Core Beliefs of Carl Jung
What are some of the core beliefs of Carl Jung? Though many people have heard of him, his beliefs are often misinterpreted.
Many tend to get the core beliefs of Carl Jung and the theories of Sigmund Freud mixed up. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the two worked together for many years before having a disagreement that would terminate their friendship. That disagreement stemmed from Jung’s belief in something called the “collective unconscious,” and Freud’s disbelief of the very same theory.
According to Freud, humans have only one unconscious (Jung called this the ‘personal unconscious’). Though Jung recognized this unconscious, he believed that human also have a “collective unconscious” where certain archetypes (symbols) are hidden. Freud believed this to be false, though Jung stuck with his theory. Since the two could not see eye to eye, Jung left the company of Freud, and took it upon himself to develop his own ideas.
Eventually, Jung was able to gain the interest of others within his field as his work with the collective unconscious and archetypes developed. According to his life’s work, one can only view archetypes through various mannerisms, images, and art works. Jung’s archetypes only manifested themselves when a person was not attempting to talk of them. Though some of the core beliefs of Carl Jung can be confusing, they make sense when you think about them.
Jung did not believe that humans were “tabula rasas” (blank slates). Instead, he believe that humans were deeply impacted upon from birth (and even before that), which directly contributes to the nature of the human mind and personality. Whether or not Jung was correct in his assumption, we may never know, though we can certainly state that Jung had more than an impact on the field of mental health today.
During his time, the core beliefs of Carl Jung were largely discredited, thanks to Freud. Since Freud had more of a following, he was able to impact the mental health world better than Jung. However, Jung’s theories are being expanded upon today, and that has got to count for something. Still, Freud’s own theories are important as they ever were – alas, the two still fight for solid footing many years after their respective deaths.