The Undiscovered Self - Carl Gustav Jung

The book itself, at least the edition I picked up, contains two separate books - “The Undiscovered Self” and “Symbols and the Interpretation of Dreams”. As the focus of the former captivated me more, I will presently give it more attention. As a small disclaimer, I finished reading this book months ago and this text is more based on the impressions it has left in me and brief re-readings of certain sections.

As an essay/collection of essays, the first book is concerned with, as the title suggests, the self. Inspected from the outside, as seen by the external world or perhaps in which we reason about “ourselves” Jung takes what feels like a psychologist’s approach. Although this distance may seem dull and retrograde, following ways in which the self/we situate in the order of things - (our society), it is more personal than one might expect. Concerned with topics such as spirituality, its manifestation in the form of religion, or personal mental hygiene in a sort of contrast with what society and its institutions can offer.

Due to the fact that to (self-)organize, society or its representatives have to simplify and abstract its members to something tangible - in our times dominated by science and logic - such as statistics. These can help establish the at times crushing norm, severely affecting our opportunities and well-being in this community. While perhaps suiting the most, there are individuals seen as anomalies from the “normal” who might feel alienated.

This personal crisis is contrasted by what I feel is the core of the book - the approach of considering individuals as unique, immeasurable, and often irrational, in contrast to how we might be viewed externally. I understand this external onlook as clearly, from the point of view of an institution, acting on a scale is no easy task, needing some form of reasoning, based on facts, to enforce structure and perhaps an illusion of harmony. But is this approach blind to some aspects of the lives of individuals?

Jung as I understand it views individuals as both rational and irrational. And both of these sides deserve their attention and care, in what could even be considered a form of personal empowerment. I see this as a larger focus, rather than critiques of institutions (which he does as well to be fair). From this, it seems like more emphasis is put on the rational, especially in our times. But Jung presents it as something overvalued. Where could the contrasting “illogical” have a significant role to play in our lives?

I like to think about rationality as closer to our consciousness and irrationality as our subconsciousness. Representing the mentioned “duality” of human beings. Unsure he would agree with me, Jung emphasizes the need to listen and actively “work” on the latter, which is often paid less attention. To me, a fairly fresh idea - a certain release of the control of the (life) situation, which is at all times analyzed by the conscious.

Spirituality, the mystic, at times ritualistic or seemingly unforeseen experiences bring this to our lives. To me, these can commonly be dreams dreamt, or something related to any form of spiritual practice - such as (these days the almost pop) meditation and yoga. These, by some overlooked or even looked down upon experiences, help us build a strong base of who we are - the self, which I think is hard to form with our rational will.

Jung is quick to point out that the path to accessing what is truly below the surface deep inside us is not as easy as might appear or as some might claim. As an example, he mentions churches (religion offered by an institution) with its masses and similar almost automatic rituals often offering a one-size-fits-all religious experience, that can be so far detached from those present. This insight reflects my own experiences.

Instead of rituals promising the world, common experiences often less exciting, such as dreams dreamt, can give a profound insight into the subconscious and its happenings. And with practice comes mastery, similar to how we train our conscious minds. Dreams especially, often representing our deep fears and desires are something Jung dwells deeper into, as part of the second book. Which I have to confess I have not finished. Although a very interesting topic, it seemed more of a guide for other psychoanalysts to decipher dreams. The book offers interesting anecdotes and insights, but differs from the focus of “The Undiscovered Self”.

To bring everything together, Jung touches upon a number of topics close to me and my own inner or actual dialogs. That being said, they were at times hard to interconnect, due to their individual weight. Some of these have left on me a lasting mark, albeit not an easy mark to digest and comprehend. For someone more acquainted with his work and worldview, the impression I can imagine is more cohesive than the one I have. Either way, I would recommend the book as a refreshing (and brief) read to anyone even remotely interested in similar topics.

Motivation to pick up the book

While randomly browsing Instagram stories, I got fascinated by a cover and a corresponding title of a book from one of psychology’s most well-established names - Carl Gustav Jung’s The Undiscovered Self. Having been only vaguely familiar with his work, through my high school studies and the still relatively new movie depicting his life, I was interested enough to pick up this book.