Collected Works of C.G. Jung, Volume 8: Structure & Dynamics of the Psyche: Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche v. 8 [Hardcover]

_The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche_ is one of the better volumes out of the Princeton/Bollingen series of Jung's collected works, and is absolutely essential for any serious Jungian. I will go over the essays in sequence:

First comes an essay entitled "On Psychic Energy". This is the most difficult essay in this volume. Generally, Jung discusses his concept of the "canalization of libildo". This is interesting in that Jung tries to redefine "libido" by moving away from its traditional, purely sexual connotation. For Jung, libido is simply a generic form of psychic energy which can be redirected or "canalized" into both sexual AND non-sexual activities, such as religious rituals, dances, chants, and incantations. It is only when our intrinsic need for ritual is supressed that we find our libido forced to direct its energies into sexual perversion. Although the concept is interesting, the writing style of this essay is rather vague and opaque, and if you find yourself bogged down, I strongly suggest you skip this first essay. Don't worry - it's all downhill after this essay. The rest of the book is much more lucid and readable.

Next comes an essay called "The Transcendent Function", which basically deals with the healing breakthrough which is the goal of the patient in psychotherapy. Next is an essay dealing with the "Complex Theory". This essay deals with word-association tests in which the experimenter observes the subjects reations and hesitations when given a word that evokes embarrassing or painful memories. Both of these essays are very useful and informative.

Next we have about three more short but very profound and informative essays. Then comes the centerpiece of the book, a potent and spectaculuar classic of 20th century psychology entitled "On the Nature of the Psyche". This, along with "Answer to Job" is one of Jung's very best essays. It deals with an astounding range of topics, including the limitations and paradoxes associated with epistemology, and the dualistic and paradoxical interrelationship between subjective, inner psyche and the objective/outer world. This essay has much to say about the limitations of our subjectivity, and the degree to which we depend on other people and the outside world to attain consciousness. Jung does an excellent job in demarcating the thin line which divides the outer world and the sum of our subjective perceptions. Overall, this essay is a mind warping trip into a sea of paradoxical mysteries of the psyche.

After a short essay dealing with spirits, we come to a series of three great essays: "Spirit and Life", "Basic Postulates of Analytical Psychology", and "Analytical Psychology and Weltanschauung". These fantastic essays deal expertly with the delicate issue of fate and determinism vs. freewill, and the idea of achieving an objective attitude or "Weltanscauung". Jung warns against attempting to unite everyone under one objetive attitude or "ism". This can only lead to repression, nationalistic, racist, and PATRIOTIC BIAS, and ultimately, war. According to Jung, when one nation unites under an "ism" or Weltanschauung which is erronously believed to be objective and appropriate for everyone, we will end up with a repression of indivdual, diverse opinions at best, and at worst, will have a worldwide tragedy resulting from our quest to force this attitude on other people. (and yes, according to Jung's book, DEMOCRACY also counts as one of those "ism's" that we should not try to force on to other people). Of course this tragedy will be carried out under the banner of patriotism.

Next we have three more short essays which are very good, especially "The Soul and Death". After that, we have the famous essay, "Syncronicity", which is available by itself in paperback if you only want that. This is a fascinating essay dealing with paranormal psychic phenomena such as psychokinesis, ESP, and telepathy. If you want to see more details on this essay, see my corresponding review for the stand-alone paperback version.

Overall, _The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche_ is a monumental, epic work. A true magnum opus of psychology, I recommend this volume to anyone who is willing to take on a challenge for the pursuit of self-knowledge.

This is the most practical description of the structure and dynamics of the psyche available. It is a working reference that enables real self-understanding, the understanding of others, and the understanding of the dynamics between the two. With all of the mis-spent resources in the last ninety years on the study of behavior, and the growth of the behaviorists, this reference really enables a person to learn the details of the pre-cursors to behavior. In today's so-called knowledge-based work environment, a solid understanding of the psyche is essential, since 90% of the work is not what one would consider observable behavior. It's nice to know that such a valuable book is still available and still useful. It should be paired with Jung's Psychological Types, and the Two volume set of William James, practical psychology books. Wes Stillwagon

With the possible exception of "The Symbolic Life," this is my favorite of the books in "The Collected Works" of C. G. Jung. Maybe it's synchronistic that one is CW18 and the other is CW8? In any case, this volume includes Jung's thoughts on many of his breakthrough ideas and concepts and describes his model of the psyche. His model adds a 3rd dimension (the collective unconscious) to Freud's (conscious and subconscious). Though, of course, Jung calls the subconscious the personal unconscious. This 3 dimensional view translates the subconscious into the home of the psychological complexes. Jung applied the mathematical concept of complexes (a complex number has a real or rational part plus an irrational [I'd call it non-rational] part which is a multiple of "i" = the square root of minus one). Jung didn't like what he called neologisms = newly created words; especially when an analogous word was already available. He also considered himself an empirical scientist and did not believe his theories were the last word in psychology.

p. 297 The purpose of research is not to imagine that one possesses the theory which alone is right, but doubting all theories, to approach gradually nearer to the truth.

In this volume, Jung explores the relationships among these three layers of the psyche as related to the real world and our knowledge of it.

p. 171 All knowledge is the result of imposing some kind of order upon the reactions of the psychic system as they flow into our consciousness-an order that reflects the behavior of a metapsychic reality or that which is in itself real.

People project their inner psyche upon the external world-very similar to the Tibetan Buddhist Dzogchen and Mahamudra philosophies in which the real world is empty of an inherent nature (it arises only dependent upon causes) and the reality we perceive is an integrated projection of sentient beings, itself being dependently arising. Of course, Jung did study Eastern philosophies and religions.

p. 207 A poorly developed consciousness, for instance which because of massed projections is inordinately impressed by concrete or apparently concrete things and states, will naturally see in the instinctual drives the source of all reality. It remains blissfully unaware of the spirituality of such a philosophical surmise.

Also, his theory of synchronicity (meaningful coincidences) supports this view of the relationship of psyche to matter. This is a bit reminiscent of the Einstein's view (now part of modern physics) that matter and energy are of the same nature.

p. 215 it is not only possible but fairly probable, even, that psyche and matter are two different aspects of one and the same thing. The synchronicity phenomena point, it seems to me, in this direction, for they show that the nonpsychic can behave like the psychic, and vice versa, without there being any causal connection between them.

However, the danger of identifying, incorrectly, to the world of matter on one hand is matched by the danger of identifying with the collective unconscious' Archetypes on the other.

p. 221 Subjective consciousness must, in order to escape this doom, avoid identification with collective consciousness by recognizing its shadow as well as the existence and the importance of the archetypes. These later are an effective defense against the brute force of collective consciousness and the mass psyche that goes with it.

Rather balance is to be sought in the Individuation process.

p. 223 Psychology actualizes the unconscious urge to consciousness. It is, in fact, the coming to consciousness of the psychic process. And--

p. 225 Conscious wholeness consists in a successful union of ego and self, so that both preserve their intrinsic qualities. If, instead of this union, the ego is overpowered by the self, then the self too does not attain the form it ought to have, but remains fixed on a primitive level and can express itself only through archaic symbols...If the ego is dissolved in identification with the self, it gives rise to a sort of nebulous superman with a puffed-up ego and a deflated self.

p. 226 Individuation does not shut one out from the world, but gathers the world to oneself.

This implies that we withdraw our projections from the world and make the unconscious conscious.

p. 342 Like primitives, we are at first wholly unconscious of our actions, and only discover long afterwards why it was that we acted in a certain way. In the meantime we content ourselves with all sorts of rationalizations of our behavior, all of them equally inadequate.