from The Collected Works, which I found at the old Guild Bookstore on Halsted in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood. What particularly impressed me at the time was his analysis of the old Latin Mass, something I'd never studied before. Here, I thought, was a man who could open many doors, helping me to understand much that had hitherto seemed crazy or just obscure.
During late adolescence, Lincoln Park was the happening place in Chicago. In junior high school it had been the Old Town neighborhood, but that had become passe by the end of high school--too touristic and commercial. Lincoln Park, however, was multiethnic and had both DePaul University and the Chicago Theological Seminary as well as two art theatres, the international headquarters of the Industrial Workers of the World, and many, many bookstores, including an anarchist one, Solidarity, and the Guild--which had a reputation as being the place that old Stalinists hung out in.
The night I picked up Psyche and Symbol the Guild was living up to its reputation, deserved or not. I really couldn't say for myself, so absorbed was I in reading the book in order to determine whether or not I'd buy it, but there were indeed a bunch of middle aged and older men sitting around in there arguing--just the kind of thing one would imagine frustrated Stalinists would do!
During late adolescence, Lincoln Park was the happening place in Chicago. In junior high school it had been the Old Town neighborhood, but that had become passe by the end of high school--too touristic and commercial. Lincoln Park, however, was multiethnic and had both DePaul University and the Chicago Theological Seminary as well as two art theatres, the international headquarters of the Industrial Workers of the World, and many, many bookstores, including an anarchist one, Solidarity, and the Guild--which had a reputation as being the place that old Stalinists hung out in.
The night I picked up Psyche and Symbol the Guild was living up to its reputation, deserved or not. I really couldn't say for myself, so absorbed was I in reading the book in order to determine whether or not I'd buy it, but there were indeed a bunch of middle aged and older men sitting around in there arguing--just the kind of thing one would imagine frustrated Stalinists would do!
August 1, 2012
A very deep dive into symbols representing aspects of human consciousness, especially religious themes. "man's wholeness consists in the union of the conscious and unconscious personality." and " The urge and compulsion to self-realization is a law of nature and thus an invincible power."
September 15, 2009
I am thumbing through this book not reading it cover to cover. The chapters I have read so far are very interesting. I love Jung!
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May 20, 2010Psyche & Symbol: A Selection from the Writings of C. G. Jung by C. G. Jung (1958)
July 12, 2024
In comparison to other popular anthologies of Jung's works Psyche and Symbol is nicely concentrated. It's just what I was looking for when I decided for my personal study purposes to bear down and systematically compile Jung's key claims. Introductory texts are fine, but in addition to them I wanted a compact source for Jung's own words.
The first set of selections in the volume depict the functional components of his psychological theory, such as the Ego, the Shadow, the Self, etc. Importantly, these are taken from Aion, and thereby reflect his mature understanding. Next, is an interesting discussion of the concept of 'Spirit' situated in the unassuming context of Fairy Tales. After that come treatments of Archetypes, Symbols and Alchemy. So far, very deep material presented in a way that for Jung is concise. But we're not over. The following excerpts are from one of Jung's essays on the notion of 'Synchronicity' which he formulated "to describe circumstances that appear meaningfully related yet lack a causal connection" (Wikipedia). The anthology comes to a close by including his respective commentaries on a Tibetan Buddhist and a Chinese Taoist text, thus demonstrating Jung's interest in and familiarity with strands of non-Western thought.
I appreciate the organization of the book which seems to be that of incrementally increasing sophistication from the standpoint of an uninitiated reader. In the preface, C.G. Jung himself remarks that this volume might prove challenging.
That noted, I certainly concur with Jung as well as Dr. Violet de Laszlo the editor, that the effort will be worthwhile.
The first set of selections in the volume depict the functional components of his psychological theory, such as the Ego, the Shadow, the Self, etc. Importantly, these are taken from Aion, and thereby reflect his mature understanding. Next, is an interesting discussion of the concept of 'Spirit' situated in the unassuming context of Fairy Tales. After that come treatments of Archetypes, Symbols and Alchemy. So far, very deep material presented in a way that for Jung is concise. But we're not over. The following excerpts are from one of Jung's essays on the notion of 'Synchronicity' which he formulated "to describe circumstances that appear meaningfully related yet lack a causal connection" (Wikipedia). The anthology comes to a close by including his respective commentaries on a Tibetan Buddhist and a Chinese Taoist text, thus demonstrating Jung's interest in and familiarity with strands of non-Western thought.
I appreciate the organization of the book which seems to be that of incrementally increasing sophistication from the standpoint of an uninitiated reader. In the preface, C.G. Jung himself remarks that this volume might prove challenging.
I must warn the reader: this book will not be an easy pastime. Once in a while he will meet with thoughts which demand the effort of concentration and careful reflection—a condition unfortunately rare in modern times.
That noted, I certainly concur with Jung as well as Dr. Violet de Laszlo the editor, that the effort will be worthwhile.
June 29, 2018
Jung's theory of psychology has pretty much gone by the wayside in the face of modern research. Let's get that out of the way up front. He builds on Freud's id-ego-superego triad but gets metaphysical, claiming the existence of an unconsciousness and a consciousness, the intersection of which creates the psyche (which, I guess, means the personality -- his writing is a little opaque). I don't know many psychologists who would agree with that formulation; consciousness, as far as I understand it, is an emergent property of our complex of neurons.
He treats the unconscious, almost like the Platonic ideals, another plane from which the archetypes that appear in myths and religions worldwide emerge. I can follow him to a certain extent down that road, since many stories have similar figures, we fear or love similar things, so to claim that archetypes emerge from instinct has a certain logic to it. In other words, I don't have much trouble believing that our similar biology would create similar narratives.
On the other hand, for Jung the archetypes are rooted in a mystical Collective Unconscious that we all tap into, from which we derive our soul. I'm less convinced of that, especially when his examples come only from case studies, not double-blind experiments, or from outmoded anthropology along the lines of Frazer and the Golden Bough. He also starts from Frazer's racist Western vs savage dichotomy, even when writing about ancient Chinese texts, which clearly emerged from a developed civilization (one that's existed longer than the West, thank you).
An interesting read, at least to get at the source of some of the ideas of archetypal literary criticism I've taken an interest in, though now I can see why it's fallen out of favor.
He treats the unconscious, almost like the Platonic ideals, another plane from which the archetypes that appear in myths and religions worldwide emerge. I can follow him to a certain extent down that road, since many stories have similar figures, we fear or love similar things, so to claim that archetypes emerge from instinct has a certain logic to it. In other words, I don't have much trouble believing that our similar biology would create similar narratives.
On the other hand, for Jung the archetypes are rooted in a mystical Collective Unconscious that we all tap into, from which we derive our soul. I'm less convinced of that, especially when his examples come only from case studies, not double-blind experiments, or from outmoded anthropology along the lines of Frazer and the Golden Bough. He also starts from Frazer's racist Western vs savage dichotomy, even when writing about ancient Chinese texts, which clearly emerged from a developed civilization (one that's existed longer than the West, thank you).
An interesting read, at least to get at the source of some of the ideas of archetypal literary criticism I've taken an interest in, though now I can see why it's fallen out of favor.
March 16, 2025
Absolutely amazing. In essence, a smattering of some of Jung’s best essays, collected from different works. They all discuss key symbolism in some of humankind’s most recognized rituals, texts, and arts: the Catholic mass, the Tao and I Ching, European fairytales, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, and the Child archetype in psychology. It really gives one an overwhelming view of his basic concepts concerning the collective unconscious and its reach on humanity, taken from a scientific, religious, political, and spiritual level. Some familiarity with Jung would be helpful, as it’s a little dense at times (I found myself concentrating on a sentence for three minutes at a time just to distill what he was trying to say, which in essence was quite simple and really could have been stated as such), but definitely worth the effort overall.
March 3, 2019
Jung's theories and essays on the Self, the Child Archetype, Phenomenology of the Spirit, etc, is complex and I definitely had to look up a bunch of words reading this book, but it only increased my comprehension of the themes and motifs that are existent in the very foundations of mythology and fairy tales. His work is supplemental to any activity that requires the detective-like work of finding the function of symbols, whether its reading classic Grimm stuff or Greek mythology, to the metaphysical workings of astrology (hello, Jungian astrologers!). My reviews tend to be on the positive side and I don't really look too much into the arguments against Jung but I will say reading this book really helped me to ruminate on the images we take for granted in the symbology of our daily lives.
September 24, 2025
The Phenomenology of the Spirit in Fairy Tales
*The Psychology of the Child Archetype
The Special Phenomenology of the Child Archetype
Transformation Symbolism in the Mass
I. Introduction
II. The Sequence of the Rite of Transformation
III. A Parallel from Pagan Antiquity
IV. The Psychology of the Mass
Foreword to the I Ching or Book of Changes
Two Chapters from: The Interpretation of Nature and the Psyche
III. Forerunners of the Idea of Synchronicity
IV. Conclusion
Psychological Commentary on The Tibetan Book of the Dead
Commentary on The Secret of the Golden Flower
*The Psychology of the Child Archetype
The Special Phenomenology of the Child Archetype
Transformation Symbolism in the Mass
I. Introduction
II. The Sequence of the Rite of Transformation
III. A Parallel from Pagan Antiquity
IV. The Psychology of the Mass
Foreword to the I Ching or Book of Changes
Two Chapters from: The Interpretation of Nature and the Psyche
III. Forerunners of the Idea of Synchronicity
IV. Conclusion
Psychological Commentary on The Tibetan Book of the Dead
Commentary on The Secret of the Golden Flower
January 15, 2021
Wonderful book. Dr. Jung talks about Western and Eastern knowledge about the human pysche, consciousness, subconsciousness, anima, and animus. He talks about the Tibetan Book of Death, which is the part that I loved reading. I highly recommend his book for people that want to understand the subconscious and consciousness. Dr. Jung gives us wonderful information about the Eastern teachings of consciousness. Taoism is one of the examples he gives. Dr. Jung was one of the greatest Psychiatrists I have ever come to learn about. He is my favorite Psychiatrist. As a Psychology major, I am always fascinated by his teachings.
November 23, 2017
Jung could get really buckwild.
September 17, 2018
Powerful book. an eye opener and a relief to understand catholicism better.
June 30, 2023
Worth a read simply for the final essay “Commentary on the Secret of the Golden Flower.”
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews