PART 1

A brief introduction to
Carl Jung,
the unconscious,
and the self.
[ Part 2 considers Jung’s ideas in relation to
the symbolism of the Tarot and of the I-Ching ]

Presentation by Donald Welch. Updated 2013

Part 1

Carl Jung
and the unconscious
The scientific method
Science has allowed humanity to achieve amazing
things; to understand and control disease, develop
complex machines [landing on the Moon, for example],
genetic modification, etc. The scientific method has
changed the world. Scientific method is based on
putting forward a hypothesis, repeatedly testing it and,
if consistently found to be correct, accepting it as a
‘rule’ or ‘law’. These laws are then used as stepping
stones to the next idea. No single idea is, however,
regarded as being the final version. Each idea survives
only as long as no one can refute it.

Science is rational and based on logic. The behaviour of

people, however, is frequently irrational.
The human mind, or psyche [hence ‘psychology’],
functions on different levels of awareness. It has long
been recognised that we have an ‘unconscious’ level of
thinking. This is often at its most powerful when we
sleep and dream. Our internal, unconscious world is
filled with symbolism. While the things that happen
there are ‘imaginary’ and not at all rational, they are,
nonetheless, very real to us.
So real that people everywhere,
and throughout history, have
recognised the power of this
‘otherworld’.

Nightmare
J. H. Fuseli 1741–1825
 Shamans, priests, seers, etc., have traditionally
had access to this otherworld, the realm of the
irrational. Messages from this otherworld are
almost always given indirectly by way of riddles,
parables, and through symbols. The go-between
then seeks to understand these messages by
unraveling the meanings hidden in them.

Science would suggest such beliefs and visions are

products of the unconscious and therefore imaginary.
The world of our unconscious, however, deeply affects
the way we respond to the external world. Our imagin-
ation, our dreams, may produce the most
original ideas.

The unconscious is one of the most

important drivers of creative output.
Carl Jung [1875–1961]
Along with Sigmund Freud [1856–1939], Carl Jung is
considered to be one of the most significant figures in the
development of psychoanalysis. Jung coined the terms
‘extrovert’ and ‘introvert’ to describe two main types of
personality.

Psychoanalysis
Is a method for treating mental
disorders by investigating the
interaction of the conscious and the
unconscious. It brings the unconscious
into consciousness—it makes us
aware of our ‘hidden’ thoughts

< Carl Jung near the end of his life.

Jung was fascinated by the meaning of dreams and
the power exerted by the unconscious on our lives.

As well as a personal unconscious Jung also proposed

the concept of the ‘Collective Unconscious’.
Mythology, art, symbols and religion contain the
archetypes of our collective unconscious*. George
Lucas famously used these concepts in the film ‘Star
Wars’.

Jung believed it was through the

exploration of dreams, which resonate
with symbolic archetypes, that we
could unravel and explain our mental
state, and so understand ourselves better.

* See Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces.

Carl Jung as a young man >

Until they fell out with one

another, Jung and Freud had
an intense professional
relationship that lasted over
six years. Both men were
convinced that dreams
provided a very important
means of understanding the
psyche.

For Jung, the key to understanding our

unconscious began with understanding
our dreams.
‘The Self can be defined as an inner
guiding factor
that is different from the
conscious personality
and that can be grasped
only through the investigation
of one’s own dreams.’
Jung 1978, p.163.
As Shakespeare wrote:

“We are such stuff as dreams are made on,

rounded with a little sleep”
From The Tempest by William Shakespeare
Contrast this with what Hobson wrote:

“Not everyone, even today, wants to make mental activity

physical. Too many cultural and private belief systems are
threatened by the idea that consciousness in dreaming, as in
waking, is a brain function” [p.50]
“Now, we have the facts of human sleep physiology. Now, we
know—beyond the shadow of a doubt—that our consciousness
in waking, sleeping, or dreaming is a brain function.”[p.52]
From Dreaming: An introduction to the science of sleep, by J. Allan Hobson

The 20th century’s focus on behaviourism and psychoanalysis as means of

understanding sleep and dreaming has been described as ‘the Dark Ages’ of
consciousness research by Antti Revonsuo, Professor of Cognitive
Neuroscience at the University of Skövde, Sweden.
[From Consciousness: The science of subjectivity, p.250]
Jung’s views on personality

When we are not dreaming, when we are fully

conscious, Jung identified a number of distinctive
personality characteristics.
As well as the broad division between ‘introvert’ and
‘extrovert’, Jung believed there were four main
personality functions:
Sensing, Feeling, Intuition, Thinking.
He believed that an understanding of these combined
would allow us to understand our personal psychology
and that of others.

Jung believed that all aspects of one’s personality had to

contribute equally to make a balanced person. While he
considered one or more of the four functions
predominate, he felt we should work at developing the
others to become a complete person.
“These four functional types correspond to the
obvious means by which consciousness obtains
its orientation to experience.
Sensation [i.e. sense perception] tells you
that something exists;
Thinking tells you what it is;
Feeling tells you whether it is agreeable or
not;
And Intuition tells you whence it comes and
where it is going.”

Jung 1978, p.49.

 < Mount Tai Shan, one of the five sacred peaks of China.

With his belief in the

collective unconscious Jung
suggested that people may be
influenced, at a subconscious level,
by objects and places that have
archetypal connections.

Implicit in this, however, is the idea of ‘‘psychic

resonance”, whereby your psychological state is affected
by objects and places. Also, how it influences the
sequence in which inanimate objects, i.e. cards, are dealt
from the deck. This requires a considerable leap of faith.*

*See Rupert Sheldrake on ‘Morphic Resonance’.

The idea of psychic resonance is implicit in the use of
the Tarot and the I-Ching or Yi Jing*. These are
discussed in Part 2.

The remainder of this slide show considers the way

Jung’s personality types have been applied to
personality tests.

*Pronounced: ee jing
The Self
Personality tests—using a
Jungian approach
Personality tests

A scientific approach to understanding individual

characteristics began in the 20th Century with the
introduction of personality tests. There are now many
such tests, which are part of a group of personality and
educational tests known as psychometrics.

Large organisations want the right person for the job.

“The job” may be that of an airline pilot, or a manager
in a multinational corporation, or a military officer who
may one day have to decide whether to use nuclear
weapons . . . Not surprisingly, when the stakes are
high, you want the best person.
From a different perspective, an employer who wants
employees to be happy in their work will want to find
what sort of work suits each person. From yet another
perspective, when personal relationships break down it is
important to understand what psychological factors may
have caused the problems, and if they can be resolved.

Of the numerous personality tests that appeared in the

20th Century, some are based on Jung’s personality types.
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
The well-known Myers-Briggs Type Indicator [MBTI] test is
based on Jung’s personality types. It was developed by Isabel
Myers and her daughter Katherine Briggs. They used the
dichotomous ‘pairs’ of cognitive functions proposed by Jung:

‘Rational’ [judging] functions thinking and feeling

‘Irrational’ [emotional] functions sensing and intuition

The MBTI sorts these into four sets of ‘opposite’ pairs, which
results in a group of 16 personality types, e.g.
ESFJ = Extroversion Sensing Feeling Intuition.

An attractive feature of this test is that there is no ‘wrong’ type.

It is a very positive instrument for understanding yourself.

[Google Myers-Briggs and take the test!]

By linking Jung’s two main personality types,
introvert and extrovert, to his four main
personality functions:
Sensing, Feeling, Intuition, Thinking,
Myers-Briggs produced a combination of
personality types emerge:

Introvert Sensing
Introvert Feeling
Introvert Intuition
Introvert Thinking

Extrovert Sensing
Extrovert Feeling
Extrovert Intuition
Extrovert Thinking
Some observations on personality tests
While there are many personality tests there is no
such thing as the ‘perfect’ personality test. All
personality tests have drawbacks. For example, with
any question you ask, you tend to get an answer that
fits within the framework of the question. Frame the
question differently and you get a different answer.

And anyway, just how fixed is your personality?

Factors not always taken into account include how
you feel on the day of the test, how your views may
change as you grow older, the effects of illness, etc.

One test that has been widely used for psychological

profiling is the Big Five, or the OCEAN test.
The OCEAN personality test

Also called the Big Five, or the five factor or five

dimensions test, the name OCEAN is an acronym of the
five broad factors or dimensions of personality:
Openness
Conscientiousness
Extroversion
Agreeableness
Neuroticism
The model may be criticised because aspects of
personality that are more privately held or more
context-dependent are excluded.
Also, it neglects other domains of personality, e.g.
honesty, masculinity/femininity, religiosity, sense of
humour, motivation, etc.
Openness
Appreciation for art, emotion, adventure, unusual
ideas, curiosity, a variety of experience.
Conscientiousness
Self-discipline, aim for achievements, planned rather
than spontaneous behaviour.
Extroversion
Energy, positive emotions, tendency to seek stimulation
and the company of others.
Agreeableness
Tendency to be compassionate and cooperative rather
than suspicious and antagonistic towards others.
Neuroticism
Tendency to experience unpleasant emotions easily,
such as anger, anxiety, depression, or vulnerability;
sometimes called emotional instability.
The drawbacks

All personality tests may be criticised. Each model

emphasises certain aspects of personality and
downplays, or simply excludes, other aspects.

Still, personality tests can help you better understand

yourself — but don’t rely on just one sort of test to do it
for you!

Google ‘Big five personality test’ and you will find numerous
websites.
The End

[references follow]
REFERENCES

Campbell, Joseph 1968

The Hero With A Thousand Faces
Princeton University Press, 1968 [Novato, California: New World Library, 2008]

Hobson, Allan J. 2002

Dreaming: An introduction to the science of sleep
Oxford University Press, New York.

Jung, Carl 1978

Man & His Symbols
Picador [Pan Books,] London [first published 1964]

Revonsuo, Antti 2010

Consciousness: The science of subjectivity
Psychology Press, East Susses, UK.

Sheldrake, Rupert 1988

The Presence of the Past: morphic resonance and the habits of nature
New York, NY: Times Books
Part 2 of this slide show on the ideas of Carl Jung considers
two ways in which different cultures have tried to tap into
the unconscious to help explain and assist our conscious
existence.

One of these is the European Tarot and the other the

Chinese I-Ching. Both symbolically represent the
unconscious mind: the Tarot with images and the I-Ching in
a more sophisticated and abstract manner.

The work of Carl Jung provides us with a means of

explaining how such methods may relate to the way we
think.