@scaramouche Nice, em breve poderemos ter discussoes mais aprofundadas sobre psicologia jungiana 😎

Utilizar a funcao inferior tem sido um desafio. Pessoas como eu e tu tendem a descartar as emocoes em favor da razao. O problema e que o Universo nao funciona de maneira racional. Ir buscar respostas a funcao inferior tem-se revelado de extremo valor. Mas sim, tive de ca chegar sozinho. Nao houve qualquer tipo de incentivo da sociedade em geral para que me tornasse mais completo.

Comecei a escrever em português, mas depois reparei que estava a pensar em inglês. Por isso, os meus pensamentos escritos sobre o livro estão em inglês.

Início

Jung’s Psychological types is one of those masterpieces in which entire paragraphs are written in wonderful conciseness and elegance. It is my goal that by writing a review, it’ll help to solidify some ideas and to connect some personal experiences with the descriptions given by Jung.

First about the book’s structure. Jung takes the time to attentively and favorably make the case for the state of knowledge in Psychology types. It’s well worth the read, for the sheer breadth of authors and texts that he critiques. Only after this long study does Jung introduce his General Theory of Types.

Society takes the best (conscious) and conditions one to stifle the worst (unconscious)

Just as the enslavement of the mass was the open wound of the antique world, the enslavement of the inferior function is an ever-bleeding wound in the soul of man today. “One-sidedness in the exercise of his powers leads in the individual infallibly to error, but in the race to truth” (p. 29) says Schiller. The favouritism of the superior function is just as serviceable to society as it is prejudicial to the individuality. This prejudicial effect has reached such a pitch that the great organizations of our present day civilization actually strive for the complete disintegration of the individual, since their very existence depends upon a mechanical application of the preferred individual functions of men. Page 94

Too much abstraction

A further result of the abstracting, conscious attitude, and one whose significance will become more apparent in the further course of our investigation, is that the unconscious develops a compensating attitude. For the more the relation to the object is restricted by the abstraction of consciousness (because too many experiences and laws are made), all the more insistently does a craving for the object develop in the unconscious. This finally declares itself in consciousness as a compulsive sensuous hold upon the object. Page 119

This introversion simply means that the libido is held with the Self and is prevented from participation in the conflicting opposites. Since the outward way is barred to it, it turns naturally towards thought, whereby it is again in danger of becoming entangled in the conflict.

The act of differentiation and introversion involves the detachment of disposable libido, not merely from the outer object alone but also from the inner object, namely ideas. It becomes wholly objectless; it is no longer related to anything that could be a conscious content, it therefore sinks into the unconscious, where it automatically takes possession of the waiting phantasy material, which it activates and urges towards consciousness. Page 145

Unconscious is seen in the object

Psychologically, demons are interferences from the unconscious, i.e. spontaneous irruptions into the continuity of the conscious process on the part of unconscious complexes. Complexes are comparable to demons which fitfully harass our thoughts and actions, hence antiquity and the Middle Ages conceived acute neurotic disturbances as possession. When, therefore, the individual stands consistently upon one side, the unconscious ranges itself squarely upon the other, and rebels. Page 138

It is familiar that the unconscious, when not realized, is ever at work casting a false glamour over everything: it appears to us always upon objects, because everything unconscious is projected. Hence, when we are able to understand the unconscious as such, we strip away the false appearance from objects, and this can only promote truth. Page 163

Conscious cannot mediate a conflict

The will, in any case, is determined more from this side or from that, just so long as it is dependent for its content upon one side or the other. But, to be really able to decide the matter, it must be grounded on a mediate state or process, which shall give it a content that is neither too near nor too remote from either side. […] It would, therefore, be unavailing to appeal to consciousness for a decision of the conflict between the instincts. A conscious decree would be quite arbitrary, and could never give the will that symbolic content which alone can create an irrational settlement of a logical antithesis. Page 141-142

The unconscious, therefore, might be that neutral region of the psyche where everything that is divided and antagonistic in consciousness flows together into groupings and formations. These, when examined in the light of consciousness, reveal a nature that exhibits the constituents of the one side as much as the other; they nevertheless belong to neither side, but occupy an independent middle station. This mediate position, constitutes for consciousness both their value and their worthlessness; worthless in so far as nothing clearly distinguishable emerges instantaneously from their formation, thus leaving consciousness embarrassed as to its purpose; but valuable in so far as their undifferentiated state gives them that symbolic character which is essential to the content of a mediatory will. Page 143-144

Thoughts

Reading Jung was like going into a side room where I could see myself through a window. To see what was in front of me and I couldn’t see. To see what the unconscious was saying through objects. Was I really annoyed that some food went to waste, or was this the unconscious overreacting, because it is bothered by new and stricter constraints? I think it’s more the second, because I now don’t care that much about the food that went to waste.

In Jungian terms, the conscious can be the tyrant that knows it all, represses it all. What doesn’t fit the plan or the designed persona, is repressed into oblivion. But in fact, it doesn’t disappear. The unwanted behavior or thought, finds its way to a disorganized unconscious, where all the other repressed complexes are. This is the ongoing conflict in one’s psychic: the wanted traits through which will directs its power, and the unwanted traits that remain silent until erupting. Here Jung has a great lesson. One cannot mediate this conflict consciously. After all, conscious is in this conflict and is the tyrant repressing the unconscious urges and desires. Every attempt to attenuate and control these eruptions will be rejected by the unconscious, for they are incapable of accepting and understanding. However, there’s a middle ground, a neutral field where neither conscious nor unconscious have a disproportionate influence. That’s where mediation can take place. That’s also where Art speaks to us.

I take from this book that the most difficult challenge is not in identifying the unwanted behaviors and thoughts, but in carefully letting go of repressions, so that a more integrated Self can develop itself. It is the job of the conscious to be that through which the will acts. However, this can become problematic if the will exaggerates the role of the Ego. When the Ego occupies the space of the Self, a nefarious encroachment on the unconscious takes place, and a necessary revolt happens. One should care not to give too much power to the Ego, which is the natural opposite of the Shadow. To integrate the two in order to develop the Self is the goal.

In my personal case, I see that in these past months my Self has been confronted by disturbing realities. These I can now read as causes for compensation. For example, leaving the 3 year job caused a need to reassure my Ego against the outside claims of worry and duty. For this the Self mounted a solid defense in a life plan to show to the outside (with repetitive dialogues) and also inside (with a heaping up of projections and ‘worst case scenario’ thoughts). This was an abstraction led too far, and a consequential closing of a link to the outside through the object. A compensation occurred when this meant brusque reactions and harsh words, that I can now see were coming from a hurt Ego, and an unaccounted for unconscious. And yet I see now that there was no real need to do it. No one was pushing me against a wall to ‘make up my mind’ about my life. These came in fact from an undifferentiated tertiary function (Fi), that is prone to read negativity in feelings, when stress calls for its help. To develop this inferior function would be of great help in the development of my Self.

Another path for development lies in being aware of over-abstraction, which leads to a caging of the libido in oneself where it causes problems. The way out is in the object, where this excess libido can release itself.

This text is written only 2 days after finishing the book. I know I’ll keep digesting this book for a long time. For example, how the collective unconscious conditions one’s instinctive reactions to problems and how not to fully attach the Self to it. How Christianity depreciates de value of Woman through symbols of the Virgin and Woman as a vessel. This blocks libido from being channeled to the Woman, and instead is taken into the worship of a symbol. To symbolize and subjectify is not bad in itself. In fact, it’s through these mechanisms that one is capable of gaining a relative freedom from the object.

@scaramouche Temos de marcar ai uma sessao para falar de Jung 😎

Acho que sim. Vou falar com o meu advogado, que falará com o teu, para combinarmos uma reunião.