The Swiss psychologist shares the visions, inner experiences, and dreams that have shaped his work and thought.
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Mar 02, 2008
Jon
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I delved into this book, a Christmas present from a friend, to learn more about Jung's psychological concepts, namely the collective unconcious; the anima and animas; the shadow; mandalas; the Self. About twenty pages in, though, I amended my purpose. I sought not facts but an answer to this question: Should I, Jon Medders, let myself be more like C.G. Jung?
See, Jung's narrative demonstrates a way to live one's life that I have often suspected might work well for me: m More...
See, Jung's narrative demonstrates a way to live one's life that I have often suspected might work well for me: m More...
Jan 03, 2008
Ann M
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This is an amazing book, from a truly amazing man. Some of the concepts that we toss around that came from Jung:
* The concept of introversion vs. extroversion
* The concept of the complex
* Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) was inspired by Jung's psychological types theory.
* Socionics, similar to MBTI, is also based on Jung's psychological types.
* Archetype concept, as an element of the archaic common substratum of the mind, or Collective U More...
* The concept of introversion vs. extroversion
* The concept of the complex
* Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) was inspired by Jung's psychological types theory.
* Socionics, similar to MBTI, is also based on Jung's psychological types.
* Archetype concept, as an element of the archaic common substratum of the mind, or Collective U More...
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Jul 18, 2010
James
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If you read anything by Jung, read this book. This deals with his psychological theories in a much more personal way than his other work, and, as it is written in the twilight of his life, he has no fear of academic or personal reprisal. His analysis of Freud is particularly revealing- both damning and humanizing. It also gives a very powerful insight into the way that myths can be opened up for personal growth & analysis. Of course, if you want to get the most out of this book, it may help to h
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Jun 15, 2011
Erik
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Jung's autobiography was not really written by Jung. As the cover says, it was "recorded and edited by Aniela Jaffe" between 1957 and his death in 1961. She therefore deserves much credit for producing a readable narrative which is quite entertaining, though not to be completely trusted.
I reread the book and indexed it when taking a course on Jung with the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University Chicago during the first semester of 1982/83. Ironically, althoug More...
I reread the book and indexed it when taking a course on Jung with the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University Chicago during the first semester of 1982/83. Ironically, althoug More...
Apr 19, 2008
Elinor
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This is Jung's autobiography, which overall, I really enjoyed. Some of it is a little out-there for me, such as his belief in alchemy and spirits and other such things; I've heard he may have been a tiny bit unhinged. His spiritual views are beautiful, however, and I found them very inspiring. I was also very impressed with his incredible drive- he felt that his life had a realy purpose that he was destined to fulfill, and he worked extremely hard to accomplish his goals. This ambition made me f
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Aug 02, 2011
If someone had given me this book when I was in college, I am quite sure the arc my life would have taken would have been completely different. This was a super personal, completely mind-blowing view into the ideas and life of Jung that revealed the story behind the story - the unconscious or daemon so to speak - of a man who's life was dedicated to the inquiry of our reason for being. Jung may have been Freud's prodigy, but he broke from his master early on and created a body of work that in
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Jun 30, 2011
Rommel
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This a good read for a type of autobiography and educational content on Carl Jung's life and some of his work. In this book, Jung shares some of his chidhood memories, university years, his work with Freud and his eventual break away from this friendship, as well as his own work with his patients, dreams, and the unconscious. There are some great deciding points in his life about the path he decided to take and explains that without his pursuing and understanding some of his inner images, he c
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May 22, 2011
Maxwell
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Why Memories, Dreams and Reflections is meaningful for me.
I shall begin by telling you of an event that occurred to me at college but which had its genesis four years earlier and the subsequent consequences of which remain to be completely known.
One evening when I was 14 years old I went to bed much as I always had done. Sometime later after falling to sleep I awoke. To my astonishment at the foot of my bed and somewhat elevated into the air were two personages. An elde More...
I shall begin by telling you of an event that occurred to me at college but which had its genesis four years earlier and the subsequent consequences of which remain to be completely known.
One evening when I was 14 years old I went to bed much as I always had done. Sometime later after falling to sleep I awoke. To my astonishment at the foot of my bed and somewhat elevated into the air were two personages. An elde More...
May 13, 2010
Nate
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I love Jung. I love him so much I bought the t-shirt. Seriously, for my birthday I got a t-shirt with Jung's big white face on it, and I wear it all the time. He looks pretty serious. I want people to know that Jung is watching them, so behave.
Sometimes I wonder, Am I a Jungian? Not really. But I could be. Everytime I read Jung I feel a greater part of myself converted. I do have a compulsive interest in dreams. Murakami's short stories do strike a chord with me. As skeptical as I am More...
Sometimes I wonder, Am I a Jungian? Not really. But I could be. Everytime I read Jung I feel a greater part of myself converted. I do have a compulsive interest in dreams. Murakami's short stories do strike a chord with me. As skeptical as I am More...
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Dec 17, 2009
A
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I really love when respected scientists get to finally say the things that they realize they may not have the time to prove, but have an instinctual belief in. This book is an example of that and a fine one. Really gives you an idea of what a special person Carl Jung is and how his many contributions are a true asset for society. The book details how his theories differ from those of his contemporary Sigmund Freud (for whom Jung was friends until professional disagreements got in the way).
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Aug 29, 2010
Ed
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Everything seems to be taking me through the intersection of the dream world and my individuality. I simply hate to read Jung when everything seems to cry out synchonicity--it's all too obvious. I'm currently re-reading Finnegans Wake, a treasure trove or archetypes and everything else for that matter.
Jung seems to have an extraordinary direct access to unconscious material thoughout his life. I was pretty deeply plunged into Jung's abyss (as James Joyce would put it, I was "jun More...
Jung seems to have an extraordinary direct access to unconscious material thoughout his life. I was pretty deeply plunged into Jung's abyss (as James Joyce would put it, I was "jun More...
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Jan 02, 2011
Michael
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Jung was evidently extremely reluctant to compose a memoir of his life, and thus in this autobiographical volume there persists a conspicuous hesitancy to comment on the outer trappings of his life, with barely a word mentioned about his marriage, and not a single one about his association with the General Medical Society for Psychotherapy, from which he resigned as it became increasingly swayed toward Nazism. Instead Jung concentrates far more on his inner life, especially during his formative
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Feb 18, 2011
Sherah
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I really, really, really, really, really enjoyed the first part of this book. I developed a strong crush on Dr. Jung due to his extreme sensitivity, reflection, and openmindedness displayed naturally from a very young age. We often fall for those who've been through the same fundamental inner experiences; I related so hard to his battle with religious doubt as a pre-teen and teenager. I highlighted so much of the section of this book in which he explains his thoughts about God, as I'd had the sa
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Dec 27, 2009
John
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I could probably learn something new each time I read this book, although, I might need a few years before I pick it up again. The book became tedious for me toward the end. I think his protege and successor Marie-Louise von Franz distills and presents Jung's ideas with more clarity. But maybe that’s just me.
This is a different sort of autobiography because its focus is more internal than external. In the prologue to Memories, Dreams, Reflections, Jung wrote, "In the end the on More...
This is a different sort of autobiography because its focus is more internal than external. In the prologue to Memories, Dreams, Reflections, Jung wrote, "In the end the on More...
Apr 17, 2010
Lauren
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Strange and lovely; an unexpected pleasure to read. Jung looks back over his life as an old man, remembering the psychological moments that changed him. I particularly loved his recollections of childhood. Once as a child he has a vision of God pooping and feels he will surely be damned for it, only be struck with a sudden revelation of God's grace and forgiveness. In the famous "Confrontation with the Unconscious" chapter he describes his journey into the treacherous deeps of his
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Jan 22, 2012
Bri
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So difficult for me to get through, honestly. I'm not a psych major or terribly interested in psychology and my professor at BYU tries to make all of Mormon theology fit within the confines of jungian philosophy - not the way I prefer to see my religion. It took me forever to read and gave me some killer headaches trying to think through it all. The concepts of jungian philosophy are not very linear of easy to pull out of this text as was demanded of me as a student.
Interestingly, I d More...
Interestingly, I d More...
Oct 31, 2011
Zeb
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I did like this book and found it a very interseting insight into the conflicting ides of major streams of psychology. I found the outherwordly or strange and weird experiences he writes about believable enough. having had plenty of such experiences myself, and I do believe myself, most of the time, though one must be cautious if one is currently very afraid of something, or under the influence of ... love, drugs, propaganda, hypnotism, a carismatic dick, whatever. Your memeory and your senses d
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Aug 03, 2011
Mike
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Finally read this after many years on the bedroom shelf. Had a huge impact on my dreams. Jung was no doubt a flawed character (as we all are, face it), and he completely skirts around his many documented philanderings - which I would have imagined as informing a significant aspect of both his inner and outer life - but his candour and reflection on matters psycho-spiritual gave me many moments of recognition and furious agreement. His account of his famed relationship with Sigmund Freud was utte
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Aug 14, 2010
Life as you know it and have always known it...will die.
This book...if you allow the Universe to do it...through your free will,
will not just change and transform your life...you will be totally reborn.
This is not to say the Jung was perfect; not by any means; but he eventually
realized many of his early choices and thoughts and views in life were wrong.
And he changed.
I've taken the stuff he expresses that work for me and have been reborn because
o More...
This book...if you allow the Universe to do it...through your free will,
will not just change and transform your life...you will be totally reborn.
This is not to say the Jung was perfect; not by any means; but he eventually
realized many of his early choices and thoughts and views in life were wrong.
And he changed.
I've taken the stuff he expresses that work for me and have been reborn because
o More...
Nov 16, 2010
Rosemary
rated it:
Carl Jung dedicated his life to deciphering the subconscious. In this volume he explores his own and comes up with a fascinating narrative. Here is a quote from his preface: “Life has always seemed to me like a plant that lives on its rhizome. Its true life is invisible, hidden in the rhizome. The part that appears above ground lasts only a single summer. Then it whithers away--an ephemeral apparition. When we think of the unending growth and decay of life and civilizations, we cannot escape the
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Feb 06, 2012
Miquixote
rated it: 
Fascinating look at a man who took on Freud. Very revealing.
Apparently this book puts the unconscious above reason. In fact, I would say Jung probably has a good argument pro-unconscious. However I do have a little problem with taking all that too far. I think reason and emotion are a dialectic, not a dichotomy. I read Jung to keep me reminded of the power of the unconscious, to not be overly 'rational'. But I am certainly not going to say either is over the other. And if anything, peo More...
Apparently this book puts the unconscious above reason. In fact, I would say Jung probably has a good argument pro-unconscious. However I do have a little problem with taking all that too far. I think reason and emotion are a dialectic, not a dichotomy. I read Jung to keep me reminded of the power of the unconscious, to not be overly 'rational'. But I am certainly not going to say either is over the other. And if anything, peo More...
Feb 03, 2011
Lero
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совершенно неожиданно!
жизнь юнга была насквозь пропитана парадоксальным и дымка сверхъестественного бережно заслоняла его от внешнего мира, давая возможность Работать. теперь я уверена, что все труды его рождались не только в голове юнга, но и в голове его невидимых помощников из ноосферы. человеческий ресурс чертовски короткий - иначе, присосавшийся к информационному слою, юнг продолжал бы радовать нас новыми открытиями.. а поездки юнга вглубь стран, относящихся к третьему миру, вообще пер More...
жизнь юнга была насквозь пропитана парадоксальным и дымка сверхъестественного бережно заслоняла его от внешнего мира, давая возможность Работать. теперь я уверена, что все труды его рождались не только в голове юнга, но и в голове его невидимых помощников из ноосферы. человеческий ресурс чертовски короткий - иначе, присосавшийся к информационному слою, юнг продолжал бы радовать нас новыми открытиями.. а поездки юнга вглубь стран, относящихся к третьему миру, вообще пер More...
Aug 06, 2008
Maureen
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C.G. Jung is my kind of psychoanalyst, and in his memoirs, he traces the influences that turned him into one of the great psychological thinkers of the twentieth (or any other) century. Jung sought to analyze the amazing variety of experiences that can come into a human life, and he was not adverse to including muses, ghosts, and spiritual experiences to explain the workings of the human mind. I once had an opportunity to work with one of his students, and I learned much about myself in the br
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Jun 12, 2008
John
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I don't usually pick up abridged versions of anything, but when I saw the cassettes at a yard sale for fifty cents I had to pick them up. I was under the mistaken impression that they were read by Mr. Jung himself. They are not, though the narrator has a very calm, dignified and warm tone that makes the few hours the abridged audiobook lasts very pleasant. He is certainly helped by having the (clipped) words of a sympathetic genius to read.
With the psychology classes I've taken and p More...
With the psychology classes I've taken and p More...
Dec 29, 2008
Rebecca
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Having finished this, I am sooooo glad I read it before I got too deep into his published papers. The concept of Depth Psychology can be daunting to the layperson and by reading his autobiography, a great deal of what he talks about is explained in layman's terms. If you are interested at all in Jung's works but don't have a background in Psychology, start here! It will make it all easier to process and the terms less frustrating.
Even if not into Psychology, you will never rea More...
Even if not into Psychology, you will never rea More...
Jun 10, 2011
James
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This is only a partially autobiographical book by Swiss psychologist Carl Jung as he was assisted by an associate, Aniela Jaffé. The book details Jung's childhood, his personal life, and exploration into the psyche. Jung was very reluctant to cooperate with Jaffé in the beginning, but because of his growing conviction of the work's importance, he became more engrossed in the project and began writing part of the text himself. While he wrote several chapters the rest of the text was written by J
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Feb 08, 2012
Nick
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Jung's fascinating autobiography is among the five books that have most influenced me. Carl Jung's intelligence, humility and fascination with the human mind come through strongly in this very personal memoir. Of course the science of psychology has moved on since Messrs Freud, Jung and Adler blazed the trail for others to follow, but Jung's excitement in connection with his new discoveries remains as gripping as ever.
Excellent read, highly recommended.
Excellent read, highly recommended.
Dec 15, 2008
Aaron
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Jung's autobiography. It's a good read, giving a lot of background on his life and his theories, told by the man himself. That's important to keep in mind, and something I didn't really appreciate the first time I read it.
I initially took this book at face value, taking his word for it with his account of his relationship with Freud, his theory, his successes and struggles, and his dreams and visions. I don't want to dismiss all that simply because he is biased, but it is important More...
I initially took this book at face value, taking his word for it with his account of his relationship with Freud, his theory, his successes and struggles, and his dreams and visions. I don't want to dismiss all that simply because he is biased, but it is important More...
Sep 15, 2011
Alford
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An excellent overview of Jung's life, research, and mythic journey. I would suggest beginning students read this little text as an introduction to Jungian studies due to the personal way Jung wrote of himself in retrospect. I am sure readers will find the chapter concerning Sigmund Freud most entertaining. The main idea in my opinion is to discover what myth you are living and to always let truth be the center and orientation of meaning.
Aug 04, 2010
Cassio
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Certamente não é um grande livro da psicologia, mas é um grande livro sobre Jung a pessoa que foi e seus pensamentos e sentimentos.
É uma espécie de biografia e também algo de sua bibliografia.
Pra quem tem interesse de ter maneiras de pensar sobre o próprio pensar é altamente recomendado fora que o Jung era fora de série.
Nesse livro tem a melhor comparação sob o conceito da razão entre Jesus e Buda que eu já vi, ouvi ou li.
É uma espécie de biografia e também algo de sua bibliografia.
Pra quem tem interesse de ter maneiras de pensar sobre o próprio pensar é altamente recomendado fora que o Jung era fora de série.
Nesse livro tem a melhor comparação sob o conceito da razão entre Jesus e Buda que eu já vi, ouvi ou li.
