Jungian Theory: Key Concepts and Psychological Types

Carl Jung

A Swiss psychiatrist (1875-1961) who was for a time a prominent disciple of Freud, known for his theory of analytical psychology, emphasizing the unconscious, individuation, and archetypes.

Libido (Jung's View)

Broad psychic energy with spiritual dimensions, not limited to sexual energy.

Psyche

Jung's core idea of personality, with a prominent role for the unconscious.

The Self

The total, integrated personality that expresses the principle of relationship between the unconscious and consciousness, supplying what is missing from consciousness to make a complete whole.

Individuation

The process of becoming a fully developed person, involving the integration of all psychic functions, occurring particularly in adulthood.

Transcendent Function

The process of integrating opposing aspects of personality into a unified whole, crucial for individuation.

Ego

In Jung's theory, the gatekeeper to consciousness and the center of will, but not the entire personality.

Persona

The social mask or role adopted to adapt to the world, generally established by young adulthood.

Shadow

The unconscious complement to the conscious identity, often projected in dreams and literature as dangerous or evil, representing repressed aspects of the self.

Anima

A man’s inner feminine aspect, often associated with Eros, moodiness, and emotionality.

Animus

A woman’s inner masculine aspect, often associated with logos, being opinionated, and preoccupation with power.

Personal Unconscious

A combination of the Shadow, Anima, and Animus, containing forgotten or repressed memories and ideas specific to the individual.

Collective Unconscious

A deeper, transpersonal layer of the unconscious containing primordial, innate patterns called archetypes, inherited (gene-based) and shared by all humanity.

Archetypes

Primordial, innate patterns within the collective unconscious that influence behavior and perception; examples include the Shadow, Anima/Animus, Great Mother, Hero, and Mandala.

Mandala

A symbol of psychic wholeness and integration, influenced by Buddhist ideas, often used as an aid to meditation.

Numinous Experience

An experience involving spiritual or transpersonal energies, related to the collective unconscious.

Complex

Emotionally charged networks of ideas arising from unresolved conflicts, which can influence thoughts and behaviors (e.g., a mother complex).

Word Association Test

Jung's technique to reveal complexes by asking individuals to say whatever comes to mind when they hear a specific word.

Dream Interpretation (Jung)

A key Jungian therapy technique, involving stages like recall, amplification, and active imagination, to understand messages from the unconscious ('an unopened letter').

Synchronicity

The acausal principle that events can be connected by meaning rather than by direct cause and effect, often involving a meaningful coincidence.

Psychological Types (Jung)

A core framework for individual differences based on combinations of a fundamental attitude (introversion/extroversion) and four psychological functions (thinking, feeling, sensation, intuition).

Introversion

A fundamental attitude where psychic energy primarily flows inward, typically focused on inner reality.

Extroversion

A fundamental attitude where psychic energy primarily flows outward, typically focused on external objects and interpersonal relationships.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

A commonly used psychometric questionnaire based on Jungian psychological types, used in business and education to measure preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions.