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Carl Jung’s Theory On Introversion and Extroversion

admin — Thu, 14 May 2009 11:15:39 +0000

There are many theories regarding what makes someone an extrovert or an introvert. Many people assume these terms refer to an individual who is either shy or sociable, but Carl Jung believed this is only part of the characteristics.

Extroverts

Extroverts have an ego that faces more towards the persona (our public image). This means that extroverts place more emphasis on external gratification such as people, money and activities. Jung believed that society, incorrectly, values extroverts more than introverts.

Introvert

For introverts the emphasis is on the the internal world of feelings, dreams , fantasies and thoughts. Jung believed that introverts have an ego that faces more towards the collective unconscious and it’s archetypes. Jung saw introverts as being much more mature than extroverts.

Hans Eysenck developed Jung’s theories during the 1960′s and often referred to introversion and extroversion as “sociability” and “surgency”.

Carl Jung: The Psyche or Ego, Personal Unconscious and Collective Unconscious

admin — Thu, 14 May 2009 08:19:22 +0000

Jung believed the psyche was divided into three distinctive parts:

Ego

This is fundamentally the conscious mind. The ego is the executive of the individual, making decisions, learning, growing and obtaining wisdom.

Personal Unconscious

Describes anything that can be brought to the conscious mind with ease, but isn’t presently, including impulses, fears, traumas and memories. Included in this category are memories that have been suppressed or forgotten, or are too weak to reach the conscious mind. Jung felt this was a superficial layer of the unconscious.

Collective Unconscious

Jung’s theory of the collective unconscious is often described as the ‘driving inheritance’ or ‘psychic inheritance’. This part of the psyche is never consciously called upon, but directs a person’s emotional reactions. It is a collection of the religious, spiritual and mythological symbols which are passed down through the generations and therefore pre-date the individual.

Carl Jung and Archetypes

admin — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 07:49:11 +0000

Carl Gustav Jung (1875 – 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist and the founder of ‘Analytical Psychology’. Although Jung spent a great deal of time working as a clinician, he drew on many different cultures and ideas from both eastern and western philosophy to shape his theories. One of his most famous theories involves psychological archetypes.

An archetype is an ideal example or model of a person’s personality or behaviour. The number of archetypes is potentially endless, but the five main examples are:

The Self: Regulates the psyche and allows us to be individuals.
The Persona: The way we like others to see us and the way we present to the world. The ‘mask’ we wear.
The Shadow: Sometimes referred to as the ‘darker side’ of the ego. A part of us we don’t relate to but know it exists.
The Anima: The feminine image in the male psyche.
The Animus: The male image in the female psyche.

Jung found the mythical expression of archetypes in fairy tales and legends.