Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Jungian psychology'

Carl Jung suggested yearning is the psychological condition of all people. For what do we yearn? What are the resources we bring to bear on yearning? Can yearning be progressive and creative? The purposes of this dissertation are: (a) to explore Jung's perspectives on yearning; (b) to relate these perspectives to his views on regressive and repressive defensiveness as opposed to progressive creativity; (c) to compare and integrate these perspectives with the findings of contemporary psychologists who study creativity, particularly as they relate to eminent and everyday creativity; and (d) to illustrate the integrated perspectives as they manifest in examples of eminent and everyday creativity, focusing on two of the most important subjects Jung explores: the visual image (representing eminent creativity through photography), and sexuality (representing everyday creativity through sex therapy).

This dissertation is qualitative including hermeneutic, phenomenological, and composite case study approaches. Investigations into Jung's and contemporary psychologists' perspectives on creative yearning are archival and database. Eminent photography is examined through interviews, anecdotes, observation, archival research and operationalization through visual images and words. Everyday sexuality is explored through observation of sex therapy clients together with database research.

The results emphasize the transformative and meaningful power of authentically creative yearning as Jung and contemporary psychologists present it. According to Jung, Jung differed from Freud by suggesting that while we desire regressive homecoming to the unconscious, archetypal Mother-Limerence, and while we long for repressive mastery through conscious, archetypal Father-Liveliness, that for which we ultimately yearn is original, resonant integration of both these energies in forms that assume what Jung defines as authentically creative, Self-Liberating meta-consciousness and purposiveness.

The discussion suggests the power of eminent photographs and everyday sexuality to represent yearning for: Mother-Limerence through visionary blending of visual dimensions, and through erotic tactile focus, respectively; archetypal Father-Liveliness via laws of aesthetic visual organization, and via logotic sensual knowledge, respectively; and, ultimately, Self-Liberation through the integrative STROBEnBLUR in photography and Sensate Focus in sex therapy. For Jung, authentic creativity is yearning for the felt oneness borne of differentiation, namely, immortality.

This hermeneutic and alchemical hermeneutic dissertation reviews Jungian literature related to body-based methods of practicing depth psychotherapy to address the problem of extremely limited body-based Jungian psychotherapeutic modalities. It goes on to offer explanations of the various psychological aspects of four of the five Elements within Chinese medicine. It then offers four sequences of Five Element Archetypal Qigong (FEAQ) related to the four Elements previously addressed: Wood, Fire, Metal and Water. It concludes with a discussion of findings and recommendations for future research and practice. Essentially, this dissertation uses the psychological concepts and insights contained in Chinese medicine to show how they can be applied to Jungian psychotherapy through the moving meditation of FEAQ. Body-based psychotherapies constitute a minuscule fraction of the literature and practice modalities within Jungian psychotherapy. This dissertation begins the process of increasing the validity and prevalence of body-based Jungian psychotherapy. It also implies the need for further research on the applicability of Chinese medical concepts to contemporary Western body oriented psychotherapies.

In spite of recent trends that have positively impacted gay men, the United States continues to be permeated by homophobia. This phenomenon often manifests in young gay men as internalized homophobia, which in turn can lead to psychological and physiological symptoms, including engaging in sexual practices that place them at risk for contracting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The purpose of this study was to explore, from a Jungian perspective, the relationship between internalized homophobia and sexual risk-taking behavior among young gay men. Utilizing interpretive phenomenological analysis, a semistructured interview protocol was employed to elucidate from a sample of this population the relationship between internalized homophobia and sexual-risk taking behavior. The data revealed that none of the participants experienced significant internalized homophobia in either adolescence or adulthood. Furthermore, the data suggested that most of the participants did not engage in conduct that placed them at risk for acquiring HIV. Finally, the data did not evidence the existence of psychological complexes (e.g., parental, inferiority) among any of the participants. Because of the limited scope of this study, the results cannot be taken as representative of young gay men regarding their sexual identities or their sexual behavior.

This phenomenological study used a qualitative, hermeneutic analysis to explore the lived experiences of the moments of psychological change in five women and one man recovering from alcoholism. Interviews with the participants were coded thematically and analyzed in relation to a psychic movement that initiated sobriety. The data were compared to the process of transformation in the myth of Inanna–Queen of heaven and earth as a metaphor for psychic movement. Jung’s concepts of matter, spirit, and the psychoid function of the archetype were explored through a Post-Jungian approach, which also incorporated current research in neuroscience. Based on the analysis, the results suggest the psychoid nature of the archetype to be a function of an organically anchored archetype/primordial image analogous to implicit, dormant neural ensembles/representations in the body. These underlying representations or images activate cognitive/spirit and emotional/matter processes, and energy charges ideas, emotions, and feelings, either separately or together. Images are then released, producing cognitive and/or emotional responses. The analysis revealed that ambiguous energy charges are responsible for less complete cognitive, emotional, or feeling images, observable in unfinished sentences, phrases, words, and pauses in narration. The analysis also discovered how spiritual material supports the suggestion that cognitive and emotional processes are present at the same time in a psychophysical process releasing images, which produce thoughts, emotions, and feelings. The findings also indicate that raising awareness of how these cognitive, emotional, and feeling images interchangeably play a role in recovery could be a therapeutically beneficial approach when working with recovering addicts.

This hermeneutic study with a depth psychological perspective explores Latvian traditional mythological legends using a close reading/active imagination methodology. It interprets the supernatural beings of the legends as images of the Shadow archetype that concern the legend tellers’ challenging experiences with material wealth and their sense of worthiness.

The study is an important contribution to research in Latvian culture, as it both explores traditional cultural texts and places the explorations in today’s context. By deepening insights about the psychology of a previously less researched cultural source—the legend—and the psychology of the tellers, the research participates in advancing Jungian cultural studies.

Responding to the question “what is the psychology of the legends?” the study proposes that they function as the trickster stories and as reports of synchronistic events communicating about transformative occurrences of human lives. Due to these characteristics, the legends may also affect today’s readers. They may disturb their one-sided conscious attitudes and promote their development of consciousness through breaks of earlier symmetries within the human system and by promoting more complex and mature structures of the psyche.

Answering the question “what is the psychology of the legend tellers?” the study shows a multiplicity of attitudes and ways in which the tellers relate to the supernatural—the Shadow aspects of their psyche. The psychology of the tellers is depicted to span a broad spectrum of emotions, not limited to the pessimism typically associated with the legend genre.

The study argues that the relevance of the legends is not constrained by a particular historical time and place. Rather, it asserts that the legends may be relevant for today’s Latvians in defining their identity, thus making this depth psychological perspective a political project. In addition, the study shows how the archetypal nature of the legend communications makes them valuable for today’s readers independent of their culture and geography. It suggests that the readers approach the legends as invitations to pause, ponder, and to see the maturational value in the nonheroic Shadow aspects of the psyche that these stories communicate.

Jungian Psychological Type is the foundation of many modern theories of personality. Many aspects of the theory have yet to be explored with empirical research, one area in particular being the theory behind the hierarchy of preferences, which is important because the Types are classified by the order of their preferred functions. A latent class analysis technique was applied to the eight ranked function-attitude scores of 5,247 participants who took the Majors Personality Type IndicatorTM (PTI) and Majors Personality Type Elements™ (PTE) assessments. The superior, auxiliary, and tertiary preferences of the latent classes were examined so that the nature of the relationships amongst the three preferences could be observed. Results show that the superior/auxiliary preferences were consistently opposite in process (one rational and one irrational)—but not consistently in attitude. Not only did the superior/auxiliary/tertiary preferences exhibit complementary relationships to one another, the tertiary function was never antagonistic to the auxiliary or superior preference. Remarkably, the superior and inferior functions were antagonistic to one another in 46 out of the 47 classes that resulted from the analysis. Thus, the outcomes support Jung’s theory but also present evidence against other popular Type theories. The resulting profiles support the hypothesis that there may be more than 8 or 16 Types, which holds implications for the practical application of the Type theory as well as the classification and assessment of Psychological Type. A model for a systemic conceptualization of the hierarchy is presented and suggestions for future research are proposed.

Limited research exists on effective treatment modalities for early onset trauma-based psychosis during the latency period of childhood. This thesis reviews research on the benefits of using Jungian play therapy to treat trauma-based psychosis. Depth psychologists have theorized that the conscious reality of individuals experiencing psychosis is flooded by unconscious complexes, resulting in symptoms of psychosis and intolerance to emotions experienced. Using hermeneutic and heuristic methodologies, this thesis focuses on how, using Jungian play therapy, therapists can form therapeutic alliances with children experiencing psychosis, assist the child with integrating their unconscious experiences, affect, and thoughts into conscious reality thereby managing distressing emotions, contributing to healthy ego development, and reducing psychotic symptoms. Psychological literature and a friend of the author’s experience of psychosis are examined to demonstrate how the integration of unconscious material leads to the potential to heal the fragmentation of the psyche caused by trauma and psychosis.

Hildegard von Bingen, a visionary abbess living in the tumultuous 12th century, recorded and interpreted three very powerful visions pertaining to Christianity. This dissertation is limited to the first image of Hildegard’s last vision called De Operatione Dei, the Works of God, a cosmological vision about creation. Hildegard named this image On the Origin of Life.

The thesis of this dissertation suggests the four main characters in the first image of Hildegard’s cosmological vision—the two-headed and four-winged red figure named Caritas standing on the serpent-wrapped monster—correspond to the four stages of Jung’s individuation—encounter with the shadow (serpent), encounter with the soulimage (monster as Adam), encounter with the god-image (Caritas), emergence of the Self (godhead). Each of these characters and stages represent a level in what has been called by perennial philosophy the Great Chain of Being. Hildegard’s vision represents the unfolding of Spirit into matter. Jung’s individuation process describes the soul’s journey back towards Spirit.

This work starts by introducing the vision and Hildegard’s interpretation. Next it moves to what other authors have written. Since the vision is about creation the interpretation starts with the literalists’ view of Genesis and moves to the mystical interpretations of Genesis. Other creation stories including a serpent and a goddess amplify the interpretation. Then, using Jungian and alchemical symbols the images of this iv vision are further elaborated. The research follows the logic of the axiom of Maria, from the uroboros, to the hermaphrodite, to the trinity and ending with the marriage quaternio—two pairs of hermaphrodites. Byington’s symbolic elaboration process is used to interpret the dramatic action of the vision thereby bringing the vision back to life as Hildegard might have experienced it. Finally, the parallel between Hildegard’s vision and Jung’s individuation process is explained in detail. The work ends with Hildegard’s interpretation of why god created the world showing how it aligns with the goal of individuation, and how both are critical for the life of the soul in the 21^st century.