The Revolution in Psychology that Put the Individual Back in the Center

 

Humanistic Psychology:

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• The humanistic tradition in personality psychology emerged during a period of great uncertainty and upheaval. World War II and the Cold War contributed to a widespread feeling of unease and anxiety which led to a growing interest in human psychology and a desire to understand how people can thrive in the face of adversity.
• Humanistic psychologists believe that people are fundamentally good and have the innate capacity to grow and develop. They focus on someone's subjective experience and their potential for self-actualization. They also emphasize the importance of free will and personal responsibility.
• In the second half of the past century, an influx of immigrants from all over the world brought a new wave of educated specialists.

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New and intriguing debates about the role of psychology emerged in the 1950s (Shiraev 2015):

• Some psychologists argued that psychology should use primarily experimental methods of investigation, while others believed that psychology should also embrace other approaches such as studying happiness, self-improvement, and compassion
• Humanistic psychologists believe that psychology should pay significant attention to human suffering and injustice and pursue goals to make society better.
• This view accelerated in the changing political culture of the 1960s as people challenged traditional norms and focused on civil rights and discrimination.

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Humanistic psychology is a broad and diverse tradition that focuses on the experiences and potential of individuals emphasizing the importance of free will, personal responsibility, and self-actualization. (Shiraev 2015)

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References 

Shiraev, E. (2016). Personality Theories. SAGE Publications, Inc. (US). https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9781506300795

 

The Breaking Bad of Addiction Treatment

 Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud: 

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What if two of the most influential psychoanalytic thinkers of all time, Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud were to work together to treat someone suffering from a crystal meth addiction. What would their approach be? How would they combine their theories and techniques to help someone overcome this devastating addiction?

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• Jung believed that addiction is a symptom of a deeper psychological problem and saw it as a way of coping with unresolved trauma, conflict, or meaninglessness in life. Jung would first strive to understand the underlying psychological factors that are contributing to the problem.
• Jung would use dream analysis, word association, and active imagination to help this person understand their unconscious mind.
• Using therapeutic techniques such as talk therapy and art therapy, Jung would help this person work through any unresolved issues.

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  Freud might see this person's addiction as a way of coping with anxiety and conflict. He would also probably see it as a regression to an earlier stage of psychosexual development. So Freud would probably delve into understanding the patient's early childhood experiences and how they may have shaped this person's personality.
• Freud would probably use free association and some other techniques such as dream analysis and transference to delve into this patient's unconscious mind.
• Freud would then use some therapeutic techniques such as talk therapy and resistance analysis.
• "Transference and resistance are the pillars of psychoanalytic inquiry theoretically as well as clinically" (Frank 2012).

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If they set aside their differences and just agreed to disagree, then they would likely combine their approaches in a number of ways. They could use Jung's dream analysis techniques to understand the patient's unconscious mind, and then possibly use Freud's free association techniques to help the patient work through some unresolved issues.

What if they combined their different perspectives on addiction. Jung might view the patient's addiction as a symptom of a deeper psychological problem, while Freud might view it as a way of coping with anxiety and conflict. I don't see why they couldn't meet on common sacred ground and form an effective treatment plan for this patient.

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I am only a student but this is my dream scenario:

1. Session one
1. Jung and Freud meet with the patient for an initial assessment and ask the patient about their addiction, and early childhood experiences, and gather relevant information.
2. Session two
1. Jung steps up and meets with the patient for a dream analysis session by having the patient recall a recent dream and possibly interpret the dream's meaning.
3. Session three
1. Freud would step up and do a free association session with the patient. Hopefully, Freud would pick up on patterns and themes in the patient's thoughts.
4. Session four
1. Jung and Freud could come together to discuss their findings from the individual sessions and develop a combined treatment plan for the patient consisting of dream analysis, free association, and talk therapy.
5. Ongoing Sessions:
1. Jung and Freud would continue to meet with the patient on a regular basis to help them work through their addiction and underlying psychological issues by using a variety of techniques to help the patient develop some new coping mechanisms and live a more fulfilling life.

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References

Frank, G. (2012). On the concept of resistance: Analysis and reformulation. Psychoanalytic Review, 99(3), 421–435. https://doi-org.ezproxy.snhu.edu/10.1521/prev.2012.99.3.421

Mother Archetype Symbols

What Do They Mean??

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According to Jung, there is a feminine personality hidden inside of the unconscious of every man and vice versa for women. They are labeled 

Anima

Animus

Anima-Animus - best illustragted with the chinese yin yang symbol

Jung believed that the majority of male or female genes determined someone's sex. However, the minority genes that do not determine the sex do not just disappear once the sex of the developing fetus is determined.(Mackey-Kallis 2023)

The Mother archetype or image of the mother goddess or great mother spans the world's religions and cultures. In psychology, it is often associated with (Mackey-Kallis 2023):

1. fertility
2. fruition
3. a garden
4. a cave
5. plowed field

• It is connected with birth or any round cavernous place and, by expansion, rebirth, or magical transformation and healing - all of which are positive connotations.
• The negative connotations of the mother archetype  (Mackey-Kallis 2023):
• the witch
• devouring dragon
• grave
• deep water
• any suffocating or annihilating energy 

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The first manifestation:

The mother complex can stimulate or inhibit her feminine instinct. The exaggeration of the feminine instinct is represented in the daughter whose only goal is to have children. She views her husband as an instrument only. She is self-defined as "living for others" However, she does not make any true or meaningful sacrifices for other people.

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The second manifestation:

The daughter with an overdeveloped sex drive which potentially replaces the maternal instinct. Jung believed that this could lead to an unconscious incestuous relationship with the father driven by jealousy of the mother.

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The third manifestation:

Jung's Archetypes: The Hidden Codes of Your Psyche

Archetypes

Jung believed that unconscious energy is manifested through archetypes. Archetypes are basically the words that articulate the unconscious material. Archetypes not only represent unconscious content brought into consciousness but they also exist outside of time and space.

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Archetypes may appear as universal symbols such as a mandala symbol or they are presented to us in a mythic story such as stories of rebirth. They emerge during states of reduced consciousness such as when we are daydreaming, dreaming, having visions, or in a state of delirium. "In these states, the check put upon unconscious contents by the concentration of the conscious mind ceases so that the unconscious material streams into the field of consciousness" (Mackey-Kallis 2023). They can also emerge during strong emotional states such as intense anger, love, hate, confusion, or pain.

• Archetypes are spontaneous and have a life of their own.
• They can not be permanently suppressed nor ordered to emerge and they are waiting to be revealed.

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What is the function of Archetypes?

• Well, Jung claimed it was dangerous to suppress or ignore the collective unconscious because he believed that someone's fate is predominantly determined by the unconscious.
• Suppressing the unconscious results in neurosis which is a nervous disorder characterized by intense emotional instability.
• When someone or a social group deviates too far from their instinctual foundations then they experience the full impact of unconscious forces (Mackey-Kallis 2023):
• they are meant to attract, convince, to fascinate, and to overpower
• cultures need to continually explore the archetypes of the unconsciousness
• they must constantly be reborn and reinterpreted for every generation or they can die.
• Jung believed that to fully live the human life we must continually find new interpretations of the archetypes of the collective unconscious.

 

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 References

Mackey-Kallis, S. (2023). Jungian archetypes and the collective unconscious. Salem Press Encyclopedia of Health. 

Jung's

Unconscious

Two types of unconscious according to Jung (Mackey-Kallis 2023):

1. Personal Unconscious - This is where personal dreams originate and are specific to the individual and involve material that may have been forgotten such as memories of birth or memories repressed from consciousness like child abuse.
2. Collective Unconscious - Archetypal dreams originate from here. This area is a reservoir of elemental configurations or archetypes that are outside of space and time and it is inherited. "Identical and present in all individuals and represents a common psychic substrate of a suprapersonal nature"
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Jung believed that the realm of consciousness does not make up the total psyche. Jung supports this claim through many years of clinical observations of patients' dreams and visions - especially schizophrenics.( Mackey-Kallis 2023)

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A quote from Jung printed by Mackey-Kallis (2023) states "Achieving individuation through the therapeutic method of complex psychology requires rendering conscious the energy of both the personal and collective unconscious, to reconcile the conflict between conscious and unconscious content.

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Transcendent Function

What Jung called reconciling the conflict between conscious and unconscious content.

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 References

Mackey-Kallis, S. (2023). Jungian archetypes and the collective unconscious. Salem Press Encyclopedia of Health. 

DIVINE ECHOS IN THE STIR

The Oceanic Feeling: A Whisper from the Divine?

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In chapter one of Civilization and Its Discontents, Freud starts by discussing the validity of the feeling of religion and he ponders if it is based on a misunderstanding of the world. Freud terms this feeling of "oceanic oneness" as a feeling that people report when they are feeling at one with the universe. Freud also states that many people interpret this feeling as evidence of a higher power. Freud did not have those feelings and he was skeptical of its religious significance. Freud suggested that it may be a way of coping with the feeling of isolation and insignificance that comes from living in a large and impersonal world. In chapter one, Freud goes on to say that a psychoanalytic explanation of this feeling is necessary and then he takes a stab at it.


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In this chapter, Freud discusses the development of the ego in early childhood 

Freud states that the ego extends into the unconscious id and has a definite boundary from the outside world. The state of being in love can blur the ego's boundaries. Pathology can also disturb the ego's boundaries. Freud also believed that the ego's self-recognition can be disturbed and that its boundaries between itself and the outside world are immovable. Freud believed that this feeling of oneness that is associated with religion and believing in a higher power may be a regression to an earlier state of mind in which the ego is not yet separated from the outside world. Freud admitted that it was difficult to prove or disprove this hypothesis. 

1. The infant's ego is initially fused with the external world and it only gradually learns to distinguish between itself and the outer world by a process that is driven by the need to avoid pain and seek out pleasure.
1. Freud believed that this feeling of oneness with the universe/ higher power was a vestige of the original feeling of the ego and that this feeling is probably present in many people to varying degrees.
2. Freud pondered the possibility that this feeling of oneness is a glimpse into our deepest selves and our connection to the world around us.

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Freud discusses the concept of conservation of memory in the mind

• Freud makes an analogy of the fact that we can find traces of ancient Rome in the modern city to finding traces of our earliest memories in our minds.
• It is possible for the way that the ego feels in our infanthood to exist alongside the ego feels in its highly developed state of maturity.
• Freud stated that one part of an attitude or impulse can survive unchanged while another part undergoes further development.

Freud's analogy of Rome and the human mind suggests that our minds are layered with our earliest memories and that they are still present even though they are buried under the layers of development which has implications for our understanding of ourselves and our world

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Freud discusses the limitations of our ability to understand the mind in terms of spatial representation.

Freud gives another analogy:

1. He imagines a city where all the buildings from the past are still standing even though they are now stacked on top of each other.
2. He states that this would be impossible in the real world because the same space cannot hold two of the same things at the same time.
3. Freud compares this city to the human mind by stating just as this city preserves traces of its past so does the mind.
1. Freud points out that events such as trauma or inflammation can damage and lead to the loss of memories.

• This is a good analogy; however, the mind is more resilient to change while cities are constantly changing.

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Need for Religion

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Freud believed that the need for religion is more likely derived from the child's feeling of helplessness and the longing it evokes for a father

Freud discusses how the oceanic feeling could become connected with religion later on

• This feeling is a first attempt at the consolation of religion and another way of the ego denying the dangers it sees threatening it in the external world.
• Freud stated that he found it difficult to work with these theories or to prove them. but that he was sure that the "oceanic" feeling may play a role in a religious belief.

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Conclusion

Freud's arguments are based on both psychological and philosophical reasoning and he uses his knowledge of the development of the ego to argue that the "oceanic" feeling is likely related to an early stage in development. He uses his knowledge of the history of religion to argue that the need for religion is more likely derived from the child's feeling of helplessness and the longing for its father.

The author's arguments are persuasive, but they are not without their critics. Some people have argued that the "oceanic" feeling is not simply a regression to an early stage in development, but that it is a genuine experience of something beyond the self. Others have argued that the need for religion is not simply based on the child's feeling of helplessness, but that it is also based on a desire for meaning and purpose in life.

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References

 Freud, S. (2014). Civilization and its discontents. Penguin Classics.

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Freud On ICE:

 Crystals From Down Under

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Sigmund Freud's approach to treating crystal meth addiction would likely be different from Jung's in a number of ways. Freud believed that addiction is a symptom of repressed childhood trauma or sexual conflict. He would likely use psychoanalysis to help the person to uncover and address these issues.

Freud also believed that addiction is a way of coping with anxiety.

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Freud would probably use dream analysis, free association, and other psychoanalytic techniques to uncover any repressed childhood trauma or sexual conflict.

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It is important to note that Freudian therapy is not without its critics. Some people believe that it is too focused on the past and that it does not offer enough practical help for people who are struggling with addiction. 

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