Man and His Symbols

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1964

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Introduction

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Conclusion

Key Figures

Themes

Index of Terms

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Themes

Individuation and the Reunion of the Conscious and Unconscious Mind

The process of individuation is introduced by Jung and described in detail by Henderson in Part 2 and by von Franz in Part 3. Individuation is a lifelong process which begins at birth. A person is born with their whole Self intact, but it becomes fragmented over time. Individuation is propelled by the forces of the unconscious mind and cannot successfully occur unless a person is open to the communications that the unconscious provides. There exists within the human unconscious a vast array of dualities which intersect and affect each other. These dualities include “day and night, birth and death, happiness and misery, good and evil” (69). The very fabric of human existence seems to be structured around the framework of dualities. The animus or anima acts as a mechanism through which the unconscious communicates messages that aid in the individuation process. This is because the anima or animus represents the aspects of a person that are repressed or ignored, and it is through acknowledging, accepting, and adapting these traits that a person individuates.

Jaffé refers to this process as the “union of opposites” (226). She explains that symbols such as the circle and the mandala represent wholeness. Mandalas and circles appear in both ancient and modern art and seem to be an archetype of the collective unconscious. She believes that when artists use circles, they are striving for wholeness or attempting to represent a lack of wholeness. Jacobi references Yin and Yang, an ancient Chinese principle based on the idea of a male and female duality within all humans. Jung explains that for the individuation process, “the interpretation of symbols plays an important practical role. For the symbols are natural attempts to reconcile and reunite opposites within the psyche” (81).

Von Franz explains that through the observation and analysis of over 80,000 dreams, Jung noticed similarities which were not explainable by mere coincidence. While the specific manifestation of archetypes varied, underlying meanings were shared. On top of this, “they seem to follow an arrangement or pattern” (129) common among all people. This is what Jung called the process of individuation. In this way, dreams are not only relevant to the dreamer’s present circumstance but can also shape the way their life unfolds as well as provide information for likely future outcomes. If a person pays close attention to the messages of dreams, they will transform over time into a mature, fully realized, and fully integrated Self.

Archetypal Symbols as a Mode of Communication for the Human Psyche

The overarching purpose of Man and His Symbols is to shed light on the existence and purpose of archetypes in dreams. Archetypes are the basic building blocks of symbols which serve to communicate a message from the depths of the collective unconscious. The individual’s unconscious is connected to the collective, and these images are passed down through the collective across generations. Jung begins by discussing his experiences with archetypes in his work with patients and dream analysis, in his research, and in his travels. He describes the way archetypes formed over history, stating that “just as the human body represents a whole museum of organs, each with a long evolutionary line behind it, so we should expect to find that the mind is organized in a similar way. It can no more be a product without history than is the body in which it exists” (54). Jung explains that a single archetype may present as an infinite possible variety of symbols depending on the individual, the culture, and the era. He notes that archetypes serve to guide the individual along the process of individuation and acknowledging and analyzing these communications via dream analysis is an essential aspect of this process.

Archetypes appear in every facet of life. Henderson explains the ways archetypes have persisted through the myths and stories that people tell. These myths also permeate the dream world, manifesting in individual ways but always linking back to an archetype such as the hero or the beast within. He describes the myth of the Winnebago tribe, which details four hero archetypes that Henderson asserts appear throughout history and civilization worldwide: “the Trickster cycle, the Hare cycle, the Red Horn cycle, and the Twin cycle” (90). Von Franz describes archetypes through the lens of the individuation process, noting how archetypes propel the process forward by being the mode through which the unconscious communicates its motives and urges. Similarly, Jaffé asserts that archetypes manifest in the physical world through various forms of art, including visual art, architecture, and modern art. Archetypes such as the circle, the animal, and the stone have all been used in art since the beginning of civilization.

The Widening Disconnect Between Humanity and Nature

Throughout Man and His Symbols, there is a recurrent acknowledgement of the widening disconnect between humans and nature. Within the realm of nature is the natural world, instincts, primitive rituals, archetypes, and religion. Jung expresses a deep concern for this disconnect, citing it as the leading cause of current mental health issues or “neuroses” (67). This divide has been widening for centuries but experienced a massive shift when Renaissance era replaced religious thought with scientific thought and logic. According to Jung, peoples’ removal from their “primitive” (17) nature is not a positive thing. The messages of the unconscious are pivotal to a healthy life and the individuation process, and Jung insists that the disconnect from nature is occurring alongside a disconnect from the unconscious collective. This is because the collective is directly connected to and a part of nature, and to be connected to one is to be connected to the other. Jung cites his experiences learning from tribes who reflect similar concerns, stating for example that their chief “no longer receives prophetic dreams” since the arrival of the colonists.

Jaffé observes a similar trend in the divide between humans. Through the lens of visual art, she explains how the evolution of art reflects this disconnect. Her perspective differs from Jung in that she believes that humans are still connected to nature but that this connection is now below the surface and manifests in different ways. For instance, she notes that modern art has seen the adoption of forms of art such as natural art and junk art. Jaffé insists that this is humanity’s way of attempting to reconnect with nature. She draws parallels with philosophers and artists who, inspired by the ideas of Nietzsche, were determined to find meaning in the meaningless. She explains that an artist is the “spokesman of the spirit of his age” (206) which implies that all artists of the modern era share a similar inner conflict and displacement that is reflected in the pieces they produce.

The disconnect from nature includes the disconnect from human nature. Von Franz insists that “man’s main purpose is not to eat, drink, etc., but to be human” (163), explaining that processes such as evolution, reproduction, and politics are just products of what it means to be human. She explains that many of the political conflicts of the 20th century occurred because of a lack of understanding of the Self and the messages of the unconscious, particularly the anima and animus. Jung also acknowledges this disconnect from human nature in his discussions of the primitive, insisting that humanity’s connection to the primitive exists in the realm of the unconscious and manifests through archetypes in dreams. He believes that these archetypes are evidence of a collective unconscious and that the disconnect from this collective is causing humanity to suffer.