Dr. Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961) was a renowned psychiatrist, researcher, and scientist. He was also well-versed in anthropology, archaeology, literature, philosophy, psychology, and religious studies. Jung developed an expansive collection of concepts to better understand human behavior which became the bases for the field of Analytic Psychology. Some of his main approaches included:
Individuation
Individuation is the path to self-realization. The goal is to bring the unconscious into the conscious, to become more aware of yourself, your interactions with others, and your choices. To help with this you are encouraged to explore your dreams, conscious thought, and subconscious.
Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious
Only traditional behaviorists (if they still exist), cling to the belief that we are born as blank slates. It is now widely accepted that human beings are born hard-wired with certain traits and behaviors which we have gained through the evolutionary process. Archetypes are already present in each person’s brain but lay in the collective unconscious (Jung called it the collective unconscious because these hardwired behaviors are seen in all human beings). For more information on the collective unconscious, click here.
Synchronicity
Jung coined numerous terms, one was synchronicity. Synchronicity is defined as two seemingly unrelated things happening together, or as Jung put it- a “meaningful coincidence”. This is different from coincidence because synchronous events happen together meaningfully rather than randomly.
Dream Interpretation
Dreams are not simply musings derived from sleep. Dreams represent a form of communication from the unconscious trying to make its way into the conscious mind. Some people insist, that they never dream, however, sleep research has shown that we all dream, but may not remember what we have dreamt. Working through your dreams can help you discover the unconscious, and move it to the conscious mind, so feelings and emotions can be examined and healed. If you own a smartwatch that monitors your sleep, you can see the time you spend in REM sleep, this is when you are most often dreaming.
References:
Thomas, J. (2022) Jungian Psychology In Theory And Practice. Betterhelp. Retrieved March 15.