
This is a beautiful visualisation of Carl Jung’s model of the psyche, particularly focussing on the interactions between the conscious and unconscious mind. Here’s a breakdown of its elements:
- Outer World: Represents the external reality and social environment we navigate.
- Persona: The social mask we wear to interact with the outer world, shaped by societal roles and expectations.
- Ego: The centre of our conscious identity, responsible for decision-making and self-awareness.
- Personal Unconscious: Contains repressed memories, thoughts, and emotions, along with personal complexes that influence behaviour.
- Complexes: Patterns of emotions, memories, and perceptions organised around common themes (e.g., power, inferiority) and often triggered by specific experiences.
- Anima/Animus: The unconscious feminine (Anima) or masculine (Animus) aspects within individuals, representing the balance of internal energies.
- Shadow: The hidden, often darker aspects of the personality that are repressed or denied by the conscious mind.
- Self: The core of the unconscious, representing the totality of the psyche, integrating both conscious and unconscious aspects. It connects to archetypal energies.
- Collective Unconscious: A shared level of the unconscious that houses universal archetypes, such as the Great Mother, Trickster, Senex (wise old man), and Puer Aeternus (eternal youth).
- Archetypes: Universal, recurring symbols or patterns (e.g., Trickster, Great Mother) that influence human behaviour and experiences.
- Transcendent Function: bridges the conscious and unconscious, enabling psychological growth and self-integration. This function helps mediate between opposites like the persona and shadow.
Overall, this diagram is a guide to understanding the layers of Jungian psychology and the journey towards individuation—integrating all parts of the psyche to achieve wholeness.
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