Review: Modern Man In Search of a Soul by Carl Gustav Jung

In honor of the spiritual and the mental topics that my blog will explore, I wanted to dedicate my first book review to Modern Man In Search of a Soul by Carl Jung (a.k.a C. G. Jung, a.k.a Carl Gustav Jung).

Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst. He is perhaps most famous for his explorations of spiritual connections to the human psyche. Jung sought to treat the neurotic episodes in his patients by reconnecting them spiritually to themselves. This also led to his own self-analysis...where he explored some of the fantasies and visions that he had since he was a young boy. While I agree that some of Jung's works and some of his language are dated...he left behind a legacy of discovery that contributes significant insights into spirituality and the unconscious. His work is also used as a key point of analysis for psychoanalysis, literature, philosophy, and religion.

From the beginning Jung mentions his method of dream-analysis. Dream-analysis was used to interpret psychological well-being and to understand neurosis. In chapter one of his book, Jung argues that our unconscious holds a sea of information that we process without realizing it-- something that was still being hotly debated by academics during his time. "It is regrettable that in this year of our grace 1931...the actuality of the unconscious should still be a matter of controversy (Jung 1).

What Jung was particularly interested in however were the images that would appear in people's dreams and the relations that they had with the patient's every day life. No lie, I had to reread what Jung was writing because I didn't comprehend it all the first time. But essentially, Jung broke his book up into eleven chapters-- where in each one he explores how his interpretations of dreams and understanding of archetypes (characters associated with particular skills and knowledge that appear in almost every myth) are also reflections of mentally healthy individuals. His exploration of various cultures from around the globe also led him to believe that much of the Western world was experiencing mental health crises because of their own spiritual void they were facing.

Much of what Jung discusses in this book is in reference to his previous works and to his colleagues. As someone who did not read these other works thoroughly in the past-- I felt it was wise to make a list of his references so that I may go back and read them at a later date. Among these individuals were Lucien Lévy-Bruhl, Freidrich Neitzsche, Sigmund Freud and more!

It should be noted that there are several chapters where Jung directly challenges some of Sigmund Freud's findings regarding neurotic tendencies. He challenges Freud's negative views about religion and spirituality; as well as some of the methods he used to draw his conclusions. Jung was pointedly concerned about the spiritual well-being of his patients and made arguments throughout his book that the lack of consideration for an individual's well-being is as dangerous as a lack of concern for their physical well-being.

Perhaps one of the most surprising things I encountered was that Jung was acknowledging that many people in non-Western nations sometimes had healthier mentally, spiritually, and emotionally and a lot of it had to deal with their culture's and religion's take on connection to the sacred. He for instance mentions that several of his sources...including a Native American man...were quite perplexed by Western society. They didn't understand how the West could frame the beliefs and values of others as evil when it was Western cultures at that time who were taking everything and still weren't satisfied. Whereas "modern man" (the Western man) frowned on all things spiritual from others...they were quick to accept their own values and opinions as "civilized" or to completely disregard any notion that spirituality had any role to play in a healthy mindset.

One key idea that I found most interesting and nuanced of all (especially for the time it was written) was that Jung was keen on explaining how what happens in the mind is just as valid as what happens outside of it. Additionally, he mentions that the human is the vessel that the psyche has to encounter the world around it. And while we can use biology to understand behavior we must also look at how rituals impact the collective community and the individuals who are participating in them.

There were several topics that came out of this reading that I want to explore more of. For me, I want to learn more about the spiritual beliefs and practices of the non-Western folks that Jung encountered. I also want to learn more about Jung's work involving the unconscious and how it relates to his idea of the human desire to belong.

This book is definitely worth the read for those who are currently in psychology-related fields or those who are looking to understand how 20th century thinkers were grappling with psychological obstacles pertaining to human spirituality. Some background in philosophy, psychology, religious studies, or anthropology will be a great tool to have regarding this book. However, keeping tabs open on your browser may also suffice. One of my favorite Jung quotes was, "Our psychology must embrace all life, otherwise we simply remain enclosed in the Middle Ages (87)."

For those of you who are interested, the original German translations of several chapters in this book are also available. Those listings can be found in the Translators' Preface.