_Analytical Psychology_ is one of the most succinct, miserly, and potent of all of Carl Jung's works. Most if not all of Jung's most important concepts are crammed into this slim volume. For experienced readers of nonfiction philosophy and psychology, this might be the best place to start reading Jung, especially if all you want is a crash-course in Jung's most important ideas. This is by no means an introductory-level book. For beginners, I would recommend Jung's masterpiece, _Modern Man in Search of a Soul_ (although that one's only slightly easier). _Analytical Psychology_ is for people who are already familier with Jung and want to reach the apex of his psychology, or for experienced readers who want to lean as much as possible about Jungian psychology in as little time as possible. Be forewarned that this book is extremely dense, yet this is a result of the inherent complexity of the subject matter, and not so much a result of bad writing or bad translation. Overall, I would say the knowledge contained in this book is well worth the effort. This book is packed with useful information that can actually improve the quality of your life, increase understanding and control of situations, decrease neurosis, and lead to overall enlightenment. Highly recommended.

This is one of Jung's finest although it makes some demands on the cerebral capacity of the reader. Its main benefit is that the Jungian notions here comes out in their full theoretical depth. It's imperative, namely, to get a thorough and deep understanding of Jungian psychology, otherwise you haven't understood it at all. Jungian psychology is plagued by this problem that the notions are shallowly understood. Not even the very central concept of the archetype is rightly understood in many quarters. But here Jung takes us to the deepest layers of his thinking. The archetype is described as a living complex within the psyche of the individual, as a reasonably autonomous personality with a certain conscious luminosity of its own. This goes for the god-complex, too, although, Jung underlines, this doesn't disprove the existence of a transcendental God. This book handles many important questions and constitutes in fact a survey of Jungian psychology: personal and collective unconscious, anima and animus, transcendental function, etc. As this book is Jungian psychology in a nutshell it could be recommended as introductory, provided that the reader is theoretically adept. In fact, I really recommend taking on this book early when studying Jung in order to avoid shallow miscomprehensions of his psychology. However, as the book thoroughly treats questions concerning the encounter with the unconscious, such as phenomena arising from the assimilation of the unconscious, it is very much directed towards professionals. This book will satisfy the appetite of any person with a theoretical disposition. /Mats W

This work is a comprehensive overview of Jung's major theories. The first essay reviews Jung's major discoveries concerning the unconscious contents of the human psyche: the personal and collective unconscious, Archetypes, and general approaches to including them in conscious awareness. The second essay deals with the specific issues involved in making the unconscious part of human consciousness through a process he called individuation.

In this work Jung suggests that there is a way for modern humans of Western descent to rekindle an experience with the unknown, transcendent reality. He challenges readers to reexamine their assumptions and preconceptions. He urges readers to examine their own experiences and to analyze them without prejudice or preconception, and Jung reports what he has discovered by so doing.

This volume is recommended to anyone who is ready to move to the next level in their reading of Jung; anyone who is involved with a process of psychological transformation and would like some guidance from a non-religious, "scientific" source, and anyone who desires an overview of Jung in his own words. Those unfamiliar with Jung's work might find this volume a bit intimidating.

This volume is a selection of writings from the Collected Works of Carl Jung (1875-1961), a selection focusing on the "feminine". In Jung's psychology, the "feminine" can mean several things, including: (1) the consciousness of real females; (2) an aspect of the Unconscious in males called the "anima"; and (3) an archetype of the creative matrix of existence in all human beings. The writings in this volume discuss principally the second and third of those. These selections are in chronological order, so one can trace the development of Jung's ideas. Several mention the interactions of "anima" and "animus" (the unconscious contrasexual elements, in men and women respectively, which play a vital role in both romance and spiritual unfolding) - indeed, that is the main subject of the earlier selection from "Relations of the Ego and Unconscious" (1928) as well as the closing selection from "Aion" (1959). The long central selection, "Psychological Aspects of the Mother Archetype", and "The Psychological Aspects of the Kore" both use mythology to illustrate what Jung saw as fundamental psychological issues for all human beings. This book would be disappointing for someone looking specifically for writings on women's issues; however, anima & animus are central ideas in Jung's conception of gender relations, and his clearest expositions of those subjects are collected here. Furthermore, this book would be of great interest to anyone looking at larger issues of how the "feminine" is conceived across cultures and across time.

This volume is a selection of writings from the Collected Works of Carl Jung (1875-1961), a selection focusing on the "feminine". In Jung's psychology, the "feminine" can mean several things, including: (1) the consciousness of real females; (2) an aspect of the Unconscious in males called the "anima"; and (3) an archetype of the creative matrix of existence in all human beings. The writings in this volume discuss principally the second and third of those. These selections are in chronological order, so one can trace the development of Jung's ideas. Several mention the interactions of "anima" and "animus" (the unconscious contrasexual elements, in men and women respectively, which play a vital role in both romance and spiritual unfolding) - indeed, that is the main subject of the earlier selection from "Relations of the Ego and Unconscious" (1928) as well as the closing selection from "Aion" (1959). The long central selection, "Psychological Aspects of the Mother Archetype", and "The Psychological Aspects of the Kore" both use mythology to illustrate what Jung saw as fundamental psychological issues for all human beings. This book would be disappointing for someone looking specifically for writings on women's issues; however, anima & animus are central ideas in Jung's conception of gender relations, and his clearest expositions of those subjects are collected here. Furthermore, this book would be of great interest to anyone looking at larger issues of how the "feminine" is conceived across cultures and across time.

This is a biography of Carl Jung (1875-1961), but so much more than that. It traces his life and professional development, drawing on letters and extensive quotes from the Collected Works. It is profusely illustrated, not only with photographs of Jung and the relevant people and places in his life, but also with his drawings. After Jung's break with Freud in the early 1910's, Jung went through a about a decade of professional isolation and rich personal growth. During that time, he kept a journal called the "Red Book", which he decorated with drawing and paintings based on his dreams and active imagination. Many striking images from the Red Book are reproduced in this volume: a drawing of Philemon, Jung's inner spiritual guide; the viscerally disquieting "Meeting with the Shadow"; and a singularly captivating image, "The Light at the Heart of Darkness". Photos of Jung in his travels and at his house in Bollingen round out this engaging visual tour of Jung's contribution. This is a wonderful introduction to Jung's life and work, especially for someone of an artistic inclination.

A very fine collection...with plenty of glimpses at Jung's trans-analytic speculations and personal reactions. Soulful and, in places, very funny too.

Jung surpasses himself here by seeing in alchemical symbolism the psyche trying to discover itself to the artifex bent over his alchemical retort. Only one who'd discovered his own version of the fabulous Philosopher's Stone could have attempted such a work.

This book is a result of Jung's extensive study of old Alchemical practices and his efforts to connect and interpret it in the light of his own psychological concepts. The book gives sense to ancient Alchemy practices and explains them as symbols of the process of human spiritual growth.

Jung explains different steps of this process and illustrates them with phases of the symbolic process of alchemic transmutation, leading to integration of the soul and producing alchemyc gold - or in terms of his own concept the result of the process of individuation.

Concrete examples from his own psychiatric experience of dream analysis and monitoring psychological growth very vividly and convincingly illustrate this concept in action.

The book is richly illustrated with authentic alchemic iconography which renders reader authentic atmosphere and taste of ancient art.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in connecting ancient spiritual practices and modern psychological interpretation theories.

....no modern discussion of morality or ethics would be relevant without the insights of such a book. How can we strive to be ethical individuals without such a thorough understanding of what our shadow side means to our efforts?

This is an interestingly constructed book, in that it has both theory & examples in it. There are enough case studies, in fact, that you're sure to recognize some personality types.

I am not personally a grandparent, but am the child of grandparents, & a potential grandparent, of course. I actually bought it for my parents but, to tell the truth, read it first. They liked it too!

One other point is that the book is inexpensive, which perhaps shouldn't be a consideration, but it matters.

Useful if you don't feel like poring over the Collected Works looking for some of Jung's theorizing on working a dream. You might also check out Jung's Dreams seminar.

Carl Jung says he has analysed more than 2.000 dreams per year, a very impressive number by anyone's standards. In his Dreams book, which a very good collection of many of his dreams experiments, he is after demolishing some Freudian's dreams concepts, mainly the one which asserts that the purpose of dreams is to fulfill infantile sexual wishes repressed in the unconscious, which don't find adequate outlet trough conscious activities.
To add content to this dispute, one has only to have in mind that Jung was a very ardent disciple of Freud in the beginning of his career, but the relationship turned sour after 1914 in the figthing for prestige at the foundation of the Psychanalisys in the beginning of the 20th century.
In Jung's view, dreams are not only wish fulfillers, but they are also compensatory vis-a-vis our daily conscious life. So, the purpose of them is to balance our conscious and unconscious life. So, if life is good, dreams are bad and vice-versa. At the end of his life, Jung said in one of his testimonials that by means of a very representative dream he closed a circle, which meant he got a balanced mental life between unconscious and consciousness.

Also, dreams should be taken not as isolated entities, but rather as a series of concatenated manifestations of the unconscious, something which could be represented by the ancient mandalas (Sanscrit for circle) of many peoples from the ancient world (mayas, hindus, polinesians, etc...), where the ultimate end is to attain a balance mind. Jung's theory of the unconscious is, in my opinion, pretty much more attractive than Freud's, specially in what it regards the timelessness of the unconscious and the unconscious collective.

Reading "Dreams" after reading Freud's "Interpretation of Dreams" is a magnificient experience and the winner is surely the reader, who gets the most of two of the most proeminent and polemical psychanalysts of all times.

About God, Jung said, I don't believe, I know.

As soon as you read 'Dreams', you will have a complete sense of his amazing insights, not only on the subject matter, but on the complete human pysche. And this includes, as I tried to hint at from the very beginning, the very meaning of our existence.

Perhaps there would not be a Jung today, if there had not been a Freud preceding him. But a completely ignorant educated man here says, having read them both, that Jung's proposal is far more clever, ellaborate, comprehensive and convincing.

Jung was a unique scholar, he had a very distinctive ability to blend a lot of knowledge from seemingly unrelated areas of science into pyschology. His biography is an essential starting point to understand how he managed to develop this quality, which I think was key to his original thinking.

'Dreams' is a book of rare brilliance. Thanks to Jung, for providing a 'basis' for all things.

...but a tiring survey of previous typologies that must be read before you get to Jung's version.

Jung's theories are absolutely amazing. Anyone who is interested in psychology should read this book!

A deep look at the mechanisms of the "psychic functions". Surely instructive for layman with its analysis of human behaviour in everyday life. This work best explores the Jung's concept of the unconscious and proves that his concept is far from being a mystical one as some critics wrote. It also gives a historical perspective of the thoughts of some great thinkers (Schiller, William James and some others )on the problem of psychological types.

"The really important psychic facts can neither be measured, weighed, nor seen in a test tube or under a microscope. They are therefore supposedly indeterminable, in other words, they must be left to people who have an inner sense of them, just as colours must be shown to the seeing and not to the blind." (Jung p. 238) This sentence reflects much of what this book is about. It highlights the drive behind Jung's attempt to make the invisible visible through an analysis of alchemical thought; it shows his complicated sentence structure and presents some of the hurdles one will have to jump in order to comprehend Jung's work on Alchemy. The preceding volume 12, "Psychology and Alchemy," would serve as a good introduction to this volume, and volume 14, "Mysterium Coniunctionis," might make Jung's thesis easier to comprehend.

This volume of collected works contains his commentary to "The Secret of The Golden Flower" which is almost useless without the actual Golden Flower text. It also contains Jung's analysis and commentary on some of the major metaphors of Alchemy.

According to Jung, Alchemy was the precursor of Western psychology, and that alchemists projected their mental/spiritual states unto the inanimate objects and processes of Alchemy. This work examines these projections in the light of modern consciousness and with the process of individuation in mind. `

Stripped to its essence, Jung's psychological theory states that humans have an unknown meta-consciousness that some will discover through a process he called individuation. This is a recapitulation of the ideas found in all religions, but is here represented by Jung in the terms of modern Western Culture as a scientific analysis of the Soul through an analysis of Alchemy.

Several years ago I read through this text without a clue as to what Jung was talking about, but found some of his observations noteworthy. About two years ago I had some experiences that made the insights contained in this book valuable, and I found that my previous reading allowed me to understand what I had read retrospectively. It also helped me in understanding aspects of Chinese Alchemy as metaphor. It is not recommended to casual readers.

...into the world of alchemy made the world aware of how rich a symbol-system had been lost from time out of mind. It was Jung who discovered that alchemy, a "chymical" art compensatory to the Christian emphasis on spirit over matter, also represented a projected psychology of the unconscious; it was, in fact, a forerunner of depth psychology itself.

....several interesting pieces, including the Jungian view of the transference as an alchemical dialog between anima and animus. Clinical wisdom mixed with analytic theory.

This is Volume 16 of the Collected Works of Carl Jung (1875-1961), "The Practice of Psychotherapy". The first half of the volume is a collection of essays in which Jung explains his views about the interaction of a therapist and a patient. Two themes are striking. First, Jung insists that therapy is a mutual interaction, not something the therapist "does" to the patient: "the therapist is no longer the agent of treatment but a fellow participant in a process of individual development" (p. 8). Secondly, Jung is iconoclastic and utterly unsystematic: for him, the process of growth and healing is a process of individuation, so what is needed for healing at each step of the psychotherapeutic process will be unique to the individuals involved. Jung borrows ideas from Freud, such as dream-analysis and transference, but Freud would not even recognize the way Jung uses these terms in this volume. Indeed, the final work, "The Psychology of the Transference" (1946), is one of his late alchemical works; it uses the *Rosarium philosophorum*, a 16th century alchemical text, as the basis for elucidating the spectrum of issues around an individual's relationship with the Unconscious. I suspect this volume would be of particular interest to practicing therapists, because Jung discusses the profound existential issues that are often overlooked in current professional programs in psychology.