Feist−Feist: Theories of
Personality, Seventh
EditionII. Psychodynamic
Theories- Jung: Analytical
Psychology
© The McGraw−Hill^139
Companies, 2009Key Terms and Concepts
- The personal unconsciousis formed by the repressed experiences of one
particular individual and is the reservoir of the complexes. - Humans inherit a collective unconsciousthat helps shape many of their
attitudes, behaviors, and dreams. - Archetypesare contents of the collective unconscious. Typical archetypes
include persona, shadow, anima, animus, great mother, wise old man, hero,
and self. - The personarepresents the side of personality that people show to the rest
of the world. Psychologically healthy people recognize their persona but
do not mistake it for the whole of personality.
Chapter 4 Jung: Analytical Psychology 133thinking, feeling, sensing, or intuitive person; and no one proceeds invariably in
the direction of either progression or regression.
The persona is but a fraction of an individual. What one wishes to show oth-
ers is usually only the socially acceptable side of personality. Every person has a
dark side, a shadow, and most try to conceal it from both society and themselves.
In addition, each man possesses an anima and every woman an animus.
The various complexes and archetypes cast their spell over people and are re-
sponsible for many of their words and actions and most of their dreams and fan-
tasies. Although people are not masters in their own houses, neither are they com-
pletely dominated by forces beyond their control. People have some limited
capacity to determine their lives. Through strong will and with great courage, they
can explore the hidden recesses of their psyche. They can recognize their shadow
as their own, become partially conscious of their feminine or masculine side, and
cultivate more than a single function. This process, which Jung called individua-
tion or self-realization, is not easy and demands more fortitude than most people
can muster. Ordinarily, a person who has achieved self-realization has reached mid-
dle life and has lived successfully through the stages of childhood and youth. Dur-
ing middle age, they must be willing to set aside the goals and behaviors of youth
and adopt a new style appropriate to their stage of psychic development.
Even after people have achieved individuation, made an acquaintance with
their inner world, and brought the various opposing forces into balance, they re-
main under the influence of an impersonal collective unconscious that controls
many of their prejudices, interests, fears, dreams, and creative activities.
On the dimension of biological versus socialaspects of personality, Jung’s
theory leans strongly in the direction of biology. The collective unconscious, which
is responsible for so many actions, is part of our biological inheritance. Except for
the therapeutic potential of the doctor-patient relationship, Jung had little to say
about differential effects of specific social practices. In fact, in his studies of var-
ious cultures, he found the differences to be superficial, the similarities profound.
Thus, analytical psychology can also be rated high on similaritiesamong people and
low on individual differences.