MaHS :: Approaching the Unconscious :: The Soul of Man

Jung notes that consciousness has divided from instinct, the latter has not disappeared and is forced to find alternative means to assert itself. Man would like to believe he is free but unconscious factors influence mood and emotion. Jung noted man prevents himself from observing such division by compartmentalising life and behavior. Jung offers the example of an alcoholic seemingly redeemed by salvation; cured and praised by a congregation and held up as an image of divine grace. Later he relapses and the conclusion drawn by the congregation is the case is pathological and referred to a clinician.

Jung undertakes a thought experiment; if mankind were a single individual we
would see he was moved by unconscious powers. Problems are tucked in
distinct compartments yet he should wake up to the dangers growing beyond his control. Jung notes that Western Man prides himself on virtue and yet goes to great lengths in the name of national defence. Yet own vices are thrown back in his face; his own evil shadow. Jung notes that Man remains open to moral and mental infection for as long as he remains convinced it is only "they" who are wrong. He is blind to his own shadow. He cannot see that he does likewise under the guise of "good manners". Jung notes here the parallels between the Communist Archetypal dream of the Golden Age spawned by a Wise Chief and the Western belief in the welfare state, universal peace, equality of man, justice, truth (etc.).

Life is a battleground an consists in a complex of opposites day and night, birth and death, good and evil. Such a conflict led to many major religions to hope beyond and reject earthly desires and aspirations. Such notions would be suicidal if you were unable to compartmentalise. Millions of people have lost faith in religion and the loss goes unnoticed but when suffering occurs people begin to seek a way out and examine life and it's painful experiences. Since time immemorial men have had ideas about a supreme being only today do the think they can dispense with them. These are conceptions that have accompanied human life from prehistory; based on the evidence we have concluded they are not "true", Jung suggests they are perhaps not "true enough". Jung asserts we cannot dispense with them simply because we lack evidence; furthermore given they are unknowable why should we bother for evidence for such things? Jung highlights that even before we knew about salt in food we benefited from it's use as it contributed to our well-being. Why then deprive ourselves of what can prove helpful in a crisis, and give meaning to existence? There are good reasons to cultivate such ideas including the desperate need for meaning. Jung highlights that man can withstand incredible hardships when he is convinced they make sense. Discovering meaning in existence is what helps man to proceed beyond purely getting and spending.

Jung explains that myths originate among the primitive storyteller and his dreams and move men by the stirring of their fantasies. Concern for the origin of such ideas came later. For example in ancient Greece many philosophers concluded the tales of the gods were nothing but traditions concerning long buried kings. Pioneers of psychology arrived at the same conclusion with dreams which they believed did not mean what they said. Jung disagrees here and offer his disagreement as the reason he will always examine content. Jung notes that symbols point in directions distinct from those we can grasp and relate to something not entirely conscious. Symbolic ideas are notoriously difficult because they cannot satisfy reason, much like the phenomenon of affect or emotion. It is annoying to deal with facts that cannot be completely grasped.

Jung notes individuals are free to dismiss emotion or the unconscious but in clinical practice the hard fact of its existence will assert itself. It can be difficult for the reasonable mind to follow what happens when Psychology leaves the sterile environment of the lab and becomes an active part of real life. Symbols may have distinct meanings based on the maturity, occupation or context of the individual. For example the phallic symbol may mean something different to a child, Hindu priest, adolescent or even an Electrician [i.e. Male plugs and female sockets]. The clinician must remain imaginative and rely on his intuition; whilst irrational they seem indispensable to ensure symbols are understood by the dreamer. One can only explain a dream if one has reduced intuition to an exact knowledge of the facts and connections between them. The psychologist if he is honest will likely admit that he cannot always achieve this. Jung notes that it is a common illusion to believe what we know today is all we can ever know.