Collective Unconscious: A Definition, History, and References
The collective unconscious is a concept first proposed by the Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung (1875-1961). It refers to a shared, unconscious psychological system that is rooted in the collective human experience. Jung believed that this collective unconscious was the source of all of our human behaviors and motivations, and that it could be accessed through dreams, myths, symbols, and rituals.
Definition
Jung defined the collective unconscious as “a form of the unconscious that is common to mankind as a whole and is not acquired or inherited, but is the result of the structure of the psyche.” He believed that this layer of the unconscious was made up of archetypes, or universal symbols, images, and motifs that are shared across all cultures. These archetypes are believed to be the source of all human behavior and motivation, and can be accessed through dreams, myths, symbols, and rituals.
History
Jung’s ideas about the collective unconscious were heavily influenced by his mentor, Sigmund Freud, who proposed that the unconscious mind was the repository of all of our repressed thoughts, desires, and memories. However, Jung disagreed with Freud’s view of the unconscious as a repressed, individual entity, and instead argued that it was a shared, collective process. He believed that the unconscious was made up of a set of archetypes, or universal symbols, that were shared across all cultures.
Jung’s ideas about the collective unconscious had a profound influence on the field of psychology, and his work has been widely studied and discussed in the decades since his death. His concept of the collective unconscious has been used to explain a wide variety of phenomena, including religion, mythology, and literature.
References
Freud, S. (1900). The Interpretation of Dreams. London: Allen & Unwin.
Jung, C.G. (1952). Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Jung, C. G. (1955). Symbols of Transformation. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Samuels, A., Shorter, B., & Plaut, F. (1985). A Critical Dictionary of Jungian Analysis. London: Routledge.