[The psychotherapist] is not just working for this particular patient, who may be quite insignificant, but for himself as well and his own soul, and in so doing he is perhaps laying an infinitesimal grain in the scales of humanity’s soul. Small and invisible as this contribution may be, it is yet an opus magnum, for it is accomplished in a sphere but lately visited by the numen, where the whole weight of mankind’s problems has settled.
C.G. Jung, The Psychology of the Transference, CW 16, paragraph 449
From both writings and anecdotal stories, we have the psychological idea from C. G. Jung that the reigning god image of our collective civilization and its corresponding patterns can only transform through the vessel of the individual psyche. In a way, this implies that ultimately group activism is limited and individuals should therefore preserve their energy for inner work in response to difficult outer societal circumstances. However, even though coming from Jung himself, this notion is seemingly easier said than understood for its deep psychological meaning and reality.
This lecture will examine the psychological reasons for Jung’s hypothesis in an attempt to bring its meaning into everyday experience for the everyday person. Contemporary dreams of individuals currently in analysis will be considered for how they help illustrate the response from the unconscious regarding conscious reactions to current outer collective circumstances. The goal is to understand what one can do privately and in conjunction with a wisdom from the unconscious to contribute that infinitesimal grain Jung cites as the most important analytic result: the opus magnum.
The ultimate questions of psychotherapy are not a private matter—they represent a supreme responsibility. (ibid.)
Holly J. Fincher, PhD is a Jungian analyst and clinical psychologist whose work is focused on the psychic dimension C. G. Jung called the collective unconscious and finding a way to ground everyday life experience in context with this living reality. A Southern California native, she is a long-time board member of the C. G. Jung Club of Orange County. She currently lives in an old farmhouse in rural New Hampshire along with two border collies, Clare and Maeve, and a small flock of seven sheep and maintains an online analytic practice.
Learning objectives:
- Learn the difference between the psychological concepts of the Collective Unconscious and Collective Consciousness.
- Explain Jung’s ideas about how transformation of a troubled collective civilization can take place.
- Discuss how this belief impacts an individual’s desire for group activism in the face of difficult outer societal circumstances.
