Carl Jung
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“Anyone who wants to know the human psyche will learn next to nothing from experimental psychology,” declared Carl Jung, in what some construe as a sweeping statement with an alluring theatrical air. Jung appeals to the young to abandon 'exact science,' put away the scholar's gown and undertake a savage pilgrimage where he will learn real psychology in psychiatric hospitals, pubs, brothels, gambling dens, and the streets.....
Just from this statement you can see how Jung's views might appeal to rebels. For Jung offers a critique of rising materialism, one-sided reason and the devastating influence of science and technology on the world.
His thought also acknowledges that every person is endowed with an unseen universe in his soul making him or her special. And in his day, anyone who encountered Jung was struck by his charisma which could fill a whole room. He came across as someone witty, humorous and engaging. Women are reputed to have been awed by his striking presence. Freud was also impressed by him. When he first met him in 1907, they talked non-stop for 13 hours. In a sense, his lingering influence in Russia should not sound so surprising.
Yet Jung, like many “schools of psychology” has been subject to devastating critiques. For instance, there is the case where he misdiagnosed a young American woman, Frank Miller, claiming she was going to be admitted to hospital for schizophrenia. Miller complained, “I almost disappear in the books, a confused mass of mythological references.” There is the case when with the rise of fascism he wrote nonsense about the comparison between 'Aryan and Jewish psychology' lauding the former.
Sigmund Freud
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Freud said he was antisemitic. In a moment of candid frankness, Jung confessed "I slipped up." Nevertheless, Jung defended the publication of articles written by Jews and assisted them. For that, his works were banned in Nazis Germany and he was blacklisted. If you read some of his works you can easily attain the impression his works are eccentric and even outlandish.
John Kerr states in his work 'A Dangerous Method,' that Jung was often intolerant of any kind of dissidence. Both Freud and Jung never really respected academic freedom. In this respect they both let themselves down!
The Scottish Philosopher Alistair MacIntyre, in his work “After Virtue” expresses amazement at the longevity of Jung's as well as other schools of psychotherapy. He states, “'Devastating hostile critique of the standard therapeutic theories of our culture are easily available. Indeed each school of therapists is all too anxious to make clear the theoretical defects of each rival school . Thus the problem is not why the psychoanalytic therapies are not exposed as ill-founded , it is rather why, since they have now been adequately undermined , the practices of therapy continue for the most as though nothing has happened” {“After Virtue,” Alasdair MacIntyre, pages 73-74.}
When a student begins a course of psychology he feels confused, confounded and perplexed as to the merits of each school. He may as well toss a coin or throw a dice to choose which school of thought to embrace. May be it is more prudent just to acknowledge each school was on to something and we should remain open-minded rather than enticed.
Noam Chomsky has long warned of the negative influence of behavioral psychology in teaching English on the basis it demotivates students by making lessons boring. He advises teachers to ignore psychology and use practical common sense!
Noam Chomsky
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I was struck by how Jung had found a resonance in Russia itself. A therapist called Svetlana who worked in a kindergarten in Moscow informed me, "I much prefer Jung's thought to Freud's. Jung has more positive things to say about the unconscious."
Once while helping the homeless I was approached by a kind photographer who emphasized to me that "Each of those homeless before you has a soul." He told me he was inspired by Jung. So Jung was being used to defend the dignity of the homeless.
The storyteller Daniel Ogan had no time for Freud but would often use Jungian terms while talking. He had been influenced by Joseph Campbell's “The Hero with a Thousand faces.” Campbell's theories owe a lot to the influence of Jung whom he clearly idolizes. There is also a romantic aura about Jung.
So why have the views of Jung proved relatively resilient and resonant in Russia ? Firstly, Jung's views appeal to the deeply rooted mystical views reflected in Russian philosophy, religion and folklore. Jung's works deal with things such as premonitions, synchronicity where coincidences have some connection {you are thinking of a person just before he unexpectedly drops into your home} and the creative potential of dreams. Jung believed in the existence of spirits, claimed to have seen many ghosts and believed the dead were always with us.
In Russian culture, there is something of a cult of the dead where there is a special relationship between the dead and the living. They support and assist each other! The remembrance of dead members of the family are constantly commemorated on the anniversary of their birthdays and deaths, as well as before Easter and Christmas. In this respect it is worth perusing “Ivan the Fool: Russian Folk Belief,” by Andrei Sinyavsky. You'll quickly get the idea. Sinyavsky explains how the Russian landscape is full of all kinds of spirits such as Domovoi, Leshii and Mermaids. He emphasizes the influence of faith Healers called Znakhars who not only can treat a sick person but predict your future or intuitively understand you.
Andrei Sinyavsky
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One of my students, a banker named Sergei, had a mother who had a terrible stomach ache. For years she had been taking prescribed medicine in vain. A friend recommended the aid of such a faith healer. He was shocked to find that when he and his wife entered her room the woman scolded his mother with "Why are you poisoning your body with all this sulfur?" She then gave his mother some herbs to take as well as a huge list of things to take. The complicated medication worked! But Sergei, who is an economist told me "I was taken aback by how this person could have known without meeting my mother what medication my mother took. I had not told her about this." Jung would not have been astonished by such an incident.
Jung came up with the idea on how our self-esteem can be wounded by 'complexes.' It was more accurate to diagnose some people as having 'a complex' than claiming they suffered from deeper trauma or a more serious mental illness. This was supposed to protect the person from being stigmatized. It never quite worked. How many people have you heard condemning another person behind their back for having a complex? A person with a complex is said to be inadequate. But all a complex suggests is a powerful emotion from the unconscious which can strongly affect a person's behavior.
It is hardly catastrophic! Now you have the absurd situation where a person can have a complex about having a complex! Yet how many actors and artists do you hear about admitting to having an inferiority complex? Despite this, they get by!
Many Russians agree with Jung's claim that the emphasis of reason and science has led the west to lose much of its spiritual side. The over-reliance on science and reason has led people becoming cut off not only from nature but their own selves. Jung's conception about two types of thought, extrovert and introvert allowed people to appreciate how getting absorbed in yourself was not necessary synonymous with egotism or self-indulgence. Such introspection might be a deep exploration to discover yourself in such a way you could more effectively aid others.
Jung emphasized that many patients are ill because they have lost sight of the meaning and purpose of their lives. He warned that analysts must never forget the spiritual issues. He thought that each patient had a secret story locked up within themselves. Many people had become shipwrecked and shattered because they could not finish their stories.
Of course, the poor and homeless really need urgent financial support and accessible housing. The first priority is to get them a home to stay in. But the humanism of Jung's views reminds us that we have to genuinely respect others and acknowledge how unique they are. We have to revive the renaissance ideal of the beautiful soul which has been almost utterly lost.
Jung reminds us that there is more than meets the eye when we encounter strangers. Each person is a priceless icon that has an aura of their own.
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Acknowledged and recommended sources:
James Hollis, “Living between Worlds: Finding Resilience in Changing Times,” Colorado: Sound True, 2020. This is a work by a Jungian therapist which is very accessible and down to earth.
Maggie Hyde, Michael McGuiness and Oliver Pugh. “Jung: A Graphic Guide.” London: Icon Books, 2015. For those who adore illustrations and need a brief introduction to Jung this is a must.
John Kerr, “A Dangerous Method,” London: Atlantic Books, 2012. This is a fascinating account of the dark side of the history of psychoanalysis.
Alastair MacIntrye, “After Virtue,” London: Duckworth, 2004.
Andre Sinyavsky, “Ivan the Fool: Russian Folk Belief/A Cultural History,” Translated by Joanne Turnbull. Moscow: Glas, 2007.