Tuesday 28 October 2014

Carl Jung Symbols Are Still Applicable To Many Situations

By Dominique Martin


Some dream symbols are universal and apply to men as well as women. In Jungian theory, this is called the collective unconscious. Carl Jung is the famous psychoanalyst and author responsible for creating his theories of Jung symbols.

Great emphasis was placed on the figures who appeared in dreams and the figures who existed in the waking hours. They represented people who were part of the dreamers waking life. He defined seven major archetypal characters and correlated their symbolic meanings to actual people.

Each person has a Persona which serves to represent you as the world perceives you. In a dream you are represented symbolically. When you wake, if you recall the dream, you automatically know that the famous singer or beggar at the airport is representing you.

The next is named The Shadow and symbolizes the worst aspects of yourself, which you attempt to suppress. These repressed features may appear as monsters or murderers in a dream. When recalled the next morning, you realize seeing them made you angry.

According to Jung the woman has masculine aspects and the man a feminine side. He named this Anima-Animus. In dreams the man may play a female role, such as a caregiver. The woman, on the other hand, may take on a masculine one. While a female shows aggression this way, a male may step into a more emotional, thus feminine, role.

Dr. Jung passed away in 1961. Therefore his concepts of the male role and the female role were of that era. Now we always encounter aggressive females and men who are not ashamed to cry. The gender role has become less delineated.

The fourth symbol is The Divine Child. In your dreams this purest part of yourself appears as a baby or child. It embodies your innocence. It also represents the aspirations you hold and the full potential you can hope to reach.

You may dream of an authority figure such as a priest, teacher or therapist. Jung called this archetype The Wise Old Man or Woman. This is a representation of someone in your life who offers help or guidance during your waking hours.

The Great Mother was someone who nurtured you and would appear as your own mother or grandmother. This archetype would provide reassurance. He theorized that a mother might become jealous when her child turned away from her as he matured. He theorized that this negativity would appear as dominance or death.

Finally, the seventh symbol is The Trickster. His name describes his function in your dreams. His appearance might be due to your misjudgment that led to you undergoing some embarrassment during your waking hours before bedtime. He may mock you and make you feel vulnerable and weak.

The writings of Jung included early works such as Psychology of the Unconscious. His theories have an impact on psychiatry to this day. His final book, Man and His Symbols, gave a vivid portrayal of the complexity of the theories he held to be true.

His books, written in German, have been translated into English and other languages. A few of his works were written in English. He left behind a large body of work detailing the theories he created.




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