The Undiscovered Self (Paperback)

The son of a pastor, Carl Jung writes of having experiences with the occult from his youth, and these experiences, in fact virtually all of his experiences, would later figure into his work as a psychologist. Jung received his M.D. degree in 1900 from the University of Basel, and went to work in a hospital, working with schizophrenics. This experience started him thinking about the psyche and the typology of myth, and he did research and wrote on word association. In 1903, Jung married Emma Rauschenbach, who became an analyst and writer. His fateful meeting with Freud in 1907 followed a lively correspondence, much of which has been published. Jung quickly became Freud's colleague and heir-apparent, traveling with him to the United States to give lectures (in German) on psychoanalysis, and becoming, in 1911, the first president of the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society. However, Jung broke with Freud over the issue of the sexual genesis of neurosis as well over Jung's growing interest in the occult. Jung developed his own theories, to which he gave the name "analytical psychology." He developed major ideas such as the idea of the "complex," the concept of the "shadow," and the phrase "collective unconscious," and he developed theories on personality, dividing people into "extrovert" and "introvert." Perhaps Jung's most significant legacy lies in his exploration of dreams, myth, symbols, and archetypes, which led to new views of the psyche. He also explored paranormal phenomena, including UFOs and alchemy. Jung retired to Bollingen, Switzerland, and had a home built there according to his own design. He writes about this and other experiences in his autobiography, MEMORIES, DREAMS, REFLECTIONS, which many consider to be his finest work. Carl Jung's influence is felt across many fields--enriching psychology, the study and teaching of literature, and also New Age thought.