- Charleston Jung Society

February 9 ~ NARCISSISM AND INDIVIDUATION

Jan 112013

Presenter: Sharon Martin, Ph.D.

Narcissism and Individuation: Exploring the Mystery of Identity

Ovid’s version of the Narcissus and Echo myth has been a rich source for exploration of the human soul for over 2,000 years. Its meaning has never been fully explained or understood because its mystery is central to the most basic question: our identiy.

Historically, Narcissus has been viewed through a largely negative lens. He has been described as pathologically self absorbed, vain and morally deficient. Narcissism was also associated with poor insight and impenetrable defenses. To be narcissistic was to be bad, with little hope of change. This attitude persists today in popular and psychotherapeutic thought. While partly true, this only scratches the surface of a profound and complicated phenomenon.

In recent times however this has begun to change, perhaps reflecting a shift in collective consciousness. Carl Jung’s concept of the Self archetype brings a unique perspective to the narcissistic character. He believed that the foundation and fabric of our identity is the Self, the numinous archetype of wholeness. He said that the Self, the ordering principle of the psyche, wants to live its experiment in life. When this experiment is blocked, or when the relationship between the ego and the Self is disturbed, narcissism can be the result.

Drawing on the work of Schwartz-Salant, Jacoby, Kalsched, West, Dougherty and others, we will explore this relationship and its meaning for individuation. As with any symptom or disorder, the narcissistic structure is found in all personalities, making the story of Narcissus profoundly valuable for each of us, not only for those with the disorder.

This structure is found in any person (or collective culture) in whom a new relationship with the Self is forming. The hope that lies at the center of this phenomenon is profound—it is the hope for a deeper understanding of our individual and collective identity, that we may live into the great experiment of the Self.

March 9 ~ A JUNGIAN PSYCHOLOGY OF RELIGION

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Jan 112013

A Jungian Psychology of Religion

Presenter: Alvaro Giraldo, MA, MD

C.G. Jung described the presence of a “religious function of the psyche” which he describes as founded in the Self and with a deep content of Spirituality. Jung viewed this function frequently manifested in the collective but also as a function aimed to help the individual to see direct connections between their own personal experiences and the archetypal symbols contained in religious tradition. This religious function is essential for the well-functioning of the psyche and crucial for psychic hygiene. Neurosis, Jung wrote, “Often results from our direct refusal or inability to find the right direction for our religious instincts”. We cannot get well unless we get in touch with this deep energy that is always touching us. In this presentation we will look into the way that our religious instincts are manifested but often missed or misunderstood within ourselves. We will explore the ways that can help us get in touch with our religious function and discuss some practices such as praying. We will illustrate, with some clinical vignettes, the relationship between religion and psychological issues.

April 13 ~ GNOSIS AND THE PSYCHOLOGY OF REBIRTH

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Jan 112013

Gnosis and the Psychology of Rebirth

Presenter Lee Irwin, Ph.D.

This presentation will explore the origins of Gnosticism, the core teachings of the movement, and the impact of those teachings on Jung and his psychological model of human transformation. I will also discuss the post-1950 development of “gnosticism” as a topic of scholarly research and the accessibility of core texts that represent the tremendous variability within those texts. I will then offer some thoughts about the impact of this research on the “psychology of rebirth” and its impact on contemporary religious movements. The lecture will be primarily historical with some emphasis on transpersonal models of human development.

Dr. Lee Irwin is a tenured professor in the Religious Studies Department at the College of Charleston. He is a scholar of world religions with an emphasis on Native American traditions, Western Esotericism, contemporary spirituality, and transpersonal religious experience — particularly as connected to dreams and visions. He is a Guiding Voice for The Seven Pillars House of Wisdom (Sufi International Order) and the Vice President of the Association for the Study of Esotericism. His books include: The Dream Seekers; Visionary Worlds; Awakening to Spirit; The Alchemy of Soul; and Coming Down From Above: Prophecy, Resistance, and Renewal in Native American Religions.

May 11 ~ THE VARIETIES OF INTROVERSION FROM JUNG TO MOODY AND GROF

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Jan 112013

June 15 ~ CONFLICT AND RESOLUTION

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Jan 112013

Presenter: John R. Johnson, Ph.D.

The polarization between nation states, between cultures, and even between factions within different cultures has become more exaggerated in the last decade or so. For most us conflict is a bad word. It is associated with violence, destruction, disorder, war, etc. Certainly there is a great deal of that in our world today. Conflict, however, can bring opportunity, development and growth to human individuals and societies. There is no consciousness without discrimination of opposites. ["Psychological Aspects of the Mother Archetype," CW 9i, par. 178.]

Perhaps one way we can work with the inevitable conflicts in the world, in our nation, and in our personal lives is to rededicate ourselves to building bridges that transcend the polarizations that continue to reassert themselves. The notion of coincidentia oppositorum, the coincidence of opposites plays a central, if not the central role, in Jung’s thought. Jung held that there is a non-rational instinctive human function, which he termed the “transcendent function,” that mediates and combines opposites through the production of fantasies and symbols, and which enables the individual to gain a new perspective and more encompassing and rewarding attitude toward what he formerly regarded to be an insoluble dilemma or conflict. Jung held that the transcendent function involves a combination of conscious and unconscious elements and goes far beyond and is indeed opaque to thought and reason.

Jung further believed that anyone who attempts to deal with the problem of the opposites on a personal level is making a significant contribution toward world peace.

Jung wrote, “The greater the tension between the pairs of opposites, the greater will be the energy that comes from them . . . [and] the less chance is there of subsequent disturbances which might arise from friction with material not previously constellated.["On Psychic Energy," CW 8, par. 49.]

Basically, Jung believed that mental energy is created through the conflict of opposites. He said, “There is no energy unless there is a tension of opposites” (Jung, Two Essays 63). He called this energy libido.

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