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fandomhigh2006-01-12 10:38 am
romanywitch) wrote in fandomhigh2006-01-12 10:38 am
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Carl Jung - Archetypes, Etc. (Thursday, 01/12/2006, 7th Period)
{{Class is closed for grading.}}
Jenny stood at the front of the classroom. After the students signed in and took their seats, Jenny started today's lecture. She had coffee available at the front for anyone who wasn't quite awake yet.
"Okay, first off, one thing I forgot to mention on Monday, guys. That's my detention policy. Cause a disturbance in class? Possible detention, depending on the disturbance. Miss two classes? Detention. Unless you have a good reason. Come and talk to me if you do."
{{OOC: In other words, I get that RL can come up in a heartbeat Let me know if it does.}}
"Jung. He was an introverted child who wanted to be an archaeologist. Unfortunately, his family could only afford to send him to a university that didn't offer courses in it, so he studied medicine instead, and became interested in psych during his residency. Jung was also influenced by reading the work of the philosopher Immanuel Kantwhom the mun knows nothing about, darn it and Jung in turn influenced Joseph Cambell's writings on mythology. He started out as one of Sigmund Freud's friends, but broke with the guy over a number of issues, one of which being that Freud wanted to make sure that his theories of the mind and personality? Were the only ones. Throughout this course and Psych 101, you might get the idea that the mun is less than fond of Freud. You'd be right. Mind you, Jung and Freud could both be pretty stubborn about admitting who was wrong and who was right. Given that a lot of Jung's theories deviated from Freud's--though, gotta say, the influence is clearly visible--Jung didn't so much go for this.
Jung was a multidisciplinary kind of guy, so this makes sense. He thought that understanding the psyche needed to be explored not just through psychology, but also through anthropology, astrology, alchemy, dreams, art, mythology, religion and philosophy. See what I mean? He wasn't the first psychiatrist to analyze dreams, but his contributions to the field? Pretty impressive, especially given that his approach to unconscious conflicts weren't all about eros and thanatos--life and death--like Freud's approach was. Jung was concerned more with duality--the anima versus the animus--the feminine versus the masculine--introversion versus extroversion, the shadow--your dark side--versus your persona. The shadow's not necessarily your evil side. It's the unexpressed side of your personality.
One of the big things that Jung pioneered was the concept of archetypes. Symbolism? Really big here. You can have cultural archetypes--like the dark, scary forest, the black knight, or the wise, old mentor--which come from the stories and fairy tales of your culture. Or you can have personal archetypes, for example, if you're a mountain climber, and you start dreaming about rock climbing? A writer dreaming about being in a library? Your personal archetypes have come into play. All archetypes are symbols of the unconscious.
The unconscious? Is what runs below the thoughts you're aware of. It's your suppressed desires, unacceptable social impulses, and conflicts which would be too painful for the conscious mind to acknowledge. Psychological disorders are, in this theory, the result of disharmony between the unconscious and the conscious which are played out in the archetypal stories of our dreams and the symbols we read into our everyday lives.
Possibly the most misunderstood theory of Jung's? The collective unconscious. Please, guys, never say to me that the collective unconscious is a psychic level of thought which all humans can tap into. And there are no Akashic Records or reincarnation and memories of past lives stored away anywhere for all of us to tap into--not in this class, anyway. The collective unconscious is, quite simply, the unconscious psychological drives and urges that all humans share in common. In his studies, Jung discovered that there are symbolic themes that recur throughout all cultures, all time periods, and in all people. Best example I've heard of? It's like psychological DNA.
Yes, we will be covering all these topics in more depth throughout the course. This is to give you an overview of some of what we're going to be covering. So, questions? Comments? Total looks of absolute incomprehension?
{{OOC: OCD comment threadsgoing up shortly are up. Comment now!}}
Useful Links:
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Jenny stood at the front of the classroom. After the students signed in and took their seats, Jenny started today's lecture. She had coffee available at the front for anyone who wasn't quite awake yet.
"Okay, first off, one thing I forgot to mention on Monday, guys. That's my detention policy. Cause a disturbance in class? Possible detention, depending on the disturbance. Miss two classes? Detention. Unless you have a good reason. Come and talk to me if you do."
{{OOC: In other words, I get that RL can come up in a heartbeat Let me know if it does.}}
"Jung. He was an introverted child who wanted to be an archaeologist. Unfortunately, his family could only afford to send him to a university that didn't offer courses in it, so he studied medicine instead, and became interested in psych during his residency. Jung was also influenced by reading the work of the philosopher Immanuel Kant
Jung was a multidisciplinary kind of guy, so this makes sense. He thought that understanding the psyche needed to be explored not just through psychology, but also through anthropology, astrology, alchemy, dreams, art, mythology, religion and philosophy. See what I mean? He wasn't the first psychiatrist to analyze dreams, but his contributions to the field? Pretty impressive, especially given that his approach to unconscious conflicts weren't all about eros and thanatos--life and death--like Freud's approach was. Jung was concerned more with duality--the anima versus the animus--the feminine versus the masculine--introversion versus extroversion, the shadow--your dark side--versus your persona. The shadow's not necessarily your evil side. It's the unexpressed side of your personality.
One of the big things that Jung pioneered was the concept of archetypes. Symbolism? Really big here. You can have cultural archetypes--like the dark, scary forest, the black knight, or the wise, old mentor--which come from the stories and fairy tales of your culture. Or you can have personal archetypes, for example, if you're a mountain climber, and you start dreaming about rock climbing? A writer dreaming about being in a library? Your personal archetypes have come into play. All archetypes are symbols of the unconscious.
The unconscious? Is what runs below the thoughts you're aware of. It's your suppressed desires, unacceptable social impulses, and conflicts which would be too painful for the conscious mind to acknowledge. Psychological disorders are, in this theory, the result of disharmony between the unconscious and the conscious which are played out in the archetypal stories of our dreams and the symbols we read into our everyday lives.
Possibly the most misunderstood theory of Jung's? The collective unconscious. Please, guys, never say to me that the collective unconscious is a psychic level of thought which all humans can tap into. And there are no Akashic Records or reincarnation and memories of past lives stored away anywhere for all of us to tap into--not in this class, anyway. The collective unconscious is, quite simply, the unconscious psychological drives and urges that all humans share in common. In his studies, Jung discovered that there are symbolic themes that recur throughout all cultures, all time periods, and in all people. Best example I've heard of? It's like psychological DNA.
Yes, we will be covering all these topics in more depth throughout the course. This is to give you an overview of some of what we're going to be covering. So, questions? Comments? Total looks of absolute incomprehension?
{{OOC: OCD comment threads
Useful Links:
Ms. Calendar's Voice Mail
Ms. Calendar's E-Mail
Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Intro To Jung & His Theories
Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Intro To Jung & His Theories