Joevin S. Ybañez

A POSTSTRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF THE “I” IN CARL JUNG’S INDIVIDUATION ___________________________________ A RESEARCH PAPER PRESENTED TO THE FACULTY OF PHILOSOPHY DIVINE WORD MISSION SEMINARY 101 E. RODRIGUEZ SR., AVE., QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES ___________________________________ IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT FOR THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF ARTS IN PHILOSOPHY ___________________________________ SUBMITTED BY: JOEVIN S. YBAÑEZ COMBONI MISSIONARIES OF THE HEART OF JESUS (MCCJ) ___________________________________ REV. FR. MELCHOR BERNAL, SVD, PHD ADVISER A person in darkness can see a Great Light, A light that is within himself. ACKNOWLEDGMENT I would like to thank the following people who gave me motivation, encouragement, critiques and criticisms, and any other valuable services in realizing this study: Fr. Melchor Bernal, SVD, PhD for allocating valuable time on the guidance of this study. Fr. Ignacio Marin, MCCJ for introducing Carl Jung on my formation. Fr. Lorenzo Carraro, MCCJ, PhD for allocating valuable time proofreadingthis work. Fr. Mario Pacheco Zamora, MCCJ for introducing Ortega y Gasset. Fr. Romulo Panis, MCCJ for facilitating the road to my formation. Fr. John Taneburgo, MCCJ for spiritual direction behind this work. and my co-formands for becoming also a part of me. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter I: Introduction: Why Poststructuralism? A. Background of the Study B. Statement of the Problem C. Significance D. Objectives of the Study E. Scope and Limitation F. Methodology G. Biographical Sketch - Chapter II: The Structure of the “I” A. The relationship of the self to the symbol “I” B. The relationship of the symbol “I” to the world C. The relationship of the world to the self - Chapter III: Individuation: A poststructural paradigm of the “I” A. The process of Individuation in approaching the Self B. Poststructuralism as a paradigm of the “I” in recognizing the unconscious 29 30 Chapter IV: The Phenomenology of the Self A. Approaching the Unconscious through the Archetypes B. The Archetypal Christ and the God-within 45 45 51 Chapter V: Conclusion: I am my Self 57 38 ABSTRACT This study seeks to do a poststructural analysis on the structure and dynamics of the “I” using the theories of Carl Jung in facilitating the process of individuation for achieving the state of wholeness of the individual. As a symbol, it traces its structure from the self and its relationship to the world. From the self, a further inquiry leads to Jung’s structure of the psyche which generally attributes a tension between the conscious and the unconscious. By integrating the two opposites synthesizes into a new dimension a phenomenon of wholeness called the Self. For the Self cannot be known in its entire nature but its phenomenological attributes can be traced through the summation of the archetypes. Only by understanding the phenomenological attributes of the archetypes in every dimension of the self that the integration of the conscious and the unconscious as one can be made possible. In this way, it addresses the problems of the self which is attributed as the core of the problems of human civilization. The structure of the phenomenal web of problems is the problems of the self. In this case, Analytical Psychology is just one of the many possible solutions to address the problems of the self. Keywords: Structuralism, Poststructuralism, Analytical Psychology, Individuation. CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION Why Poststructuralism? History accounts for the evolution of man s consciousness–from Stone Age perhaps, archaic man thinks with his rock tools on hand to guard himself from intruding wild animals, and modern man thinks with his bombs on hand to guard his borders from intrusion. These realities describe the nature of how man thinks on different levels of consciousness but nothing has changed considerably on his physical topography. On the other hand, his social topography corresponds to how he thinks for he defines culture and society accordingly. Thus, the content of his thoughts manifests his assumptions and presuppositions at whatever times he may be. As Carl Jung wrote, Nothing goes to show that primitive man thinks, feels, or perceives in a way that differs fundamentally from ours. His psychic functioning is essentially the same–only his primary assumptions are different. 1 Considering such evolutionary pattern attributed by history, man therefore follows a teleological path when he emerges into consciousness. He cannot set himself away from such path where he belongs as it is mandated by the society he was born with or the set of thoughts he contain himself out from the influence of the latter. With these, every moment and every situation he belongs to is a constituent of his history. Nietzsche argued that his history is an account of his remnants from which rises wisdom for the purposes of living2 thereby moving forward stepping upon each ladder of remnants. In this case, from time immemorial, man has a primordial destiny. 1 Carl G. Jung, Modern Man in Search of a Soul, trans. W. S. Dell and Cary F. Baynes (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1933), 129. 2 F ied i h Nietzs he, O the Uses a d Disad a tages of Histo fo Life, Untimely Meditations, ed. Daniel Breazeale trans. R. J. Hollingdale (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997), 66. 2 In the same way, man is destined to be superior of his mundane self. His instinctual mechanism characterizes his actions which subsequently become a foundation of his self. There is a discourse of insatiability upon this mechanism yet it can be set accordingly by his rationality by transforming it into acts of will. 3 If his rationality integrates with his instinct (or in the words of Jung domesticated 4), it becomes a power to bring himself up onto another socio-cultural dimension. It is also with the will that enables himself to adapt to the structures of the world.5 For his relationship to the world is constituted by his instinctual mechanisms and his rational involvements. However, the world is a constituent of his consciousness. It sources the substance of his rationality and the triggers of his instincts. He fills the world with his discoveries and sciences according to how his consciousness can provide for his needs. For instance, before he learned to cook his food, he must have discovered fire. This is the same power to move himself away from triviality. With this power then creates multidimensional changes of the world set by his consciousness. Here is a Heraclitian perspective where every step he takes in the stream of his curiosity is a change of his consciousness.6 On the one hand, Jung claimed that the primitive structure of the man s consciousness is receded into his unconscious.7 3 Carl G. Jung, Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche, trans. Gerhard Adler & R. F. C. Hull (New York: Princeton University Press, 1969), par 272. Rationality is a product of the conscious. On the other hand, instinct is an unconscious drive to do something, i.e. hunger, sexuality, drive to activity, reflectivity and creativity, whose results are brought into consciousness. This shows that Jung stressed out the interrelationship between the unconscious and the conscious in the totality of an individual. See: par 237-246, 266. 4 Ibid., par 272. 5 Modern Man in Search of a Soul, 72. 6 Charles H. Kahn, The Art and Thought of Heraclitus: An edition of the fragments with translation and commentary (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1979), 168, 223. 7 Ca l G. Ju g, App oa hi g the U o s ious, i Man and His Symbols, eds. Carl G. Jung and M. L. von Franz (New York: Doubleday, 1964), 98. 3 As presented, there is a change in the topography of the consciousness from archaic man into modern man. But in the comparison between archaic and modern man, it seems modern man is falling into the abyss of civilization contrary to how archaic man builds their civilization. Bombs are raining on cities. The horrors of holocaust and the specters of the apartheid are just a few incomprehensible actions in extinguishing civilization. In the perspective of the archaic man, I think he cannot comprehend how his club can evolve into machine guns or stones into bombs. Somewhere along the hidden peripheries of our modern society, inhumane things exist. The immense increase of our consciousness perhaps comes along with it a massive threat to civilization which, in an instant, can annihilate traces of our history. If such pattern of consciousness continues, then perhaps I can deduce that the finality of our civilization is nothing apart from a festival of worms and flies hovering over our splintered bodies.8 Or Nietzsche s telos of mankind would have become the emergence of a synthetic beast pulling the reins of our civilization with our own blood and bones.9 For the dialectic of the weak and strong personalities, as he called them, in this case, gives rise to such beast. In other words, the primordial teleological pattern of civilization might have been dislodged somewhere from its primordial orbit which has been set by our ancestors from time immemorial. In the same way, Jung lamented: We have plunged down a cataract of progress which sweeps us on into the future with ever wilder violence the farther it takes us from our roots. Once 8 As I see it, the dialectic between the weak and the strong civilization may perhaps fall into a synthesis of total chaos. In this case, the final synthesis would have been as described above. Wars and famine will continue over such dialectic mechanism. If wars continue and man continues to build the biggest bomb he can create, then the o ld, at the e d, ill e a pi tu e of o s a d flies ho e i g o e ou spli te ed odies. 9 Anarchic interpretation of Nietzsche, p efe a l Ma Sti e , ould ake possi le su h s theti east ith its att i utes as des i ed a o e. Sti e ote, If I o e self fo self, the u i ue o e, the concern rests on its transitory, mortal creator, who consumes himself, and I a sa : All thi gs a e othi g to e. See: Max Stirner, The Ego and Its Own, ed. David Leopold (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995), 324. 4 the past has been breached, it is usually annihilated, and there is not stopping the forward motion. But it is precisely the loss of connection with the past, our uprootedness, which has given rise to the discontents of civilization and to such a flurry and haste that we live more in the future and its chimerical promises of a golden age than in the present, with which our whole evolutionary background has not yet caught up. We rush impetuously into novelty, driven by a mounting sense of insufficiency, dissatisfaction, and restlessness. We no longer live on what we have, but on promises, no longer in the light of the present day, but in the darkness of the future, which, we expect, will at last bring the proper sunrise… The less we understand of what our fathers and forefathers sought, the less we understand ourselves, and thus we help with all our might to rob the individual of his roots and his guiding instincts. 10 Putting such reality on hand, it is then right to ask, What went wrong along the path of our history? The current civilization is caught up by the already established stream of this consciousness so that putting the question on mind also establishes a rein to keep our civilization on hold. It is the same way what Foucault, Nietzsche, Jung, and some other postmodern thinkers did on their own respective projects.11 Therefore, we need to investigate every constituent and every thread that makes up the structure of our history. Upon investigating the structure, we might find the answer to the question. We need the aid of thinkers, moral giants and spiritual gurus to establish reins that keep our civilization from falling. Man is born to live and to make himself flourish; not to die and let perish his teleological data. With such problem on hand, I find it fitting in this study to introduce Jung with his theories to keep man from the verge of self-destruction by reconciling with himself, his world and his teleology in unfolding the truth of himself. 10 Carl G. Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections, ed. Aniela Jaffé trans. Richard and Clara Winston (New York: Random House, Inc., 1989), 236. 11 Michel Foucault is a poststructuralist in reference to some of his works: History of Sexuality campaigning against the dominance of sexuality labeling over our socio-cultural practices, and Discipline and Punish campaigning against the modern prison system. On the other hand, Friedrich Nietzsche is famous for his work on Thus Spoke Zarathustra promoting a neo-cultural set of values in reaction to the dominance of science and technology that resorts into the secularization of traditional values. 5 In some aspect of postmodernity, psychology12 is accounted to keep man from falling into his own abyss. Every man is a constituent of his civilization. Every social undertaking and disposition he has are the threads of his culture. It is then necessary to keep this reality in our thoughts or, in the language of psychology, our consciousness. For perhaps, only psychology can offer right disposition on what matters most to man as a constituent to his civilization. As Jung wrote, Our philosophy today is no longer a way of life, as it was in antiquity; it has turned into an exclusively intellectual and academic affair. 13 It is then necessary to bring back what is the real course of philosophy–to aid an infinitesimal man in finding himself in the world in order to propel himself forward upon this understanding. Therefore, psychology is a guiding path of man to bring himself up toward his superiority–the similar higher consciousness that both Hegel and Nietzsche talked about. As I see it, Jung offers similar qualified structure with this regard to conform to the similar pattern of Hegel and Nietzsche14 through his psychology of the enlightened Self. Inasmuch as the focus of psychology is the conduct of the self, this study focuses on the structured symbol of the self–the I. It is in this symbol that bears that reality of both 12 The use of the o d ps holog is t eated he e as a philosophi al dis ipli e pe tai i g to the i ui ies of man about himself. It is currently equivalent to anthropology or philosophy of man. I prefer to use the former for it resto es the o igi al e te t of this field efo e it sepa ated f o philosoph , ot to e o fused ith the s ie tifi app oa hes of popula ode ps holog . It is i po ta t to ote that att i uti g philosophi al psychology is to understand it as an interlinked between science and philosophy. This is a philosophy project and not otherwise so that it is necessary to keep in mind that the attribution made by this project is purely philosophi al. With this ega d, I ha e also to o fo to Ju g s disposition that the past is an important component in understanding the present situation so that we can offer possibilities of facing the uncertain future. 13 Carl G. Jung, The Undiscovered Self (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1958), 52. 14 Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel is primarily attributed on the prominence of German Idealism for his work on The Phenomenology of the Spirit signifying that the world, through the events of history, is unfolding into a common and final consciousness shared by all humanity called the Zeitgeist. Friedrich Nietzsche, on the other hand, is a follower of Hegel promoting a relative concept of the Übermensch that man should transcend himself into beyond his superficial realities. 6 the self and the world, upon which the self has found itself. Ever since man has developed a grasp of his consciousness,15 he seemed not to have discovered the full extent of his self as manifested through the I. When he asks himself, Who am I? he does not know exactly the answer. Or perhaps the simple phrase, I am is seemingly difficult to comprehend. This reveals the fact that objectivity is the only recourse upon which man can claim to have known his self. There is a paradigm shift of the focal point of his consciousness from the self towards the object. It is in this perspective that Jung attributed science and technology as a cause of so much inattention to the self. He bluntly put it: Although, I admired science in the conventional way, I also saw it giving rise to alienation and aberration from God s world, as leading to a degeneration which animals were not capable of. Animals were dear and faithful, unchanging and trustworthy. People I now distrusted more than ever. 16 Thus, modern man has forgotten what his I is. Science takes him to the outer space and scrapes the sky with towering stones. His civilization is not just within the banks of great rivers but now beyond the four corners of the world – indeed, a one global village as McLuhan puts it.17 With his strings of brackets and numbers, he can solve perplexed mathematical problems. With s and s, the penultimate of his inventions, he can see or communicate to the whole world within the palm of this hand. But, the self is unattended thereby the I is unguarded. This forgetfulness is the product of the senselessness of science and technology voiding man of the right affect18 or the primordial subjectivity. The 15 Jung claims that the consciousness undergoes certain pattern of development. It is widened upon the ealizatio s of u e ous u da e p o le s a a e ou te s i his life. See: Stages of Life, i Modern Man in Search of a Soul,- Memories, Dreams, Reflections, 67. 17 Marshall McLuhan, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man (Cambridge: The MIT Press, 1994), 93. 18 Carl Jung, Psychological Types, trans. H. Godwin Baynes (New York: Pantheon Books, 1923), 522. Jung uses the te affe t s o ousl ith e otio . 7 latter, as Jung claims, is a departure from his instinctual nature.19 The development of man that comes along with it presupposes a shift from animal foundation which therefore affects the structure of his I. Man is linked to the world via the society he belongs and the culture he associates himself with. He is the center of this universal web of consciousness. If he is able to make amends of his self and consciously encapsulate it with the symbol I then he can change the structure of the world and the history he belongs to. Otherwise, if he is continuously succumbed to the captivation of the structures of the world then he will lose the hold of his identity and subsequently follow the stream of the world without concerning where it leads. He relishes the idea that the world knows more his self therefore the contents of his I is of the world. One of those structures which constitute the structure of the world is science and technology. If man holds the idea that science and technology are the center of his self then he tends to forget that his feelings also, at their best, can point him to proper direction or an appropriate place for decision-making.20 In other words, he fails to juxtapose his affectivity with rationality so that this produces one-sidedness of the contents of his I. We could have prevented the falling of atomic bombs, the burning of the Jews, or the genocide of clueless Africans. In other words, objectivity alone does not provide the answer; neither do subjectivity. It is on this problem that Jung intervenes. Furthermore, the society or the world, as I have seen it, is the first environment that contributes to the actualization of the I. It abstractly commands the I for the realization 19 The Undiscovered Self, 58. Antonio R. Damasio, Descartes’ Error: E otio , Reaso a d the Hu a Brai (New York: Avon Books, 1994), xiii. This is a contra-argument of Damasio for Cartesian thinkers who argue that the mind alone without recourse to affective faculty is enough to discover truth or solve problems. 20 8 of its goals and purported meaning of life to correspond with the former s ideals.21 Therefore, its corruption, as the case may be, can extend to the I so that false ideals of the I can be deliberately traced back to society itself. In other words, there is a direct relationship between the I and society. This is a significant explanation of the corruption of modern society. As I have observed, in line with Jung s ideals on primitivism and as far as Rousseau s state of nature, the current structure of society is a complete departure from the primordial structure of communalism where the original human psyche or the primordial structure of the I is founded from. As Jung always noted in most of his books, primitive man has different structure of his psyche than the modern man for the former s I is nearer to what it is supposed to be. These are just few thoughts why there is a need to investigate the structure of the I. 22 The self cannot be extended to the world as it wants to be. It is this symbol I that connects the self to the world. Thus, significant attributions of the self are made perceptible through the I. Furthermore, history reveals neurotic accounts caused by the unconsciousness of man of his I. It is not enough to just investigate the structure but it is necessary to critically think what went or would have gone wrong upon the structure of the I. It is in this manner that I am employing a poststructuralist perspective in order that I 21 The Undiscovered Self, 8. St u tu alis is defi ed as a ethodolog that all hu a a ti it a d its p odu ts, e e pe eptio and thought itself, are constructed and not natural, and in particular that everything has meaning because of the la guage s ste i hi h e ope ate. See: http://www.philosophybasics.com/movements_structuralism.html (accessed September 30, 2016). Fo the pu pose of esta lishi g the p o le of stud , I ill use the o d st u tu e; fo the goal of this stud is p ese ti g the est u tu ed s ste of the I. I the su eedi g hapte , I ill i estigate Ju g s pe spe ti e a out the st u tu e of the I. 22 9 or we can restore the role of creative and critical thought in all aspects of [our] life. 23 It is not to break the course of our history but to put into our consciousness the unconscious manifestations behind the I, as Jung would have claimed. Additionally, doing poststructuralism is to answer the question: what are my personal or subjective involvements or contributions after knowing the structure beyond the preconfigured precepts and purported standards already embedded on the stream of our consciousness? A. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY Recently, I was captivated by the language of Foucault and Nietzsche in approaching history. I find understanding history as a structure, upon which civilization is understood by very carefully studying each constituent of this structure. In this way, every reality can be a constituent of a structure or every structure is a constituent of another superstructure (employing the language of Marx s dialectical materialism24). In the same way, with the influence of Wittgenstein, I ask myself why cannot be applied in the symbol I ? This motivated me to investigate whether there are some important primordial constituents in the structure of the I . Somehow, knowing the self, human formation or self-actualization is not enough without presenting it to the world for what it really is. For the confirmation of such methodologies can be seen pragmatically outside the context of the individual. Additionally, determining the structure of the I would entail understanding the internal structure of an 23 James Williams, Understanding Poststructuralism (Chesham, Buckinghamshire: Acumen Publishing Ltd, 2005), 153. 24 Karl Marx, Capital: A Critique of Political Economy, ed. Frederick Engels, trans. from German Samuel Moore and Edward Aveling (New York: The Modern Library, 1906), 25. 10 individual which can be understood through psychology. This leads me to Carl Jung on his thoughts of human formation and the self. I have encountered him when I had my personal investigation on mystical thoughts few years ago with my research on the New Age Movement. New Agers associate themselves with Jung for his esoteric methods of investigating the unconscious. Now, whatever methods he employs in his psychology, I only care less for such is the characteristic work of structuralism, postmodernism and postenlightenment which were the existing academic culture during his time. Personally, I was subjected onto his care a couple of years ago through Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) which, as I have known just recently, was founded on his ideas. It helped me a lot to know myself better by becoming perceptive of the perimeters of my personality, i.e. pitfalls, categorical behaviors, etc. I considered it as the start of my relationship with him. He is indeed a curer of souls–a psychologist who is so much concerned with the individual soul. 25 Psychologists help open the door to the Self26 but do not hold the key. They may have a hint of understanding about the Self but only the individual can perceive 25 Wallace B. Clift, Jung and Christianity: The Challenge of Reconciliation (New York: The Crossroad Pu lishi g Co pa , , . I the la guage of Ju g, the soul is diffe e t f o theological or its popular u de sta di g. Ju g defi ed it as a defi itel de a ated fu tio -complex that is best characterized as a pe so alit . See: Psychological Types, . I eligio a d philosoph , it is defi ed as the i ate ial aspe t of the essence of a human being that which confers individuality and humanity, often considered synonymous with the i d o the self. See: E lopædia B ita i a. https://www.britannica.com/topic/soul-religion-andphilosophy (accessed January 10, 2017).) 26 Self is diffe e tiated f o self. The latte is a o o u de sta di g of the o s ious ego hile the former is the real self which each individual, according to Jung, is ought to achieve after a series of approaches to the unconscious. It is also the subject of the totality of the psyche which comprises both the conscious and the unconscious as will be discussed in the succeeding chapter. (See: Psychological Types, 540.) The self, on the other hand, can mean the personal identity of the person of himself which suggests the cognitive understanding of hi self a d the efo e o l the o s ious fa ult of the pe so . See: Olso , E i T., Pe so al Ide tit , The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, ed. Edward N. Zalta, Spring 2016 Edition (Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University), https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2016/entries/identity-personal (accessed January 10, 2017). 11 its existential character. For only the individual can use his own unique set of tools in understanding the Self, i.e. dreams, emotions, etc., which corresponds to the phenomenological attributions of the psyche. The perspective of others may maintain prejudicial evaluations and social qualifications which prevent the revelation of the Self. This is where Jung played his role in liberating the individual from social chains that keep the Self recessed in the deepest part of the unconscious. This is the foundation upon which the investigation of the structure of the I reveals the problems of the self as it extends itself to the world. B. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Man is unaware of the structure of his I so that every presentation of his self to the world–through the I –may be constituted by unconscious manifestations in relationship to how the conscious is set on the world. It is with this regard that I would like to study the structure of the I through Jung s concept of individuation of the self. Through this process, man can then discover his unconscious superstructure which is his real Self – a phenomenon of wholeness. However, this unorthodox structure may conform to the precepts of poststructuralism of the structures of the world. Thus, it is important to consider the following components: 1. What is the structure of the I ? 2. How can poststructural perspective aid the process of individuation? 3. What is the phenomenology of the Self? 12 C. SIGNIFICANCE A significance I see fitting in this study is the poststructural inquiry on the structure of the I using the theories of Carl Jung. It is a highly contestable yet an innovative way of applying his psychology in a different philosophical perspective.27 This is neither an alienation nor degradation of his psychological work. For I am convinced with his claim that happiness and contentment, equability of the soul and meaningfulness of life cannot be experienced or provided by society28 but can only be derived from the individual s struggle of his mundane life situation and the methods to re-establish himself away from triviality. This is better understood in the language of Jung s individuation prescribing the dare and the will to be different. In the same manner, I would like to learn more on contemporary philosophy and some bits of psychology in the course of this study so that I can discover new intellectual dimensions not just getting satisfied with my current collections. D. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY In addressing the problems of this study, it is also necessary to discuss theories of Carl Jung and some other philosophers to support my arguments. Thus, the following are the aims: 1. To investigate the structure of the I founded on Jung and some other philosophers; 27 Through his psychoanalysis, Freud is commonly quoted for his structure of the psyche, i.e. Julia K iste a s o k o Revolution in Poetic Language. In the same manner, I would like to put emphasis on Jung in this study for his project as a neo-psychoanalysis, as some authors referred him for his foundation from Freud. This study bids to segregate Jung out from the general stream of Psychology which, as some authors claimed, marginalizes Jung for his esoteric or unorthodox method which tends to be more mystical. This makes Jung friendlier to the poststructuralist movement than Freud. This will be discussed later. 28 The Undiscovered Self, 78. 13 2. To explore Carl Jung s process of individuation and the application of the concept of poststructuralism in the perspective of the I ; and 3. To investigate the phenomenology of the Self which defines the identity of the new I. E. SCOPE AND LIMITATION As aforementioned, this study is primarily a philosophical endeavor. Carl Jung wrote extensively to help the reader understand every component of his theories. There is therefore a mammoth of his books surrounding this study. The majority of these books were addressed to his Analytical Psychology which formed a collective foundation of his thoughts from eastern and western philosophy, Freud s Psychoanalysis, alchemy, Gnosticism, cultural anthropology, mysticism and symbolism, etc. Thus this study is then governed by the following limitations: 1. There is no single distinct work of Carl Jung that signifies his overall thoughts; rather I find an 18 volume collection of his essays and books known as The Collected Works of C.G. Jung. Each component of these volumes consists primarily of tidbits of his overall thoughts or, perhaps, some of his essays and books are supplementary to his earlierestablished thoughts. 2. There is lack of supplementary resources in addressing a direct philosophical framework from Carl Jung himself. However, secondary authors provide ample philosophical reviews for his work. 14 3. Clinical applications and scientific discussions of some ideas are beyond the scope of this study. 4. With regards to conflicting terminologies between psychology and philosophy, i.e. individuation, etc., the former shall prevail unless explicitly stated or implied. 5. Some terms are modified from their original source in order to promote consistency and to facilitate better understanding of this study. They are however properly documented. 6. The primary focus of this study is the subjective investigation of the symbol I. This signifies a relative character which makes it within the environment of postmodernity. Thus, some ideas and arguments are presented in a first person perspective. F. METHODOLOGY The researcher has sought both online and library sources from different writers in order to simplify the ideas of Carl Jung. Jung s goal is on scientific psychology but the structures and constituents of his work are unorthodoxly scientific. Thus, understanding him philosophically is to empty the mind of his psychological background but focus instead on philosophical approach of seeking answers to questions. In understanding his psychology, I have used Jolande Jacobi s The Psychology of C. G. Jung. And in understanding poststructuralism as a perspective, I have used James Williams Understanding Poststructuralism. Various 15 re-enforced and simplified thoughts of Jung on concurrent issues during his time can be found in later works: autobiography, interviews, correspondence, etc. G. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Carl Jung is the Swiss founder of Analytical Psychology which is framed from Sigmund Freud s Psychoanalysis. He is best known for his theories on Individuation, Collective Unconscious, Synchronicity, etc. His works were largely influenced by Gnostic Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism and other religious traditions, Alchemy, and other thought systems thereby earning him eccentric views both from the field of psychology and religion. He advocated himself as the curer of souls in which, as he saw it radically, he wanted the Church to carry out her task accordingly.29 He firmly believed that man s main task is to discover and fulfill his innate and unlimited potential. His clinical study, engaging different patients and himself as the main patient, was the primary contributing factor to his ideas. He considered his life as a self-realization of the unconscious that can be expressed mainly by myth30 for it is more individual and expresses life more precisely than does science. 29 31 Jung and Christianity, ix. I itali ize th to e phasize a hidde st u tu e ehi d the o d hi h is to e u de stood differently. I ask the reader to read on this part of the book to grasp fully the meaning of this word. 31 Memories, Dreams, Reflections, 3. 30 16 CHAPTER II: The Structure of the I When I say, What am I? or just by expressing my emotion as by saying, I love you, this would lead me into a deep introspection if I ask myself why I am saying them. This leads me also to investigate the driving mechanism behind these words or the emotional constituents that make them up. Then, I can inquire further that, perhaps, there are hidden calibrations behind the word I itself, investigating how I came upon it. For I think everything that I speak of, either calling my opinion or extending my feelings and emotions, should begin with this word I. Therefore, the foundation of communicating my internal world begins with I. Succeeding words are explanations and elaborations from the point where my I begins. A. The relationship of the self to the symbol I In his introduction to Wittgenstein s Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, Bertrand Russell pointed out four problems of language, one of which is that the language which we use to convey the intention of the meaning of something may have an actual correlation to from the structure of our mind.32 With this regard, I can deduce that the I then facilitates the things that I wish to convey from my internal world–in this case, from the psyche.33 When I say, I am hungry, the I facilitates my internal state of what I feel. Through a series of words that precede it, I communicate an entire space of my feelings or plainly 32 Bertrand Russell, introduction to Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, by Ludwig Wittgenstein, trans. C. K. Ogden, 2003 ed. (New York: Barnes & Noble, 1922), xv. 33 Jung, in his letter to Wolfgang Pauli, defined the psyche as, a ge e al te i di ati g the su sta e of all phe o e a of the i e o ld. This su sta e, he added, as spe ifi all ha a te ized the spirit which o sist all the o te ts that a ot e de i ed eithe f o the od o f o the e te al o ld. See: C. A. Meie , ed., Atom and Archetype: The Pauli/Jung Letters,-, trans. David Roscoe (New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2001), 125. For further definition, see the referred text of footnote 36. 17 describe my internal state in order to deepen what I want to say or, put simply, to signify the things I want to mean in a series of structured symbols. Then, the I, as a symbol of my language, manifests itself from my internal structure in which, at the center thereof, we commonly call the self. Without it, series of words mean nothing to me if they do not point from my self.34 Therefore, I can conclude further that the I is the language that connects my self to the world. This internal structure of my psyche that hosts the self35 is called consciousness. It is a background agent that processes all realities between the self and the world for I am conscious in all the words I say of what I want to mean. It is the self that contains this process. However, I cannot say, My self loves you. This manner of language suggests the self as an object of my perspective. Whereas, if I say, I love you, it would mean to put my entirety both my self and other objects from the world which are being considered to be part of the meaning in this language I signify. For the self cannot speak to the external world for it belongs to my internal world. For I think there is no system of direct bridging between my internal world and the external world apart from the language. Only with a symbol of my language – the I – can the self be able to extend itself. Therefore, the self is what makes up the I. Similarly speaking, the structure of the I is derived from the self. 34 Wittgenstein argues that languages are structures of symbols that signify what the author intended to ea . He ote, The ea i g of a o d is its use i the la guage. I this o te t, the fo us is a o stitue t of these st u tu ed s ols hi h is the I hi h sig ifies the self, as I have already explained. This applies also to la guage he e the I is i di e tl p ese ted o ot ela o ated, i.e. No. , Lead e Lo d. , Gi e e a eak! , etc. See: Ludwig Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations, trans. G. E. M. Anscombe (Oxford: Basil Blackwell Ltd., 1958), par 39, par 43. 35 I su eedi g usage of the o d self, it should ea the o o o u e t u de sta di g of it. Ca l Ju g uses the te ego so that it a ot to e o fused ith the individuated self, in which case, I write it here as Self. So e Ju gia autho s ite it this a . 18 Jung presented his structure of the psyche by beginning to understand it as the totality of all the psychic processes, both the conscious and the unconscious. 36 In this psychic reality which is divided in two as aforementioned, the self or the ego in Jung s term) is at the center of our field of consciousness.37 Therefore, the feelings, emotions or opinions that I convey through the words I formulate are coming entirely from my self. Furthermore, both my experiences in the external world and the internal world must pass through the self in order to be perceived.38 Thus, anything that I conceive of by way of my language is coming from my self. In this case, when I say, I love you, the language that I was able to create describes the real occurrences in my self or as it is echoed from my soul. 39 In a general sense, the self is a direct representative of the psyche to the world. Whatever the world appears to me contributes to the formation of my thinking, behavioral mechanism, emotional constitution, and perhaps the language I convey to the world through the I. But on the pre-formation of this stage, Jung suggested a topography of psychic contents of the self: the existence of the conscious as far as it can be sensed by the self and the unconscious which comprises otherwise,40 in which case both contribute to matters involving the relationship of my self to the I in the manner of how the self is able to bring them out into the control of the personality. Thus, the structure of the I as driven from the self can be extended primarily as far as from the conscious and the interference of 36 Psychological Types, 588. Ibid., 540. Note: Consciousness, as our field of insight and knowledge as they are sensed by the ego, should not be confused with the Conscious, also with its opposite field the Unconscious. In the Conscious field is where we locate our consciousness. 38 Jolande Jacobi, The Psychology of C.G. Jung, trans. Ralph Manheim, 7th ed. (New Haven: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1942), 8. 39 Carl Jung, Psychology of the Unconscious, trans. Beatrice M. Hinkle (New York: Dodd, Mead and Co pa , , . Note: As so e autho s ha e oted, the o d soul is used Ju g i efe e e to ps he. 40 Psychological Types, 535. 37 19 the unconscious in some way. To illustrate: I am totally conscious when I say the words, I love you and yet due to my introverted type, I can manifests unconsciously various mannerisms in a form of hand gestures, body language, etc. Jung considered the latter as the manifestations of the unconscious into certain conscious conditions.41 Therefore, even the structure of the self which forms the structure of the I consists of an interplay of the conscious and unconscious. In understanding the psychology of Jung, it is important to understand fully the encompassing structure of the conscious and the unconscious. The latter s prospect is Jung s initiation of setting himself apart from Freud s concept of the unconscious.42 With Jung s more distinct concept of the conscious and the unconscious, I found his work on the understanding the philosophy of the unconscious more appealing. Technically, the philosophy of the unconscious is still in its infancy and unorthodox. Yet, the Yin-Yang43 principle of the structure of the psyche properly explains the relationship between conscious and the unconscious. Both are distinct from each other yet cannot exist independently. Thus, these make an interesting ground for academic discussion. For both bear interesting connection in manifesting themselves through the I via the self. 41 William McGuirre & R. F. C. Hull, ed., C. G. Jung Speaking: Interviews and Encounters (New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1977), 299. Also see: Memories, Dreams and Reflection, 189. 42 Whe F eud et Ju g, the fo e as kee e ough of the latte s i telle tual p o ess to ha e Ju g e his rightful successor in his ps hoa al ti o e e t. Ho e e , F eud s dog ati a d auto ati te de i promoting his own ideas, according to Jung, made him question the methods of Freud. In his later research, Jung displayed more fluency or, in other words, more authority in understanding the unconscious especially through the concept of libido. In this way, I present a short contrast between Jung and Freud to promote the uniqueness of their thoughts. This is to segregate Jung out from the mainstream understanding of psychology which impedes the unique understanding of his thoughts. Their troubled relationship reveals several accounts of academic monopoly and repression on the side of Freud. See: Memories, Dreams and Reflections, 157, 206. Christine Gallant, Tabooed Jung: Marginality as Power (London: Macmillan Press, 1996), 57-74. 43 Carl G. Jung, Commentary on The Secret of the Golden Flower: A Chinese Book of Life, by Richard Wilhelm, trans. Cary F. Baynes (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1962), 85. 20 The conscious provides our mundane mechanistic activities. Through our ideas using our thinking function, our emotions we convey on things using our feeling function, our sense of perception over all things using our sensation function, and our inner perception beyond the material approximation of our senses using our intuition function are regarded as the contents of our consciousness.44 As explained earlier, the conscious is just a part of the overall structure of the psyche. Everything that is within our consciousness is provided for the self and, as also presented earlier, provides the structure for the I. However, even if the conscious hosts or contains the self, it is not the only phenomenon within our psyche. It is rather a secondary phenomenon for what lies beneath consciousness is the unconscious upon which primal data of human consciousness lie.45 Then further understanding of the structure of the I may have to consider the other side of the consciousness–the unconscious. The unconscious, on the other hand, is an important component in Jung s structure of the psyche. His psychology is much concerned about the existence of the unconscious. For it plays a significant role in influencing the consciousness in spite of getting lost or receded in time. It manifests itself in our history, arts and culture, dreams, and in almost all human phenomenon beyond the grasp of our consciousness. It consists of a multitude of temporarily obscured thoughts, impressions and images.46 By these, Jung adversely retaliated against his critics on the existence of unconscious:47 Whoever denies the existence of the unconscious is in fact assuming that our present knowledge of the psyche is total. And this belief is clearly just as false as the assumption that we know all there is to be known about the natural universe… 44 The Psychology of C.G. Jung, 11-12. Ibid., 10. 46 Man and His Symbols, 32. 47 The u o s ious is to e diffe e tiated f o the loss of o s ious ess. The u o s ious is a oe isti g reality of the conscious. The latter is a dissociation of consciousness. See: Man and His Symbols, 26. 45 21 There are strong grounds of logic for rejecting statements like There is no unconscious. Those who such things merely express an age-old misoneism 48 – a fear of the new and the unknown. 49 In other words, the unconscious is the field of our psyche that is unknown and incapable of grasping by our conscious mind. Jung described as such the unconscious in accommodating the exact opposite of the conscious for, characteristically, it is the not- conscious. It can only be known and proven to exist empirically,50 as the examples I have given above.51 Basing on Jung s remark on it, it tries to influence the I by showing primitive images via dreams, arts, literature, etc.52 It assumes unrealistically relative images which Jung considered to be understood only from the perspective of mythology. It reveals some immense data influencing the I, for Jung concluded it to be having considerable influences even in the way of thinking and the collective scientific ideologies.53 Thus, the considerable influence of the unconscious on the I is its collective primordial knowledge that reveals itself unconsciously in parallel to the situation of the world. While the conscious has set itself on the objects in the world, the unconscious keeps the balance of nature of an individual in response to the objects in the world that otherwise may lead to one-sidedness in the psychic processes.54 It is a repository of psychic history so that the unconscious contributes discreetly to the innate qualities of the I. The 48 Misoneism is a deep and superstitious fear of novelty in among primitive people. See: Man and His Symbols, 31. 49 Man and His Symbols, 23. 50 Carl Jung, Psychology and Religion: West and East, trans. R. F. C. Hull (New York: Pantheon Books, 1958), 277. 51 See footnote number 41. You can also read a simple but concrete empirical proof of the unconscious in Ca l Ju g s te t. See: Man and His Symbols, 33. 52 This is est e plai ed i Ju g s o ept of A het pes a d s ols hi h will be discussed on the succeeding chapter. 53 Psychology and Religion, 289. 54 The Psychology of C.G. Jung, 35. 22 unconscious also contains the footprints of the history of consciousness. Everything that is concurrently less important or deemed insignificant psychic product is receded into the unconscious. Nevertheless, its more important operation is to keep track of the teleological pattern of an individual towards the completeness and wholeness of his psyche55 as he presents his self to the world.56 Lastly, it is important to note the relationship between the conscious and the unconscious as both manifest themselves to the I. The initial topography of the self is based on the unconscious (this will be discussed later). After some time of development, the individual learns the structure of his self which unconsciously encapsulates it with the I . The symbol I then is a figure perceptible by the world. Therefore, it is a confirmation that the conscious field exists after the shifting of focal point of the self from the unconscious to the conscious. Jung described vividly that the increasing field of our consciousness begins when the psyche is filled with the elements necessary to live in accordance to the demands of the world and not on the instincts. He wrote: 55 It is the growth of consciousness which we must thank for the existence of problems; they are the dubious gift of civilization. It is just man s turning away from instinct–his opposing himself to instinct–that creates consciousness. Instinct is nature and seeks to perpetuate nature; while consciousness can only seek culture or its denial. Even when we turn back to nature, inspired by a Rousseauesque longing, we cultivate nature. As long as we are still submerged in nature we are unconscious, and we live in the security of instinct that knows no problems. 57 Ibid. My explanation of the unconscious as aforementioned is very superficial. Jung further classifies the unconscious into personal unconscious and collective unconscious. The former is the recycle bin of the conscious. This includes experiences and psychic functions deemed forgotten yet remained in the psyche; from time to time, the personal unconscious may manifests itself in behavioral problems or in psychic functions that somehow affect our deliberations. It is distinct on each individual. On the other hand, the collective unconscious is the footprint of human history or the chronological data of the evolution of the human psyche. It is the original structure of the psyche as Jung claimed. Primitive people possess most likely the original structure of the psyche. Furthermore, it is shared by all human civilizations. This is the reason why he is so fascinated in investigating the cultures of primitive civilization, arts and literature, etc. which he claimed bear traces of the topography of the collective unconscious. Some of his later theories are founded on his concept of collective unconscious. 57 Modern Man in Search of a Soul, 95-96. 56 23 B. The relationship of the symbol I to the world Take for instance, if I say, I love you to a woman. In this context, as I have explained above, the I comes from my self which extend my feelings to the world–the woman becomes the object of this language. She receives it and then may manifest classified behavior or any dynamism to communicate her self also to my self. She may say, I love you too which would eventually affect the preceding language in accordance to how my self would have received it too. Thus, there is a direct relationship between the world and the self which affects the dynamism and structure of the I. This relationship is the guided direction of my language. It comes from my self which is encapsulated by the symbol I. Such encapsulation pertains to psychic assimilations which are influenced by the topography of the self and the adaptations of the self to the world.58 The specific structured construction of this language, or particularly the symbol I, is the product of the psychical process of what Jung called directed thinking.59 In this thinking, there is a logical structure created when I say I love you basing primarily on my internal psychic phenomenon and the world, in this case, a woman, directed towards the world. Before I am able to say it, my self generates a series of words in my mind on what to say–presumptions of what will be her reaction, or the kind of situation of the world that these words must conform to. Similarly, the I as the product of this process is what 58 Psychology of the Unconscious, 14. The beginning chapter of Psychology of the Unconscious talks about two kinds of thinking: directed thinking and phantasy thinking. The former comprises a logical structure of thinking and the direction of which is towards the world. The content of this thinking is related to what an individual may wish to convey to the world in a form of words or speech in his mind; but not entirely on words alone, basing primarily on his psychic assimilations and the world to which it adapts. On the other hand, phantasy thinking is a series of images or wishtendencies of the psyche but is not related to the objects in the world and comprises no logical elements in relation to the succeeding language presented to the world. See: Psychology of the Unconscious, 13-39. 59 24 the world has received upon careful deliberation from both the phenomenon of the self and the world. In its internal construction, Jung pointed out from the beginning of Psychology of the Unconscious that language bears the symbol of the psychic assimilations. It does not necessarily mean our ability for speech construction. This means language comprises whatever forms I am capable of in extending my self to the world: body language, instinctual and behavioral mechanisms, or onomatopoeias. What is important is the ability to extend my self to the world regardless of speech construction in my succeeding language, in this case, through the symbol I. Jung broadly discusses this language construction as a psychic product but we can dig deeper into it as a collective symbol in the perspective of Wittgenstein. His collective structure of language reveals constituents which entirely signify what the author or speaker intends. We can trace among these constituents the symbol I. Additionally, Jose Ortega y Gasset clearly expands pragmatically the structure of the I constituted by the self and the world. He puts this as the cornerstone of his philosophy: I am myself and my circumstances. 60 The I takes ownership of the self and the world where it belongs. On the other hand, the world, as the object of the I, possesses certain usable psychic elements which contribute to the structure of the I. Ortega presented the world as the circumstances along with the self that contribute greatly to the identity of the I. For this word circumstances includes not only momentous realities and problems of the world we live in but also the seemingly humble things and questions that surround us 60 Jose Ortega y Gasset, Obras Completas Tomo 1, 6th ed. (Madrid: Revista de Occidente, 1963), 322. The original text goes: Yo soy yo y i circu sta cia, y si o salvo a ella o e salvo yo. This is often translated as, I am I a d y circu sta ces; if I do ’t save it, I do ’t save yself. Other translation includes, I a yself a d y circu sta ces... 25 at every moment of our existence. 61 Therefore, the structure of the I includes not just the structure of the self but also of the world. Anything in the world is experienced by my self as it presents itself to me. Such relationship would then constitute the structure of the I. C. The relationship of the world to the self The question is how would the world be able to contribute to the structure of the I in Jung s perspective? This is a more specific elaboration of the world–in a psychological perspective–than just what Ortega calls circumstances in a generally pragmatic, sociocultural dimension surrounding the individual. Jung suggested the world as a psychic component in aiding the psychic process of unfolding the conscious–in a form of problems in the world.62 The igniting force on which the I starts to recognize itself as a constituent63 of the world is the ability to perceive problems created either accepting or opposing inner impulses or limitations imposed by the world on the individual.64 The conscious self thereby is known gradually. Thus, the quantitative quality of my language of extending my self to the world through the I depends largely on the problems I am able to perceive. Jung wrote: We shall rather restrict ourselves and deal only with certain problems ; that is, with things that are difficult, questionable or ambiguous; in a word, with questions which allow of more than one answer–and, moreover, answers that are always open to doubt. For this reason there will be much to which we must add a question-mark in our thoughts. And–worse still– there will be some things which we must accept on faith, while now and 61 Jose Ferrater Mora, Three Spanish Philosophers: Unamuno, Ortega and Ferrater Mora (Albany: State University of New York, 2003), 146. 62 Modern Man in Search of a Soul, 95. 63 Ju g uses the o d u it to disti guish a i di idual elo gi g to the o ld. I the pe spe ti e of st u tu alis a d as ea lie used, I ill use the o d o stitue t as a u it i a st u tu e. I this case, man therefore is a constituent of the world structure. 64 Ibid., 99. 26 then we must even indulge in speculations… The psychic life of civilized man, however, is full of problems; we cannot even think of it except in terms of problems. Our psychic processes are made up to a large extent of reflections, doubts and experiments, all of which are almost completely foreign to the unconscious, instinctive mind of primitive man. It is the growth of consciousness which we must thank for the existence of problems; they are dubious gift of civilization. 65 Problems present themselves to the self as the contributing factor of making the world, in its entirety, revealed to the self. The self, whose initial topography is dominated by the unconscious, is related to the world when psychic processes starts to get its focal point on the consciousness. Jung referred this transition as the sacrifice of the unconscious in making the self get to know the conscious depicted as the symbolism of the mother and child relationship.66 The knowledge of the world begins thereby from this alienation of the self from the unconscious. And, as the process of this alienation draws the self into the vortex of problems which the world reveals, we are then forced to resort to decisions and solutions where we formerly trusted ourselves to natural happenings. 67 However, the world itself provides certainty and clarity we need for solutions by widening the field of our consciousness.68 Thus, connection made by the world to the self is the collective problems that it can posit to the self. In this manner, I can know the world of what it is all about according to how my self responds to it. The separation of my self from the unconscious paves the way to the grasping of the material world. In this sense, such topography influences considerably the structure of the I. In Jung s developmental psychology, the self is 65 Modern Man in Search of a Soul, 95. In his account in Memories, Dreams and Reflection, he further classifies problems into collective and personal problems. See: Memories, Dreams and Reflection, 233. 66 Psychology of the Unconscious, 393. The symbol of the mother is the unconscious or nature and the child is the self. 67 Modern Man in Search of a Soul, 96. 68 Ibid., 97. 27 gradually known even if an individual already has speech construction after his gradual separation from the unconscious. Therefore, the structure of the I is fully known when an individual has full grasp of his self and the world. Now, I know the structure of the I. In an established structure of the world, how can an individual presents his uniqueness in line with Jung s perspective? This is therefore the reason why I opted for a poststructural perspective. Broadly speaking, poststructuralism opens a door on what is next to be done after inquiring the structure and its constituents. This requires a personal or subjective involvement on the need to do something which may not therefore follow the precepts and pre-configurations introduced by the world. Pragmatically, the personal compulsions matter most. In this stance, it shares the perspective of Jung on how man should strive in getting into the higher dimension of his self from time to time. 28 CHAPTER III: Individuation: A poststructural paradigm of the I Hegel s logic conceptualizes the world as a phenomenological product of the dialectic of two opposing realities. Such interaction propels the world into higher consciousness towards the ultimate consciousness–the zeitgeist.69 Nietzsche, following the logic of Hegel, presents a framework of consciousness for the individual to propel himself into higher dimension. This consciousness is a collective interaction among individuals through their will to power in order for humanity to attain the highest possible dimension which he calls übermensch.70 Similarly, Jung reflects on the wellbeing of the individual as he presents and represents himself to the world. His psychology is a framework upon which the individual is aided to find his real Self–his real presentation of himself as he is and his authentic representation to the world. He calls this process individuation, along with it is a similar paradigm with Hegel and Nietzsche: moving towards the higher dimension of the self. 69 Zeitgeist or Spirit of Time is often attributed to Hegel though he is not the first to coin the term in reference to as such. In his The Phenomenology of Mind, Hegel contemplates that in the final form of clashes or dialectic of our history, it will eventually come into a consciousness, as experienced by the mind, a unity over opposi g o diffe e tiati g ealities he e pe fe t f eedo a d i depe de e of thei oppositio is the substance. See: Georg Wilhelm Hegel, The Phenomenology of Mind, trans. J. B. Baillie, 2nd Ed. (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1931), 227. 70 Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, ed. Adrian del Caro and Robert B. Pippin, trans. Adrian del Caro (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006), 5. 29 A. The process of Individuation71 in approaching the Self Jung declared that psychic processes, like any other life-processes, are not just a causal sequence of events but are also with teleological orientation.72 Then a vindication of teleology sums up the overall psychology of Jung. He reassures the individual to view himself as an object following a path to his self-realization in accordance to the provisions of the world through the events and the situations he is presented with. (Ortega collectively calls these circumstances as mentioned in the previous chapter.) He alone can realize and follow this path. Furthermore, with Jung s lifelong interest with primitive cultures, he concluded that at the deeper level of the psyche of a modern man lies an archaic topography similar to that of the archaic man (as he called them).73 It is through a process of psychic evolution that modern man may seem to differentiate himself from an archaic or primitive person.74 Thus, as discussed in the previous chapter, this evolution of the psyche is shown as the widening of the field of consciousness. Time then provides different levels of consciousness and so it is with the structure of the self. Thus, modern man with his wide field of consciousness is he who found himself atop all previous civilizations, surmounting himself above all of mankind and beaming towards the uncertain future.75 These realities of his consciousness estrange him from his tradition 71 In philosophy, individuatio ea s to e p ess the o ept o idea of ho a thi g is ide tified as a i di idual thi g that is ot so ethi g else. This i ludes ho a i di idual pe so is held to e disti t o sepa ate f o othe pe so s. The usage of the term here is on the context of how Jung means it in his psychology as ill e dis ussed p ese tl . See also: Lee La e e, Co fusio su o di g the te i di iduatio , C. G. Jung Society of the Triangle, http://www.jungnc.org/forum/topics/confusion-surrounding-the-term-invididuation (accessed January 10, 2017). 72 Carl G. Jung, Two Essays on Analytical Psychology, trans. R. F. C. Hull, 2nd Ed. (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1953), 131. 73 Modern Man in Search of a Soul, 126. 74 Ibid. 75 I id., . I this o te t, Ju g used the o d ode a to desig ate a a as su h. It is ot to e regarded as the regular usage of the phrase. 30 and the realities that precede him. In this sense, Jung labeled him unhistorical. 76 With this, I can conclude that modern man is drifting away from his originality. The widening of his consciousness befall upon him a burden of guilt 77 for his consciousness occupies too much of his self–a clear sign that modern man is not within the psychic balance or, in other words, the conscious identity of himself is not what was his originality. Jung noted further that such modern man as qualified is fully conscious of the present condition of the world and disregards his history. This depicts largely also that the self that he is conscious of is not corresponding to the original Self which therefore remains receded in the unconscious. It is with this phenomenon that Jung introduced individuation as a process of becoming the definite and unique being an individual in fact is 78 by reclaiming the structure of the Self from the unconscious. The teleological path of the self79 in reclaiming the Self is the process of individuation. Such ascension of the self is a movement towards a supraordinate dimension which involves harmony, connection, groundedness as opposed to the distance and fragmentation we find in other philosophies. 80 Topographically, this supraordinate dimension is the equivalent teleological path of the self towards the Self. The latter is the identity upon which its structure is in the unconscious and, thereby, not known by the self. The former is in the conscious and thus fully aware of the situation of the world. Thus, the 76 Ibid., 197. Ibid., 198. 78 Two Essays on Analytical Psychology, 174. 79 In the world of clinical psychology or psychotherapy, Jacobi declares that this path is neither advisable nor open to all men for it comes with perils. It is rather characterized as a spontaneous or natural process in the psyche unless disturbed or obstructed. An individual who undergoes individuation requires the aid of a guru or a pa t e to safegua d the [self] f o iole t i uptio s of the u o s ious a d to i teg ate these o te ts i to psychic totality i a a e o so a t ith the e d i ie . See: The Psychology of C.G. Jung, 107. 80 Willia R. Clough, Ju g a d Philosoph , http://www.cgjungpage.org/learn/articles/analyticalpsychology/89-jung-and-philosophy (accessed June 26, 2016). 77 31 extent of this supraordinate movement depends largely on how much the self is fully conscious and adapted to the world; for the aim of individuation is to divest the self of any false wrappings that must have been as the cause of adaptation to the world which is therefore not corresponding to its originality.81 Before I proceed, I would like to distinguish individuation from individuality and individualism. These three terms are not related among each other but are necessary in order to fully grasp the structure of individuation. As already discussed, individuation is a process of becoming, as Jung wrote, in-dividual or coming to selfhood or self- realization. 82 On the other hand, individuality is a psychic condition in which an individual is able to embrace his innermost, last, and incomparable uniqueness in becoming one s own self.83 And, individualism means deliberately stressing and giving prominence to some supposed peculiarity rather than to collective considerations and obligations 84 which is in direct contrast to individuation. The former obscures the process of individuation. Thus, as some may presume, Jung does not advocate egoistic or individualistic principles. The purported incomparable uniqueness of the individual can never mean that he is beyond or atop all of mankind. It rather suggests that the individual is an important component of another individual in enabling the latter to know his own individuality also. Additionally, individuation is a process balancing the opposites. Man becomes whole, integrated, calm, fertile, and happy when (and only when) the process of individuation is complete, when the conscious and the unconscious have learned to live at 81 Two Essays on Analytical Psychology, 174. Ibid., 173. 83 Ibid. 84 Ibid. 82 32 peace and to complement one another. 85 However, this process may be not possible unless an individual undergoes an enantiodromia.86 Thus, this means that individuation enables the restructuring of the I according to the tenets of individuality. Psychologically, it is the method of transformation towards the Self. It is basically an individual effort87 for the individual is the only reality; the further science abstracts his nature, which is primarily an objective mechanism, the more likely science falls into rapid error.88 Jung wrote: Individuation always finds itself more or less in opposition to the collective norm, since it means a separation and differentiation from the general, and a building up of the particular; not, however, a particularity especially sought, but one with an a priori foundation in the psyche. The opposition to the collective norm, however, is only apparent, since on closer examination the individual standpoint is found to be differently orientated, but not antagonistic to the collective norm. 89 This individuality is what comprises the structure of the Self. The latter as the final supraordinate dimension of the movement of individuation is to mean to come to terms with any opposing situation between the conscious and the unconscious through psychic processes with the world. The self is in contrast with the Self. The former, upon which its assimilations come in par with the world through the widening of consciousness, does not recognize entirely what the Self wants in any conscious event of the psyche. The Self stays 85 Man and His Symbols, 14. Jung used the term largely taken from Heraclitus which literally mea s u i g ou te to. I He a litus, it is desig ated as the pla of opposites i the ou se of e e ts, a el , the ie hi h ai tai s that e e thi g that e ists goes o e i to its opposite, i.e., aki g-sleeping, birth-death, death-birth, etc. Jung uses it i the sa e a e ho e e efe i g to the g adual ou te pla of the u o s ious i ases he e t e e, o esided te de do i ates the o s ious life. It fi stl a ifests itself i a i hi itio of o s ious a ti ities which subsequently leads to an interruption of conscious direction. Jung cites psychologically the conversion of Saul of Tarsus as an example. See: Psychological Types,- Jung suggests that before undergoing the process of individuation, the individual must be able to conform to some set of minimum collective standards which serve as the fertile ground for the initiation of individuation. As pointed out on footnote 79, a guru or a doctor and a conducive environment are perhaps the fertile ground. See: Psychological Types, 562. 88 Man and His Symbols, 58. 89 Psychological Types, 562-563. In this case, the sciences, which as explained are a conscious product, can e o side ed a olle ti e o . Thei ethods a d p odu ts a e ge e al att i utio s hi h satisfy the majority. 86 33 submerged into the deeper level of unconscious; however, it issues connections to the world through neuroses, projections and symbolic images. Thus, as I have discussed in the previous chapter, the separation of the unconscious and the conscious is initially illustrated by Jung as a mother and child relationship; individuation seeks to unite these opposing two psychic systems by coming into balance as mandated however by the Self.90 In this manner, Jung addresses generally the philosophical problem of opposites which, for so long, has been primordially separated. As I have pointed out earlier, individuation is a process of reintegrating the unconscious onto the conscious. This is a breakthrough in Western thought system which integrates a concept of Eastern philosophy into a tight environment of dogmatism prevalent in Western philosophy. Thus, Jung joined the stream of postmodern thinkers with his concept of reconciling a tension between opposing structure of the conscious and the unconscious. The subtle harmonization of this tension is what the underlying pursuant of individuation. For an individuation to take place, the conscious self, as the center of the conscious psychic process, engages itself with the world and then may perhaps adapt the circumstances of the world; the unconscious, on the other hand, manifests itself in a form of projection, neurosis or symbol91 to remind the self that such prevalent structure is not the 90 The Psychology of C.G. Jung, 127. A o e e hausti e t eat e t o e plo atio o eu oses, p oje tio s a d s ols i Ju g s ps holog will not be presented here since it will deviate from the main topic. However, to aid understanding the process of i di iduatio , a little des iptio ith ega ds to Ju g s thoughts o these atte s is e ough. E e eu osis is commonly regarded as a complex behavioral pattern idealizing certain figures regarded as the perfect attributes for the self; however, Jung regarded neurosis as a reminder from the unconscious for the self of its too much broadening which significantly diverts the self towards its unreal or superficial ideals which are not deemed to be the real structure of the Self. Projectio is the su je t s eha io to a ds a o je t upo hi h ps hi p o esses corresponding to it consists a subtle reminder from the unconscious that such object holds psychic elements that the subject needs in approaching the Self. Symbols, which will be discussed later, are images from the psyche which attribute certain psychic elements which the self should know for such are the language of the unconscious to the conscious. Many symbols everywhere correspond to distinct psychic process yet do not presuppose 91 34 purported structure of the Self. Therefore, if the conscious self does not recognize this message from the unconscious, projections, neuroses, and pertinent symbols from the unconscious continue to take place. I can conclude further that individuation is a teleological reorientation of the self in accordance with the primordial structure of the Self. The tension of opposites between the conscious and the unconscious proceeds into a supraordinate dimension of the self. The transformation of the self only takes place when the recognition of the opposite, in this case, the unconscious, takes place. Thereby, the movement of self into a new higher dimension is the granting of occupation of the unconscious into a share of the conscious self on the concept of balancing the opposites. This is not to be understood as the taking over of the unconscious into the conscious but rather the conscious self implements the movement of its structure in accordance with the command of the unconscious.92 For the unconscious holds the original pattern of individuality. In other words, the recognition of this unconscious phenomenon ceases the tension and thus should be addressed by the self, otherwise, the unconscious continues to do its part until such recognition is achieved. The deliverance from this tension of the opposites leads to transformation or redemption of the self towards higher supraordinate dimension.93 Such is the movement of individuation until such time that the unconscious structure of the Self is fully addressed by the self accordingly. Therefore, teleological universal set of meanings in interpreting them as they appear to a psychic event, i.e. serpent for health, phallus for power or dominion, bright light for enlightenment, etc. 92 In addition, instincts are regarded as belonging to the unconscious. There is a relationship between the will and the instinct as the latter influences the former. The will is a psychological phenomenon owing its existence to ultu e a d o al edu atio hi h a e i the o s ious sphe e. It la ks p i iti e e talit . The atu e of will as a o s ious phe o e eo suggests that it a ot oe e the i sti ts. O the othe ha d, i sti ts a e those psychic processes whose energies are not under the disposal of the conscious. They are autonomous and thus function within the sphere of pe so alit . Ju g also spoke of Spi it, o hat he ea t as a het pes, as the a tithesis of instincts. Instincts and Spirit share an equal proportion on the field of the will. See: Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche, par 379, par 406. Psychological Types, 617, 565. 93 Psychological Types, 242. 35 orientation of individuation involves multi-layered supraordinate dimensions in order to attain the final dimension which is the Self. On the problem of free will, Jung maintained the will should be free. However, it should relinquish the full extent of freedom by addressing both the contents from the unconscious and the conscious. He wrote: I only can say that as far as consciousness reaches, the will is understood to be free, i.e., that the feeling of freedom accompanies your decisions no matter if they are really free or not… Where you are not conscious, there can obviously be no freedom. Through the analysis of the unconscious, you increase the amount of freedom. A complete consciousness would mean an equally complete freedom and responsibility. If unconscious contents approaching the sphere of consciousness are not analyzed and integrated, then the sphere of your freedom is even diminished through the fact that such contents are activated and gain more compelling influence upon consciousness than when they were completely unconscious. 94 Furthermore, the relationship between the conscious and the unconscious as the totality of the psyche is to be understood according to the Taoist cosmic principle of Yang and Yin. The distinctive reality of the two opposing principles, yet form as one, creates a balance. One-sidedness, as in the case of widening of the conscious at the further sacrifice of the unconscious, is a mark of barbarism. 95 Thus, the union and harmonization of the conscious and the unconscious is the psychic normalcy. Otherwise, the recognition of the hidden manifestations of the unconscious signifies reunion with the unconscious laws of being, and the purpose of this reunion is the attainment of conscious life. 96 In other words, individuation, as a subtle harmonious adjustment to the reality as it is, is the living out of 94 Carl G. Jung, C. G. Jung Letters Vol. 2:-, ed. Gerhard Adler, trans. from German R. F. C. Hull (East Sussex: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1976), 139. The letter is addressed to Rev. S.C.V. Bowman who was in correspondence with Jung on the problem of free will. 95 The Secret of the Golden Flower, 85. 96 Ibid., 99. 36 the thing-in-itself in proper relationship to things as they appear and as they are 97 when the tension occurs as the subject presents itself to the object or the conscious approaches the unconscious. It synthesizes to create a new reality for further conscious-unconscious dynamism until the telos of individuation arises. The product of the tension between conscious and the unconscious is best expressed in symbolism.98 It aids the process of individuation to determine the likelihood of a conscious event be in accordance to the manifestation of the unconscious. It is not however the only aspect in catering individuation; for symbols are produced spontaneously by the unconscious and are amplified by the conscious 99 which therefore create ambivalence to the subject if such process is treated as the only source of movement to begin individuation. It rather tells the subject that such current movement of individuation is not in accordance to the structure of the Self. Jung deliberately clarified that any symbol is something not known and presupposed no meaning as it presents itself to the subject. Thus, symbols are the living expression of a concurrent psychic process pregnant with meaning. 100 This clearly presents that understanding symbolism of the unconscious is a tedious analytical process upon which dominance of the conscious precedes over our mundane activities while the unconscious presents itself only symbolically and very relatively. Thus, individuation is a collective process of recognizing the unconscious through symbols in our consciousness. 97 Willia R. Clough, Ju g a d Philosoph , http://www.cgjungpage.org/learn/articles/analyticalpsychology/89-jung-and-philosophy (accessed June 26, 2016). 98 Psychology and Religion, 306. 99 Ibid., 468. 100 Psychological Types, 602. Also see: Man and His Symbols, 20. 37 In other words, Jungian psychology in attributing the search of man for his Self through the process of individuation is to put into consciousness the inhibitions of the unconscious for the unconscious is the original footprint of the individual s history which therefore is most likely the natural and the possessor of the true identity of every individual. This primordial footprint marks the original topography of the Self. For the farther the conscious field expands itself to the world the more problems we accumulate, the more tedious process of individuation will take place. B. Poststructuralism as a paradigm of the I in recognizing the unconscious In the preceding argument, structuralism is presented as a relationship among constituents. It is a direct contradiction to atomistic principle that every constituent is a reality by itself. 101 Rather, structuralism suggests an interrelationship, in this case, between the conscious and the unconscious as the totality of the psyche. The conscious can never be as it is without the unconscious and, thus, can never be understood without its preconditioned interaction with the latter. Thereby, I concluded it in Chapter II that the structure of the I reveals the self which also reveals a relationship between the conscious and the unconscious in determining the structure of the self; furthermore, the adaptations to the world is the cause of changes in the structure of the self. Additionally, I presented a central argument in this study that in order to change for a better perspective of the world to take place, structure of the I must be understood and careful, critical deliberations to its adaptations to the world must be duly employed. The reality of every individual cannot suggest a perfect precondition which therefore reveals 101 Donald D. Palmer, Structuralism and Poststructuralism for Beginners (New York: Writers and Readers Publishing, Inc., 1997), 2. 38 existence of problems as a product of turbulence between the conscious and the unconscious or can be understood as a quantitative expression of the extent of separation between the conscious and the unconscious. Thus, individuation is the process to bring back into originality as commanded by the unconscious which is primarily the most natural part of the human psyche. However, the unconscious as supraordinate psychic function is a relative structure and it varies accordingly in every individual and so do the psychic events it would be indulged with, and it cannot be known directly by the conscious. It is with this problem that suggests no absolute standard to be presented topographically for every individual undergoing the process of individuation. In other words, individuation is also a relative process and it varies accordingly with many psychic processes and conditions in every individual yet always follows, and this can never be denied, a teleological order. Therefore, the structure of the I should be understood as a relative mechanism in approaching the structure of the Self. A viable solution to such problem is the employment of poststructuralism in the perspective of the I. It seeks beyond what is in an established structure. It radically melts down absolutism that may arise within the topography of the structure in order to carry forward the probability of another solution not directly known in the structure for it corresponds to hidden voices along its margins.102 In the case of individuation, absolutism can be expressed as the tenets provided by the world to accommodate an individual according to their limitations and structure and not therefore according to the 102 Understanding Poststructuralism, 6. The author uses the term li its to sig if the a gi alized i di e t o t ast to the di e tl k o a d sta da dized st u tu e hi h he uses the te o e. I the su eedi g usage of the o ds, I ill use a gi a d solutio espe ti el to si plif the atte . The o d solutio is o e app op iate i this o te t tha the o d sta da d hi h is ea e to the o d o e i te s ith the generalization made by the author on the referred object; for the purpose of this employment is its application on the process of individuation in which, as a problem of conscious and unconscious deliberation, requires a solution. 39 original structure to be adhered to from the Self. In other words, the path of individuation is a quest of uniqueness from within the individual himself, free from the dictates of the world. Structuralism creates absolutism in order to arrive to a preconfigured solution for the benefit of all at the expense of the minority. Poststructuralism of the I abhors such absolutism for only the I knows the full grasp of its capacity to adapt to the structure of the world through the command of the unconscious. Therefore, to recognize the truth provided by the unconscious thrown to the world is to critique absolutism in favor of high level of openness in order for change to take place.103 In other words, it can mean deconstruction of consciousness to enable an autonomous control of the unconscious.104 In structuralism, a solution presented is directly known and commonly attributed to all constituents on the event of mapping out the topography of the structure. (Take for instance: the concept of love is different among individuals. Structuralism maps out the most prevalent, more socially-defined concept of love thereby marginalizing the lesser or hidden voices that makes up another viewpoint on the concept of love. Then, such attributions are basically known adaptations from the tenets of the world. Thus, it does not recognize the reliability of another solution as the source of truth provided by the marginalized. Therefore, it is a conscious event. On the other hand, the recognition of the marginalized, unknown source of solution in the perspective of poststructuralism, is not to create another turnaround principle for absolutism but rather to make an existing solution open to a new source of truth105 in order for real change or transformation of the self to take place. In other words, the purpose of poststructuralism of the I is to recognize an 103 Ibid., 154. Tabooed Jung, 74. 105 Understanding Poststructuralism, 6. 104 40 unknown source of solution from the unconscious as in the case of symbols, projections and neuroses.106 When they present themselves, a higher tendency of accommodating it with what is conventional is employed by the conscious thereby not recognizing its purported significance as provided for by the unconscious. As it is presented, poststructuralism is a relatively loose perspective. It is not a method to create absolute order of things but a matter of individual perspective in approaching the search for truth.107 In this way, it aids a lot to the process of individuation in order to gradually realize individuality; for truth is not always found on conventions from the conscious but may also be from a higher guidance of the unconscious. Therefore, in knowing the extent of truth as the solution for the concurrent tension between the conscious and the unconscious, it is necessary for the I to maintain a relative or poststructuralist perspective to recognize the language from the unconscious. In this way, the solution is more open to what it ought to be according to the structure of the telos for the actual situation in approaching the telos is not known—even the structure of the telos itself is inconceivable.108 If it is to adhere only to conventions and regard a solution as absolute, there is no movement. In other words, dynamism of the self will stay as it is thus individuation ceases 106 Jung introduced the symbolic significance of dreams for individuation. In line with the poststructuralist perspective, dreams, according to Jung, prove to be the most basic accessible material for this purpose under two assumptions: a) dream should be treated as a fact with a conviction that it may make sense to a psychic process, b) dream is a specific expression of the unconscious. Taking into consideration a dream as a source of truth is what it makes it qualified for poststructuralism. See: Man and His Symbols, 32. 107 Understanding Poststructuralism, 14. 108 The usage of the ph ase st u tu e of the Self efe s to the fi al elati e st u tu e of the self upo its unfolding in time. As earlier pointed, it is unknown for it is beyond the bounds of consciousness. It is the telos of this individuation process. Additionally, the usage does not correspond to the tenets of structuralism for it is unscientific and unorthodox. In other words, structuralism connotes materialistic and empirical resemblance. Moreover, the telos is idealistic. Thus, the in the preceeding context, the usage of the phrase is best understood as the phenomenon upon which such telos arise. The Self is the structure in this phenomenon. 41 for the supraordinate movement of individuation requires change of the current structure of the self until the final structure of the Self is achieved. It is not also possible to determine the actual teleological path of individuation in a set of blueprints, for psychic processes subsequent to individuation vary from time to time. Human science can never exactly postulate the future of psychic processes. Rather, poststructuralism invites extra-scientific dimension of the individual in approaching the full sense of life. As Jung wrote: What we are to our inward vision, and what man appears to be sub specie aeternitatis, can only be expressed by way of myth. Myth is more individual and expresses life more precisely than does science. Science works with concepts of averages which are far too general to do justice to the subjective variety of an individual life. 109 In the same way, Williams wrote: In poststructuralism, life is not to be defined solely by science, but by the layers of history and future creations captured in wider senses of language, thought and experience. This explains why poststructuralists do not seem to spend that much time on the sciences. In fact, when they resist and criticize attempts to give a scientific view of language, poststructuralists are making a wider point about science and its limits. Furthermore, the future of thought cannot be guided solely by science. Our desires, acts and thoughts have valuable extra-scientific dimensions. These dimensions are an important part of a full sense of life. Science cannot operate independently of that part and does not do so even when it claims to. Many poststructuralist arguments are reactions to the technological approach to life characterized by science (when done in abstraction or without imagination). They stress undervalued and hidden influences at work within science. 110 109 Memories, Dreams and Reflections, 3. The structure of myth is more exemplified in the account of Walla e Clift to e defi ed as a spe ial ki d of sto that des i es ho life is a d ho life is to e espo ded to. Myths are facts revealed by the unconscious therefore they are true symbolic accounts from nature experienced by people who promulgated it. Popular understanding has impeded it with an idea of falsehood and unnatural quality. Myths and their symbols interest Jung in his psychology. This part of his psychological structure is a broad field. This is beyond the scope of this study. For further reading of the summarized account of myth, see: Wallace B. Clift, Jung and Christianity: The Challenge of Reconciliation (New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1982),- Understanding Poststructuralism, 16. Italics are original. 42 Additionally, the identity of man cannot be totally grasped as what human science is trying to explain. He should not be understood as a recurring unit but as something unique and singular which in the last analysis can neither be known nor compared with anything else. 111 Therefore, the unknowable part of the dimension of man which may in some way be unorthodox and unscientific is governed by poststructuralism for it accounts what science cannot.112 In this way, the greatest capacity for openness to change in line with [its] highest values is maximized in all possible extent for the I cannot cling to the illusion of sameness of values and order presented by the conscious.113 What matters most to poststructuralism is openness to change by deconstructing absolutism. For what is ideal in this world, as Heraclitus claimed, is change. The separation of the self from the unconscious towards the conscious involves a change. The growth of the conscious as it adapts to the situations of the world invites change. And, as discussed, individuation involves a radical change which is the re-appropriation of the unconscious space from the widened or one-sided conscious. Therefore, change is an inevitable reality. In the same way, poststructuralism maintains this reality by advocating such change which structuralism cannot. In structuralism, an established structure cannot be without the framework of the absolute and the common solution. When it stays secure with the absolute, problems of civilization may continue to arise. Jung saw structure in history and culture as involving a sequential landmark of unhealthy psyche in modern man.114 Thus, unless poststructuralist perspective is maintained, no change will take place.115 111 The Undiscovered Self, 4. Understanding Poststructuralism, 17. 113 Ibid., 157. 114 Jung proved to be more poststructuralist than Freud. His breakthrough of the unconscious, which Freud established to be a more sexual reality, involved a radical break from the established structure of 112 43 Moreover, poststructuralism promises not just change and openness but also liberation and resistance to ignorance.116 In Jung s psychology, it is translated into the structure of the Self. Science cannot accommodate the future of humanity as what would have been the structure of the Self. Only poststructuralism can. In the language of Derida, it involves deconstruction of every established values and language structure to have it open instead according to our individual perspective.117 In the language of Foucault, the genealogy of history reveals an absolute structure of knowledge that caters inhumanity in which, after baring the structure, he challenges every individual to move according to how to prevent history from repeating itself.118 For poststructuralism follows the unknown, unstructured path which therefore cannot be manipulated according to the interest of the few elites. Let the telos be realized according to how it is supposed to be; not according to how we want it to be. Nature involves the unknown. Nature knows no limits. Nature begets no problems with civilization and with our own selves. And poststructuralism is more accommodated with nature. psychoanalytic movement created by Freud. His academic marginalization and even the radical nature of his thoughts caught the attention of the poststructuralist movement. See: Tabooed Jung, 77-80. Modern Man in Search of His Soul, 246-250. Memories, Dreams and Reflections, 222. 115 It is to be noted further the postulated change in this study cannot be possible without a consciousness of change from the individual. As earlier discussed in footnote 86, through enantiodromia, individuation is triggered. And the former happens only when the individual invites to change himself. 116 Understanding Poststructuralism, 165. 117 Ibid.,- Ibid., 105-131. 44 CHAPTER IV: The Phenomenology of the Self The self is identical with the Self to the extent that it is the instrument of selfrealization for the Self.119 In Jungian perspective, this is considered the founding principle of transcending the self towards the Self. The milieu of this transcendence is the process of individuation. The self is a conscious phenomenon constituted by the individual s interaction and adaptation to the world. The Self is a transcendental phenomenon beyond the grasp of the conscious. It cannot be known but its phenomenological attributes can be grasped from the world through the arts, culture, civilization, or all other human phenomena. The world facilitates the initiation of the corresponding psychic event. Until that time, the unconscious reveals symbolic primordial images which Jung calls archetypes in order to instigate a path for individuation. These archetypes serve as landmarks in every dimension of individuation. Additionally, the Self, as an archetype itself, is presented by Jung through a symbol of Christ. It seeks to establish a principle that the Self is both the center and the totality of personality. A. Approaching the Unconscious through the Archetypes I presented an argument in the previous chapter that there consist dimensions in approaching the structure of the Self–an unknown phenomenon of wholeness. Other sources refer to these as stages of individuation which suggest the totality of individuation. Every dimension exists tensions of opposites between the conscious and the unconscious which follows the logic of Hegel synthesizing towards the new dimension. The synthesis 119 Marie-Louise von Franz, Alchemy: An introduction to the Symbolism and the Psychological Studies in Jungian Psychology (Toronto: Inner City Books, 1980), 155. 45 however is the reconciliation and recognition of the two as one which can be understood more appropriately in Taoism than with the existing structures of Western philosophy prevalent at the time of Jung. This is the framework upon which the collective interactions of the two (to be treated as one in every dimension) leads to the telos−our Self−distinct and incomparable among our species.120 If the self is the center field of consciousness, the Self is the center or totality of the unconscious contents in so far as it can be known empirically.121 Jung maintained his structure of the psyche that no limits can be set for the conscious; however, it will find its limits when it reaches the boundaries of the unconscious.122 This is where he classified the unconscious into personal and collective.123 The latter is inferred from the underlying common assumptions available from the former, which is transcendentally present in all humanity. Therefore, in the movement of the self insofar as it tries to adapt to the structure of the Self through individuation, the unconscious can never be attributed directly to any conscious event as they are manifested to the world. As argued in the previous chapter, it is only through symbols that unconscious contents can be identified appropriately. These contents of the unconscious which may manifest themselves symbolically in any conscious event are what Jung calls archetypes. 120 Memories, Dreams and Reflections, 379-381. This part is an appendix to his autobiography but previously published privately on 1916 in a booklet called Septem Sermones ad Mortuos similar in style with another intriguing book the Liber Novus. Due to its occult nature, Jung considered this work as the sin of his youth. However, this became the framework of most of his later theories: the foundation of the unconscious and archetypes, individuation, the Self, and the acausal principle of synchronicity. 121 Carl G. Jung, AION: Researches into the Phenomenology of the Self, trans. R. F. C. Hull (New York: Pantheon Books, 1959), 3-4. Taking into consideration the role of being a center is to let everything flow into itself. The journey to the center is the process of individuation. The Buddhist and Hindu symbolism of Mandala is integrated onto his psychology. It signifies the integration of disharmonious, broken pieces of personality into a whole and a universally embracing totality. I cannot expound this idea further for I consider this beyond the scope of my study. See also: Memories, Dreams and Reflection,- Ibid., 3. 123 Ibid. See also related explanation on footnote 56. 46 Central to the understanding of the Self is the understanding of archetypes. They are natural and innate preconscious primordial images inferred from collective empirical patterns of behavior in every individual.124 They serve as reservoir for any qualified psychic events or processes. They are relatively similar to Plato s Ideas or Kant s a priori categories125 inferring that the structure of the mind makes up the beliefs, reason, attention, assessment of importance, dreams, memory, observations, myths and scientific paradigms. They are universal set of images yet their attributes phenomenologically differ in every individual for it corresponds its symbolic significance according to the psychic events and processes relatively available in every individual. Thus, archetypes are beyond the works of logic but make it through to our consciousness as a process for reintegrating the self with archetypal attributes in order to move forward to the structure of the Self.126 Therefore, in approaching the unconscious in every dimension of the teleological path of individuation, corresponding archetypes are to be addressed. Some of these major archetypes serve as landmarks127 (which can aid also in addressing any pathological event 124 Psychology and Religion, 50. Willia R. Clough, Ju g a d Philosoph , http://www.cgjungpage.org/learn/articles/analyticalpsychology/89-jung-and-philosophy (accessed June 26, 2016). 126 To illustrate, let us take for instance the archetype of Peter Pan and the reintegration of its archetypal attributes to the self. This example belongs to clinical psychology which therefore does not form part of my study. However, to facilitate understanding of archetypes, I find it necessary to include it in my footnote. This has been a good example I have read from some Jungian authors. Peter Pan archetype, derived from a famous cartoon character, is a complex behavioral mechanism attributed to people with a tendency to stick onto their joyous childhood even as they mature. They are characterized by a happy-go-lucky attribute making things superficially available for them instead of dealing directly with them. The person experiencing this archetype is not conscious of such tendency. Unless the person acknowledges this archetype, recognizes its attributes to the self as something unnatural to his Self, the Peter Pan archetype continues to exist. Such idealization prevents the movement towards the Self for it sticks to what his self is contented with. 127 Jung suggested major archetypes to be addressed in order to reach the supraordinate dimension of the Self. First to confront is the shadow which contains our repressed and suppressed psychic events and processes of the self in order to form a comfortable zone to the structure of the world. The anima and animus respectively corresponds to the femaleness in a man and the maleness in a woman. The Mother and Father archetypes. The Wise Old Man. Until to reach finally the archetype of the Self. Some Jungian authors vary their number of major archetypes. The structure of the self is also considered as an archetype in relation to the final form of the Self, the 125 47 associated with the obstruction of individuation.) They are, in their innate configurations, the organizers of our ideas. 128 It is with this regard that the conscious should recognize the significance of these archetypal attributes. In other words, the unconscious sets up the pure configuration of individuality. This further highlights the idea that the Self is not known deliberately but can be known through its phenomenological attributes. The Self is a portion, or excerpt, or representative, of something universally present in all living creatures, and, therefore, a correspondingly graduated kind of psychological process, which is born anew in every creature. 129 Thus, the Self is the mother of all archetypes. It is an archetype that invariably expresses a situation within which the self is contained. Therefore, like every archetype, the Self cannot be localized in the conscious, but acts like a circumambient atmosphere to which no definite limits can be set, either in space or in time. 130 In reference to the above illustration, it is therefore the reservoir of all reservoirs found in the unconscious. It sums up the whole archetypal attributes found along the individuation. If such summation leads to the structure of the Self then it can be inferred otherwise that the structure of the Self commands the corresponding archetypal attributes associated with every dimension of individuation. In other words, the Self facilitates and makes this reservoir which therefore makes it possible that all archetypes found in the unconscious are constituents to the structure of the Self. For every constituent cannot be distinct by itself but in relationship to the whole.131 mother of all archetypes. They are all available in dreams so that interpretation of dreams in line with the archetypal attributes associated with a psychic event or process is an important task in Analytical Psychology. I do not include these processes for I consider them beyond the scope of my study. 128 AION, 179. 129 Psychological Types, 475. 130 AION, 167. The italics is a modification to facilitate consistency of terms. 131 Structuralism and Poststructuralism, 2. 48 Additionally, the Self is the archetype of wholeness that enables man to act as an intermediary between the conscious and the unconscious132 as the midpoint of reconciliation. This therefore suggests that the Self is a transcendental reality of the interconnectedness of all beings.133 Basing largely from the arguments of the previous chapter, it can be inferred that the unconscious is an a priori and the conscious is a subsequent reality of the unconscious. The reconciliation therefore between the unconscious and the conscious, as in the case of individuation, makes it possible that the Self facilitates interconnectedness. In individuation, it suggests a reconciliation by adapting from the natural instead of the superficial. Only the Self knows what is this natural for it is the most natural part of the psyche. If the structure of the Self makes up a single reality, this concludes further that the Self is a constituent to the structure of the natural world. This is highlighted by Jung through his concept of the collective unconscious. In collective unconscious, Jung prevailed the idea that in all human psyche, in the deepest topography of the unconscious lies, a shared archaic remnants of human history. It is the bedrock of the unconscious. Therefore, it is with this principle that the interconnectedness of the Self to the structure of the world makes it possible the harmonization of all creatures in this world. Jung wrote on his account in The Secret of the Golden Flower: It must be pointed out that just as the human body shows a common anatomy over and above all racial differences, so, too, the human psyche possesses a common substratum transcending all differences in culture and consciousness. I have called this substratum the collective unconscious. This unconscious psyche, common to all mankind, does not consist merely of contents capable of becoming conscious, but of latent predispositions 132 Atom and Archetype, 101. AION, 223. The concept of interconnection of all things facilitates his subsequent theories and particularly exemplifies his friendship with Wolfgang Pauli. The friendship has an attempt to reconcile psyche and physics: the mind and matter problem. This makes up a further milieu on his structure of the Self. 133 49 towards identical reactions. The collective unconscious is simply the psychic expression of the identity of brain structure irrespective of all racial differences. This explains the analogy, sometimes even identity, between the various myth motifs and symbols, and the possibility of human communication in general. The various lines of psychic development start from one common stock whose roots reach back into the most distant past. 134 Lastly, the Self is a complexio oppositorum for there can be no reality without polarity. 135 It is the equated union of the conscious and the unconscious. The summation upon which harmonization and groundedness is achieved is the rejection of absolutism of two opposing polarities. In other words, the structure of the Self recognizes no more tension of the opposites but mutual and relative understanding of all things as they appear. As Jung wrote: We must not overlook the fact that opposites acquire their moral accentuation only within the sphere of human endeavor and action, and that we are unable to give a definition of good and evil that could be considered universally valid. In other words, we do not know what good and evil are in themselves. It must therefore be supposed that they spring from a need of human consciousness and that for this reason they lose their validity outside the human sphere. 136 However, the union of opposite is in itself, equivalent to unconscious for the conscious presupposes a subject and object differentiation and their corresponding relationship.137 So only in the unconscious, it can be understood that their differentiation and their existing dogmatic polarities cease. It is something incomprehensible in consciousness. For instance, the union of two opposing realities of black and white as one is something beyond the works of logic. Their relationship is associated with their dogmatic polarities as they work correspondingly. Therefore, only within the structure of the Self, as 134 The Secret of the Golden Flower, 87. AION, 268. 136 Ibid., 267. In the same source, he made a detailed explanation of the nature of evil and good quoting from Dionysius the Areopagite. See: AION,- Ibid., 193. 135 50 the final dimension, that such union of polarities can be understood. Inasmuch as the dimension of the Self is not yet achieved, it is still considered unconscious. Retrospectively, it is on the same way that archetypal union of polarities associated with every dimension of individuation can be understood. The archetype is the unconscious image as the conscious approaches it on the world. The world is the object of the self which then sources the unconscious structure of the psyche. The archetypal attributes consisting each archetypes makes the dynamism of the self in the world.138 The object in the world is therefore the corresponding opposite to what the self may adhere to as something purportedly good. If such relationship is settled by recognizing its significance to the corresponding dimension, then eventually it is taken into the consciousness as one thereby moving onto another dimension. B. The Archetypal Christ and the God-within Inasmuch as Jung presented the structure of the Self via phenomenological attributes in his books, it is incorporated with various unorthodox principles for he held onto his claim that the Self, in itself, cannot be known. Science, which is the product of the conscious, cannot postulate its nature. To understand it however is to grasp several principles from Gnostic and alchemical symbolism, the concept of atman in Hindu philosophy, and others. They are his phenomenological inquiries onto its attributes. In this way, we can infer inductively of its contents through the various symbolism it manifests. However, this study cannot accommodate all his phenomenological inquiries. I only took the most prevalent of archetypal symbol of the Self–the symbol of Christ. 138 Psychological Types, 476. 51 It is to be noted that Jung, unlike Freud, advocated the significance of religion and its symbolism in the quest for the Self. Man is undergoing spiritual malnutrition and, in such case, the aid of religion and its symbolism is necessary.139 Such spiritual deprivation is a product of much widening of the conscious through the stream of modernity which involves a subsequent denial of the immaterial, metaphysical realities associated with religious experiences.140 This suggests that infusion of reinterpreted concurrent religious symbol is apparently an effective means to deconstruct the consciousness of religion. For instance, the deconstruction of a conscious religious object, i.e. the culture of religion, the Christ, etc., leads to the recognition of its unknown significance from the unconscious. In this way, Jung prevails his symbolism as a means to enable the individual to relinquish a new experience out from the mundane reality of the corresponding symbol. So that an individual, whether practicing the religion or not, can distinguish the significance of a symbol or a religious experience out from its banality. Jung provided a differentiation between the historical Christ in the person of Jesus and the archetypal Christ as a comprehensible symbol at the center of Christendom. The person Jesus signifies the self as he approaches towards the center, his Self as Christ. His life and struggle depicts the individuation process. With such differentiation on Christ, Jung concluded that he is in us and we in him. 141 It would mean that every individual has his own Christ. Jung initially noted that this account on using Christ does not mean a confession of faith or a force reductionism of Christian Christ. It is used to facilitate better 139 Je W ight, Ch ist, a s ol of the Self, Jung Society of Atlanta, Fall of 2001. http://www.jungatlanta.com. Ebook. 140 Modern Man in Search of His Soul,- AION, 37. Jung illustrated Christ as the center of the Christian mandala. I never include the symbolic significance of mandala in psycho-spiritual development and its contemplative association to the Self for it is beyond the scope of this study. 52 understanding on the phenomenological attributes of the Self on what our consciousness may be able to grasp accordingly.142 The Christ is the center of the individuation process for the latter flows into the former. The integration between the unconscious and the conscious manifests wholeness as depicted from the dual nature of Christ. As in the case of the life of historical Christ, he is both the center and the structure of wholeness. In addition, Christ suggests the clear exemplification of the archetype of the Self as it represents the totality of a divine or heavenly kind.143 He added that without any blemish of sin, he is an ideal exemplification of the true imago Dei or the God-within present in every individual. The Christ symbol, as Jung presented it quoting heavily from Christian theories of Augustine and Origen, is the psychological, symbolic quest for perfection of the self towards the perfect Self. This accounts for the wholeness of the Self with the divine nature of Christ which therefore suggests that the Christ symbol is an embodiment of the imago Dei. Thus, the structure of the Self, as revealed in the Christ symbol, entails a divine attribute. The Christ is innately present in every individual. The widening of the conscious through the mundane problems from the world makes up the blemishing of the perfect Self or the imago Dei or the Christ present in us. The blemishing of the Self, as illustrated on previous chapters, is to enable the self to adapt the structure of the world. The structure of the Self therefore remains as it is but clouded by the blemishes provided by the conscious. The process of individuation pulls away such blemishes. In the same way, the Christ or the imago Dei can be restored into purview of consciousness through series of reformations (and repentance, in the language of Christianity). Jung wrote: 142 143 Ibid., x. Ibid., 37. 53 The totality images which the unconscious produces in the course of an individuation process are similar reformations of an a priori archetype… This is in exact agreement with the empirical findings of psychology, that there is an ever-present archetype of wholeness which may easily disappear from the purview of consciousness or may never be perceived at all until a consciousness illuminated by conversion recognizes it in the figure of Christ. 144 The following excerpt is an introductory paragraph of his account on archetypal Christ: The dechristianization of our world, the Luciferian development of science and technology, and the frightful material and moral destruction left behind by the second World War have been compared more than once with the eschatological events foretold in the New Testament… The Apocalypse is full of expectations of terrible things that will take place at the end of time, before the marriage of the Lamb. This shows plainly that the anima Christiana has a sure knowledge not only of the existence of an adversary but also of his future usurpation of power. 145 As presented, the archetypal Christ is nevertheless associated with an unknown adversary or a contra-archetype (or is called the shadow of Christ) apparently called the Antichrist. This direct opposition is a logical presentation of the half of the totality which suggests an embodiment of the dark aspect of the Self. In Taoist symbolism, it is the yin. The relationship suggests that the progressive development and differentiation of consciousness leads to an ever more menacing awareness of the conflict and involves nothing less than a crucifixion of the self, its agonizing suspension between irreconcilable opposites. 146 So, the Antichrist is the other side of Christ if it is to distinguish it dogmatically. It is therefore an idea derived from the conscious in reference to the attributes of the Self, as a whole, which most likely corresponds to the adaptations of the self to the world. In other words, the relationship is a syzygy (or pair or union of opposites) 144 Ibid., 40. Ibid., 36. 146 Ibid., 44. 145 54 of the self and the Self. The apparent union of these contradicting pair proceeds reality beyond the comprehension of language and logic. For instance, the nature of good and evil in the words of Jung: Evil has no substance or existence in itself, since it is merely a diminution of good, which alone has substance. Evil is a vitium, a bad use of things as a result of erroneous decisions of the will (blindness due to evil desire, etc. . 147 In this case, the structure of the Self, with its exemplification of perfection as the Christ symbol, accounts for no difference between good and evil. 148 For Jung wrote, quoting also from Basil the Great: Evil originates in human frivolity and therefore owes its existence to mere negligence, it exists, so to speak, only as a by-product of psychological oversight, and this is such a quantité négligeable that evil vanishes altogether in smoke. Frivolity as a cause of evil is certainly a factor to be taken seriously, but it is a factor that can be got rid of by a change of attitude. We can act differently, if we want to. 149 Therefore, the structure of the Self cannot be accounted with the right language to attribute its nature. Language encompasses a structure from which our conscious interacts to the world. It is a conscious event. Accounting the Self with the right language is not possible for the self cannot accommodate the structure of the Self per se. In other words, as shown on previous chapters, the unconscious cannot be accommodated by the conscious. There is an inevitable tension. However, language tries to understand the structure of the Self through its manifestations and exemplifications on things, objects and symbols which the conscious may be able to grasp them phenomenologically. That is what compels Jung to 147 Ibid., 51. Ibid., 53. 149 Ibid., 62. 148 55 research deeper on the phenomenology of the Self. For the Self is both a being and a nonbeing. It is simply is. 56 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION I am my Self Just as Carl Jung wrote, that philosophy today no longer deals with our ways of life but purely an academic affair. 150 If I choose mainstream philosophers, I may become one of those who treat philosophy just to answer questions and deal with objective problems without paying attention to what is more important: my life. I believe every person is a constituent of the structure of human civilization. Then, whatever circumstances I am experiencing concurrently, as the product of my relationship to the world, constitute a significant reality to me; it is because I am part of it, an infinitesimal unit, yet without me the whole structure of human civilization is not complete. If I don t care for what the whole civilization is doing or disregards what it is up to because I am just plainly enjoying on dollars and long name-tails, then I am nothing but just a mere reality of taking breath, filling up my tummy, and finally leaving behind my dust, wasting an important time upon which I should have contributed something to propel the civilization to which I belong onto a higher dimension. I am part of the whole structure, and with me, I can make the whole structure of civilization also to crumble. Therefore, I must care for the telos of my civilization according to any integral function I am attributed to, i.e. in the work that I have done, in the thoughts I am dwelling on, or the convictions I am holding onto. I have to make sure that things I am part of are not a contribution to making bombs; or in every word that I say, I have to make sure that I will not endanger my fellowmen for I am sharing the same topographical psychic elements with them so that part of me also constitutes a part of them yet distinct 150 The Undiscovered Self, 52. 57 enough to have my own unique footprint. Therefore, my I is an important component which I must deal with accordingly. It should be in line with the original structure of nature; for nature neither lies nor harms. Socrates is relevant as always as he reminds everyone that life without examination, in this case through the self, is not worth living.151 Every event of the world passes through me. I have the mind which possesses enough faculty to think, to control and own my behavior, and to guard my thoughts from the tendencies of my superficial, unrealistic selfideals which may harm both me and my world. For in this matter, my life is a precious reality. It should be a contribution in building up a higher dimension towards the hidden truth of nature. Change begets change. There must be the telos as the final synthesis of all these changes which maybe beyond the framework of my lifespan. What is it? I don t know however nature does know. Thus, following its precepts will significantly lead us onto the highest dimension where nature equates everything, including me, to itself. Otherwise, problems arise. Problems are the phenomenological interactions between my self and the world. These interactions however are alienations from the Self. They are within the structure of my consciousness. For from the time I came out from the womb, I was never conscious of anything–as far as to define the limits of consciousness according to my current limits. Therefore, I was still dwelling in the bosom of nature. My interaction with the world is expressed, as Jung claimed, in the sacrifice of the unconscious to know the self. 152 Subsequently, my problems are born. For my consciousness was filled with the knowledge 151 Socrates, on The Great Dialogues of Plato, by Plato, trans. W.H.D. Rouse, ed. Eric H. Warmington and Philip G. Rouse (New York: Nal Penguin Inc.,- Psychology of the Unconcious, 393. 58 of the world thereby the difference of the structure of my nature and the structure of the world creates tension or is expressed as a quantifiable difference between my nature and the world I am conscious of. Hence, I have no recourse but to follow the prescriptions of the world, i.e. the manner of eating, the position of peeing, or the proper way of sitting in a chair. Thus, my original nature eventually receded into the unconscious. Too much occupation of the precepts of the world in my consciousness creates alienation from my individuality. Furthermore, it is the tension of my self and the world that produces several incomprehensible, inhumane human phenomena: burning of the forestlands, killing of wild animals, or dislocating ancient civilizations to give space to colossal stone buildings. I fail to recognize the interconnectedness between me and the objects of the world. I fail to recognize their identity that they also share with me the same space that nature bestowed. Why would I kill my brethren if they are part of my identity? Without them, I am not complete. The path to my Self is to be an in-dividual, 153 as Jung wrote to signify the indivisibility of every individual from the rest of the civilization. Why would I accumulate wealth if the reason to keep my body alive is to fill my self with the food I need to survive? The accumulation of my wealth means transforming the world into dollars and gold. It is a manifestation of neurosis when I believe that dollars are the measurement of my achievement. Why would I cut trees if they are important members of my ecological chain? It is with this regard that I believe my existence is to subdue everything and to fall everything under my feet. 153 Two Essays on Analytical Psychology, 173. 59 So, I can conclude that problems of human phenomena are attributed to the problems of the self. I must go back to what nature has to tell about me. I am not an atomic unit being segregated out from the rest of humanity. I belong to the world. I am not independent but interrelated and interconnected. I define the world and the world is defined through me. Therefore, I am the structure of human phenomena. The problem of my self significantly influences the other selves or the world. This is where Jung introduced individuation to uncover my original Self. For the Self cherished individuality, interconnectedness of all beings, harmony and a unique but integrated identity. However, Jung reminded that changes made in order to reflect the ideal changes I want to make onto the world begin with my self.154 This is the starting point for reintegrating the unconscious Self. It is only with the tensions of the world that the phenomenological attributes of the Self can be understood through the reconciling images called the archetypes. They are expressed as components of the totality of my personality. On the other hand, the world is a constituent of the structure of my self revealed through the I. It is not possible to change the world if I do not begin with my self. And the final identity of my self upon which the world best integrates with is my Self. My Self is the structure that defines the harmony, hope, peace or the degree of love that my history is searching for so long. History recounts the collective effort to define or express the absolute or the ideal. Wars, famine, enculturation of Africa or Asia with false identities, bombs, and other problems of civilization concretely describe human desperation to define the structure of the absolute. The absolute should be defined through 154 Psychology and Religion, 79. 60 me, not by the few elites. The pathway to the absolute is the pathway to my Self. It is still beyond the concept of my current conscious logic. Jung wrote: The unconscious has a kind of absolute knowledge, but we cannot prove it is an absolute knowledge, because the Absolute, the Eternal, is transcendental. It is something we cannot grasp at all, for we are not yet eternal and consequently can say nothing whatever about eternity, our consciousness being what it is. 155 In the same sense, von Franz claimed that Jung s justification of the aforementioned Absolute can be attained by the conscious only by quieting of the [self] from all thinking processes which obscure the structure of the absolute.156 It means, at this current topography of consciousness, there is no way I can grasp the structure of the absolute from the unconscious. However, it is possible to define the absolute. I can do so only if I can interact with the structure of my Self. In other words, at the end of my individuation, I can have the structure of the absolute. For my Self interconnects with all the structures of the world. As long as I cannot find my Self, I cannot define the absolute. For my Self is the final dimension upon which all things interact with it, i.e. the silence of the rocks, the rhythm of the leaves, or the songs of the fishes. These are the allusion to the absolute channelled from my unconscious which therefore can be accessed by my Self;157 for my Self is the center of this level of consciousness. Everything can flow to my Self so that it can therefore derive what is the absolute. 155 C. G. Jung Speaking, 377. Quoting Marie Louise von Franz for her commentary on Aurora Consurgens: A Document Attributed to Thomas Aquinas on the Problem of Opposites in Alchemy. See: Ca l Ju g a d A solute K o ledge , http://www.carljungdepthpsychology.blogspot.com/2016/03/carl-jung-and-absolute-knowledge.html (accessed January 16, 2017). 157 Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche, par 923. 156 61 The integration of the conscious and the unconscious as a suggested solution onto the problems of the self does not mean to bring down the course of humanity. Jung wrote: The problems which the integration of the unconscious sets modern doctors and psychologists can only be solved along the lines traced out by history, and the upshot will be a new assimilation of the traditional myth. This, however, presupposes the continuity of historical development. Naturally the present tendency to destroy all tradition or render it unconscious could interrupt the normal process of development for several hundred years and substitute an interlude of barbarism. Wherever the Marxist utopia prevails, this has already happened. But a predominantly scientific and technological education, such as is the usual thing nowadays, can also bring about a spiritual regression and a considerable increase of psychic dissociation. 158 Sue Mehrtens concluded on her blog that working with the contents of the unconscious, regarding these contents as valuable components of wholesome living, allowing the unconscious to be heard and its compensatory realities to be held in the tension of opposites, waiting on the timing of the Self until the resolving third thing emerges 159 consists the framework of individuation in the unfolding of the original, potential wholeness. 160 It is not to bring down or challenge the present structure but to ask myself how such structure can help found my Self. It is not to impose the structure of my self but to recognize the present structure of the world as the pathway on how to resolve the tension between my self and the structures of the world into a common stage. This is the telos of individuation. The reconciling stage is the recognition between the two opposites as one, as 158 AION, 181. Sue Meh te s, Ju g o the T a s e de t Fu tio , Jungian Center for the Spiritual Sciences, http://jungiancenter.org/jung-on-the-transcendent-function a essed Ja ua , . The thi d thi g Mehrtens refers to is meant the synthesis. The tension of the two opposites (thesis vs. anti-thesis) or the conscious and the unconscious transcended into synthesis–a new reality or, as presented in this study, a new dimension. This p o ess, as e plo ed the log, is hat Ju g alled t a s e de t fu tio . (NB: In this context, transcendent function can be understood in the same sense as I present a poststructuralist perspective.) 160 Two Essays on Analytical Psychology, 63. 159 62 what Jung called as syzygy. However, regarding this solution as the recognition of the unknown structure of the world is considered by the world as unconventional or untraditional. Individuality is not defined according to the conventions from the world but from the deepest level of my personality. It is with this regard that the perspective of the purported absolute in the structures of the world imposed upon me should be open to change according to how my unconscious commands it. It would then lead to a synthesis or a new form or a different dimension not defined accordingly by the structures of the world.161 Nevertheless, the discourses of the conscious and the unconscious exemplify truth and error and cannot exclude the problem of doubt in the search of a solution. But, Jung declared that doubt and insecurity are indispensable components of a complete life. Only those who can lose this life really, can gain it. A complete life does not consist in a theoretical completeness, but in the fact that one accepts, without reservation, the particular fatal tissue in which one finds oneself embedded, and that one tries to make sense of it or to create a cosmos from the chaotic mess into which one is born. doubt is the crown of life because truth and error come together. 163 162 For Then, doubting the structures of the world would entail I am at the greatest opportunity to unite the dark and light sides of life. 164 Therefore, this means I must dare to be different. The structures the world may provide may not conform to me. I must act according to the tenets of my individuality and 161 Understanding Poststructuralism, 7. C. G. Jung Letters Vol. 2, 171. 163 Carl G. Jung, Dream Analysis: Notes of the Seminar Given in 1928-30 Vol. 1, ed. William McGuire (England: Routledge, 2005), 89. 164 Ibid. 162 63 not what the world wants me to be. In this case, I prevent history from repeating itself. Otherwise, the chain of problems passed from generation to generation would never cease. I must own my self and focus my subjectivity on the structure of my Self and not of the world so that these chains are cut. This means finding the dimension where the world and my self are reconciled as one. Though I am an infinitesimal unit of my civilization, the seed of future generations is on me. So, within me resides an important unit to drive change on the structures of the world. To drive this change or to instigate an enantiodromia, I must be able to be fully conscious of my entirety by finding first the situation where my self currently dwells. In this case maybe, the preoccupations created from the world, i.e. the food I need to eat for supper, the papers I need to submit for my promotion, etc., may mean that the focus of my personality is on the world. It must be brought back to my self. By just plainly saying at the top of the world: I am triggers already the path to individuality. 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