Carl Gustav Jung
...proposed and developed the concepts of the
extroverted and introverted personality,
archetypes, and the collective unconscious. The
issues that he dealt with arose from his personal
experiences. For many years Jung felt as if he had
two separate personalities. One introverted while
the other was extroverted. This interplay results in
his study of integration and wholeness. His work
has been influential not only in psychology, but in
religion and literature as well. Jung was born on
July 26, 1875 in Kesswil, Switzerland, the only
son of a Protestant clergyman. At the age of four
his family moved to Basel. His childhood was a
lonely one. Jung observed his parents and teachers
and tried to understand their behavior, especially
that of his father. The elder Jung had a failing belief
in religion. Jung could never understand why.
There were numerous relatives on either side of his
family that were clergymen. It was expected of
Jung to continue in the family tradition. Jung did
not decide to follow, instead choosing to attend
the University of Basel from 1895-1900. Before
deciding on medicine Jung studied biology,
zoology, paleontology, and archaeology. His
explorations did not stop with that, he looked at
philosophy, mythology, early Christian literature as
well as religion. His interest in religion could be
attributed to his heritage and watching the demise
of his father. After leaving Basel, Jung became an
assistant physician at Burgholzli Psychiatric clinic
under Eugen Bleuler. In 1902 he obtained his
M.D. from the University of Zurich. His
dissertation was entitled "On the Psychology and
Pathology of So -Called Occult Phenomena".
Through this work one of his basic concepts is
outlined, the underlying wholeness of the psyche.
Jung's first research was conducted...
View Full Essay
