the unconscious dream
dialog with the inner psyche
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Dream Topics
The Self
In Conscious Life & In Dreams
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The Self in Jungian psychology is one of the Jungian archetypes, signifying the unification of consciousness and unconsciousness in a person, and representing the psyche as a whole. The Self, according to Jung, is realized as the product of individuation, which in his view is the process of integrating one's personality.
For Jung, the Self is symbolised by the circle (especially when divided in four quadrants), the square, or the mandala.
The central dot is the Ego whereas the Self is both the whole and the centered dot
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Symbolism in Dreams and Narratives:
Because the Self is the most complex of the archetypes of individuation, its
symbolism is the most rich and varied. All symbols of the Self include the
characteristics of power and
impersonality; symbols of the Self are
never peer figures, nor are they strongly individualized, vividly personal, or
strikingly sexual beings. The Self may be symbolized by:
- Persons: an aged seer or priestess, a
wise old man or woman, a young child (i.e., the goal/end, or the beginning);
the Cosmic Man, hermaphrodite, or Royal Couple; an inner voice, guardian
spirit, daimon, or genius
- Animals: Phoenix (bird consumed in
flames and reborn from its own ashes); Uroboros (snake biting its own tail);
Totem
- Things: items that serve as the guide
or goal of a quest—the Holy Grail, the Elixir of Immortality, the Star of
Bethlehem, the Philosopher's Stone
- Geometric Figures: especially
counterbalanced and concentric geometric figures, such as the Hindu
mandala, or the peace sign
Self Projection: Because the Self is so
powerful, it contains both the concepts of Good and Evil. It is only projected
onto transcendental figures, either images of God or the Devil, or religious
leaders who are divinized by their followers.
Possession by the Self: Because the Self
is associated with the deepest levels of the collective unconscious, it is
extremely powerful. When possessed by the Self, the ego loses control of the
personality through positive or negative Inflation (literally meaning "blown
into"). Positive inflation results in megalomania as the ego identifies
with the power of the Self and is carried away by the unconscious (in myths,
this can be symbolized as deification; Herakles, for example, loses his mortal
body in the funeral pyre but his spirit is carried up to Olympus by Athena).
Negative inflation results in annihilation of the ego, which is completely
overpowered by the Self, resulting in a state of complete withdrawal or
catatonia (in myths, this can be symbolized as being swallowed up by a monster,
turned to stone, etc.).
Integration of the Self: Because of its
unconscious, transpersonal nature, the Self can never be truly integrated by
the ego. What the ego must learn to do surrender its need to always be in
control by recognizing the value of the Self's guidance and deferring to its
superior wisdom. In myths this is often symbolized by the ego-bearer's learning
to trust the mystical figures who are directing him/her even when their advice
seems dangerous and contradictory. On the other hand, the ego must always
maintain a safe distance from the unconscious, recognizing the dangerous power
that can never be defeated or controlled.
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Exploring the Unconscious World of Dreams
The Self In Jungian Psychology
In Conscious Life
What distinguishes Jungian psychology is the idea that there are two centers of the personality.
The ego is the center of consciousness, whereas the Self is the center of the total personality, which includes consciousness, the unconscious, and the ego. The Self is both the whole and the center. While the ego is a self-contained little center of the circle contained within the whole, the Self can be understood as the greater circle.
Jung considered that from birth every individual has an original sense of wholeness - of the Self - but that with development a separate ego-consciousness crystallizes out of the original feeling of unity. This process of ego-differentiation provides the task of the first half of one's life-course, though Jungians also saw psychic health as depending on a periodic return to the sense of Self, something facilitated by the use of myths, initiation ceremonies, and rites of passage.
The Self and Wholeness
The Self draws its power exclusively from the collective unconscious; it is trans-personal rather than personal and is not conditioned by a person's individual experiences. The Self is both: The "guide" of the process of individuation, the regulating center of the personality. The "goal" of the process of individuation, the symbol of perfect fulfillment of all potential.
The Self is the most complex of the archetypes of individuation, and its symbolism is the most rich and varied. All symbols of the Self include the characteristics of power and impersonality; symbols of the Self are never peer figures, nor are they strongly individualized, vividly personal, or strikingly sexual beings.
The Self may be symbolized by Persons, Animals, or Things. Because the Self is so powerful, it contains both the concepts of Good and Evil. The Self is associated with the deepest levels of the collective unconscious, and it is extremely powerful. When possessed by the Self, the ego loses control of the personality through positive or negative Inflation (literally meaning "blown into"). Positive inflation results in megalomania as the ego identifies with the power of the Self and is carried away by the unconscious (in myths, for example, Hercules loses his mortal body in the funeral pyre but his spirit is carried up to Olympus by Athena). Negative inflation results in annihilation of the ego, which is completely overpowered by the Self, resulting in a state of complete withdrawal or catatonia (in myths, this can be symbolized as being swallowed up by a monster, turned to stone, etc.).
According to Jung, the Self can never be truly integrated by the ego because of its unconscious, trans-personal nature. What the ego must learn to do surrender its need to always be in control by recognizing the value of the Self's guidance and deferring to its superior wisdom. In myths this is often symbolized by the ego-bearer's learning to trust the mystical figures who are directing him/her even when their advice seems dangerous and contradictory. On the other hand, the ego must always maintain a safe distance from the unconscious, recognizing the dangerous power that can never be defeated or controlled.
Wholeness
This is the final stage of the individuation process and, says Jung, most people never reach it. Jung sometimes called this the stage of 'self-realization'; sometimes he used the term to cover the whole of the individuation process. For the sake of clarity we might be tempted to call this final stage that of 'complete self-realization'; and there would be nothing wrong in that, so long as we remembered that it is a stage, albeit the last one, and that within this stage there is still some room for growth and development.
This stage consists of encountering what Carl Jung calls 'the Self'. The self has to be distinguished from the ego. The ego is the conscious mind. The self is the total, fully integrated psyche, in which all opposing or conflicting elements are united and co-ordinated. Bear in mind what Jung says about the relationship between the conscious and unconscious, the unconscious contains the opposite characteristics or capabilities to those that are evident at the conscious level of the personality. At this final stage of individuation conscious and unconscious become so thoroughly integrated into one harmonious whole that those things that were previously opposites and therefore - potentially, at least - in conflict are transformed.
In the case of complete self-realization, a person's consciousness will no longer consist simply of thinking and fantasizing; it will include the immediate knowledge of reality which was formerly the unconscious alone. In other words, the person's total psyche is now conscious and is now doing the knowing and the feeling and the experiencing. Another way of putting this is to say that you are fully conscious of your body, and your body is fully conscious. And the consequence of this is a radical change in your view of life, your values and goals. You will feel completely at ease in your body. You will feel joyful and loving. You will find such bliss in sheer consciousness and in just being, that you will cease to worry about achieving. You now have all that you want.
Jung described this state of self-realization as follows:
"This widened consciousness is no longer that touchy, egotistical bundle of personal wishes, fears, hopes and ambitions which has always to be compensated or corrected by unconscious counter-tendencies; instead, it is a relationship to the world of objects, bringing the individual into absolute, binding and indissoluble communion with the world at large."
As Jung describes it, this last stage of individuation resembles the state of consciousness reached by mystics through prolonged meditation. Jung's 'Self' is a trans-personal reality - that is, although it is the ultimate reality of your own personality, it is not just that; it is something bigger, it is the ultimate reality of everything and everyone. It is what people have called God or - in the Eastern mystic-meditative traditions - the Old behind the Many, the one underlying reality of which all-existing things are manifestations or partial embodiments. Do not suppose, however, that self-realization means being lost in or swallowed up by some greater reality. Nor does self-realization mean being swamped by the unconscious. Rather, it means that you are now fully conscious, but you realize that 'your' consciousness is also the consciousness that is everywhere, in all things.
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