Dream Interpretation and the Theories of Carl Jung
Dream Interpretation and the Theories of Carl Jung
There are two names that are inextricably associated with the
art and science of dream interpretation - Sigmund Freud and Carl
Jung. While Freud saw the unconscious as a wild place, Jung saw
it as more refined and spiritual.
Carl Jung was born in 1875 and lived enjoyed a long and fruitful
career until his death in 1961. Carl Jung originally studied
under the tutelage of Sigmund Freud, and he learned a lot about
the mind, the unconscious and the world of dreams during his
role as a student.
It was their differing interpretations of the dream world, and
their different views of the unconscious, however, that
eventually led the two men to go their separate ways.
Eventually, their differing views on what dreams meant caused a
major rift in their relationship.
Just like Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung believed that the
subconscious existed in its own right. Unlike Sigmund Freud,
however, Carl Jung did not view the unconscious as a wild,
instinctual and animalistic place.
Instead, unlike Freud, Jung saw the unconscious on a more
spiritual level. To Carl Jung, dreams were the best method for
people to acquaint themselves with their unconscious mind. Carl
Jung did not see dreams as a way to hide the dreamer's true
feelings from the conscious mind, as Freud did. Jung saw dreams
as providing a guide to the waking self and helping the dreamer
achieve a kind of wholeness. To Jung, dreams were a way of
offering solutions to problems the dreamer was experiencing in
his or her waking life.
Jung and Archetypes: The most common facet of dream
interpretation associated with the work of Carl Jung is that of
archetypes. Jung believed that there are certain universal
themes and universal images that were common to every culture
and every civilization around the world. To Carl Jung, these
universal archetypes were proof of what he called the collective
unconscious - or memories handed down through the ages from one
generation to the next.
Some of the most well known archetypes described by Carl Jung
include:
The Persona - Jung described the persona as the image presented
to the public by each person. In essence the persona is the
public mask, the part of yourself that is shown to the world at
large. The opposite of the persona is the shadow.
The Shadow - Whereas the persona represents the parts of the
personality that are shown to the world, the shadow archetype
represents each person's rejected aspects of themselves. The
shadow is often seen as a symbol of fear, anger or weakness.
The Anima - Jung saw the anima as the feminine aspects of the
male mind. The anima is the repressed female parts of the male
psyche.
The Animus - The animus is the opposite of the anima. Where the
anima is the feminine part of the male psyche, the animus is the
masculine part of the female mind. Like the anima, the animus is
most often repressed during waking hours.
The Divine Child - The divine child was described by Carl Jung
as a symbol of the true self. The divine child is often seen to
represent the sense of potential or the sense of vulnerability.
The Wise Old Man - Jung saw the archetype of the wise old man as
a symbol of the self or of a powerful figure.
The Great Mother - The great mother is seen as a symbol of
nurture, growth, or fertility. The great mother archetype is
also associated with dominance and seduction.
These archetypes appear in every culture, and variations of them
have occurred around the world and in many different times. Jung
saw the appearance of these archetypes in dreams as highly
significant, and he used these archetypal images in his dream
interpretation.
David Baker
For More Information About
Dream Interpretation Click Here