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What Is Carl Jung’s Collective Unconscious?
This notion was originally defined by psychoanalystCarl Jung.
Jung worked withSigmund Freud, another prominent psychologist during that time.
Klaus Vedfelt / Getty Images
In his early studies, Jung’s work affirmed many ofFreud’s ideas.
What Is the Purpose of the Collective Unconscious?
Archetypes
Jung believed that the collective unconscious is expressed through universalarchetypes.
Archetypes are signs, symbols, or patterns of thinking and/or behaving that are inherited from our ancestors.
According to Jung, these mythological images or cultural symbols are not static or fixed.
Instead, many different archetypes may overlap or combine at any given time.
Thus, deep-seated beliefs regardingspiritualityare explained as partially due to the genetically-inherited unconscious.
Dreams
Dreams were thought to provide key insight into the collective unconscious.
Jung believed that due to the archetypes represented, specific symbols in dreams are universal.
In other words, the same symbols meansimilar things to different people.
Freud, on the other hand, often suggested that specific symbols represent specific unconscious thoughts.
Ongoing Research
Researchers are continuously trying to increase their understanding of the collective unconscious.
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Britannica.Carl Jung: Swiss psychologist.
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In:Encyclopedia of Applied Psychology.
Garcia R.Neurobiology of fear and specific phobias.Learn Mem.
2015;63:1-9. doi:10.1016/j.psychires.2015.02.021
Kim C.Carl Gustav Jung and Granville Stanley Hall on religious experience.J Relig Health.
2016;55(4):1246-60. doi:10.1007/s10943-016-0237-4
