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Psychodynamic psycholgy
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In Steppenwolf, the author, Hermann Hesse, presents to us a central conflict inside the protagonist Harry Haller’s psyche, in which his humanity and his wolf-like solitude and belligerence split against each other in order to fortify its own existence, (thereby, referring to himself as the lone wolf of the Steppe). Largely influenced by prominent Carl Jung’s psychoanalysis, Hesse portrays the whole spiritual crisis as a struggle amidst distinct modes of behaviors and partial consciousness, or the so-called “archetypes” in Jungian Psychology. Archetypes, which may either interfere or harmonize with one another, are most explicitly forged into characters and scenes of the Magic Theater he enters, a fantasized stage that is set to reflect the mentality of the Steppenwolf himself. According to Jung, one should be able to assemble as many diversified archetypes as possible so to be a more complete person spiritually; Harry Haller, through his experience in the theater, explores new archetypes that lie beyond his past psychological limitations. Particularly in the scene of “Jolly Hunting: Great Hunt in Automobiles,” which happened in one separated room along the horseshoe-shaped corridor, the conflict between Haller’s various archetypes is most vividly animated through dramatization, evoking his subconscious anticipations of the disparate personalities to be encountered within himself. At the meantime, the experience of “Jolly Hunting” brings Harry Haller to his ultimate realization of his self-imposed limitations of a mere dual-faced psyche between “man and wolf” and allows him to expand and individuate other undiscovered subconscious complexes into his own personalities.
As a central character of the “Jolly Hunting” Scene, Haller’s ch...
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...xle Way himself, he has explored various archetypes that had been previously hidden in his sub-consciousness. This fascinating experience of “Jolly Hunting” teaches him to realize the multiplicity of the numerous souls and distinct selfs that he consists of and to accept them as inseparable parts of himself. Such essential revelation allows the Harry Haller to thus advance towards further realizations of his own mentality. As delineated in other scenes of the Magical Theater, The Steppenwolf uncovers the infinite possibilities of himself as a unification of which his divergent archetypes can together formulate. Distinct particles of a soul that builds into relationships and entanglements, groupings and attractions between any combinations of personalities, archetypes that individuate in seemingly random orders—that is the beauty of life, lying in each of human soul.
In the short story “The Hunter” the author Richard Stark introduces Parker, the main character of this book. The main character is a rough man, he’s a criminal, a murderer, and even an escaped convict. He’s described as crude and rugged and though women are frightened by him, they want him. Parker is not the classic criminal, but rather he’s intelligent, hard, and cunning. In this story the author carefully appeals to his audience by making a loathsome criminal into a hero, or rather, an anti-hero. The author, Richard Stark uses ethical appeal to make his audience like Parker through the use of phronesis, arête, altruism and lastly the ethos of his audience.
Consistent in literature throughout every era and culture, archetypes represent a recurring image, pattern, or motif mirroring a typical human experience. An idea developed by Carl Jung, archetypes in literature exist as representations reflecting vital perceptions of the human psyche expressing the manner in which individuals experience the world. Using Jung’s concept, writers of all epochs embeds archetypes in structures, characters, and images of their narratives. John Gardner, in his novel Grendel, integrates several of Jung’s archetypes into his epic tale derived from the early story Beowulf. Gardner associates Jung’s personas of the outcast, the shadow, and the mentor-pupil relationship through the identities of Grendel, the narrator of events, and the dragon.
Carl Jung was a Swiss psychologist and psychiatrist who developed many theories concerning the unconscious mind. Jung’s theories state that the unconscious part of a human’s psyche has two different layers, the personal unconscious and the collective unconscious. The personal unconscious is unique to every individual; however, the collective unconscious “is inborn.” (Carl Jung, Four Archetypes, 3) The collective unconscious is present in everyone’s psyche, and it contains archetypes which are “those psychic contents which have not yet been submitted to conscious elaboration” (Jung, Archetypes, 5); they are templates of thought that have been inherited through the collective unconscious. Jung has defined many different archetypes such as the archetype of the mother, the archetype of the hero, the archetype of the shadow, etc. These Jungian archetypes are often projected by the collective unconscious onto others. If the novel A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving is examined through a Jungian archetypal lens it is possible to discern different archetypes projected by the protagonist’s unconscious self to illustrate the effects of the collective unconscious on character and plot analysis.
Everyone has been responsible for wrongful actions in their lives. The reason for these actions as well as your envy, lies, and insecurities is your shadow. Carl Jung’s theory of the persona includes concepts of “the ego, living with the shadow and the persona and mask one wears”(Internet Wire). In “The Shadow Effect”, Jung also describes the shadow as representing “ ‘the other side’ or ‘the dark brother’, who is an inseparable part of our psyche” (Burkard Sievers). Jung explains how for a person to deal with social acceptance and the expectations of humanity, they must conceal the part of themselves that they know won’t conform with these expectations (the shadow). People conceal this part by
In Brother Grimm’s “Brother Lustig”, the main character, Brother Lustig, is initially portrayed as an honest, inexperienced and stupid young man, who shares all his possessions with others. For this reason, when analyzing Brother Grimm’s tale form a Jungian psychoanalytic perspective, will become a prime example of a character experiencing individuation, for he eventually becomes a more selfish, cunning and independent person. Through meeting his archetypes, Brother Lustig goes from an honest, stupid and generous person, who shares his wealth and possessions with the less fortunate ones to a cunning, selfish and self-sufficient trickster. Brother Lustig’s burgeoning conscious is demonstrated through an analysis of his Jungian archetypes, with the shapeshifting beggar, acting as his positive shadow, and St. Peter personifying as his symbolic Self.
Psychoanalysis is a theory that explores personality traits on the conscious and unconscious level. According to TheFreeDictionary.com, “Psychoanalysis is the most intensive form of an approach to treatment called psychodynamic therapy. Psychodynamic refers to a view of human personality that results from interactions between conscious and unconscious factors. The purpose of all forms of psychodynamic treatment is to bring unconscious mental material and processes into full consciousness so that the patient can gain more control over his or her life” (Psychoanalytic Treatment). Sigmund Freud is the founder of the Psychoanalysis Theory. He had many followers. One of those followers was Jung. As time went on, Jung’s perspective on personality
...Jung, whose assertions not only help in the clinical aspect, but in the search for the common message in all of human literary (this includes oral) tradition. Hawthorne’s Gothic shows, whether conscious or not, the underlying conflict that lies within the people of his time as well as the time in which each of his stories take place. It is with this that the key to understanding the self lies within the commonly untapped recesses of the unconscious, an uncomfortable and unnerving concept for everyone, particularly those that have many things to hide.
With depth and breadth of knowledge in Jungian concepts, Robertson Davies draws us fathoms beneath the surface of the human personality. The audience is not left grasping for breath, but is enraptured by the rich dualism in this fantastical world of Dunstan Ramsay. Good and evil; illusion and reality; history and myth – the shadows and lights of the world are exposed and explored.
The view of the unconscious between Jung and Freud vary in different aspects. These famous psychologists corresponded in 1906, then finally met in 1907 and became friends rather quickly after that. Freud thought of Jung as his disciple, but after the years went by their friendship declined due to irreconcilable differences in the theory of psychoanalysis. Jung deemed that Freud was fixated on aggression and sexuality being the motivating dynamic in his theories. He also thought that Freud was excessively negative towards the theory of the unconscious. Eventually, the two parted ways after Jung left the International Psychoanalytic Congress.
Carl Jung was a disciple of Sigmund Freud, despite the two having conflicting ideas. One of Jung’s most well known and accepted theories was the existence of different types of archetypes in the brain. These include the ego, which is where our conscious awareness and sense of identity reside, and the shadow, which is the part of the unconscious mind consisting of repressed weaknesses, shortcomings, and instincts. In the novel A Separate Peace, by John Knowles, the protagonist Gene exemplifies the shadow, while his friend, Finny, personifies the ego. The author narrates through the shadow, though he clearly supports the ego. However, he also makes it apparent that it is wrong to be dominated by either archetype.
The book Memories, Dreams, and Reflections features Jung's childhood, his personal life, and exploration into the psyche in association with religion as well. Jung reveals much of life experiences and acquaintances that were forged throughout his life. Aside from self-reflections, thoughts, and ideas, Jung also offers recall of early memories—childhood dreams, visions, in connection with his adulthood. Although Jung was not without his faults, he ponders on his weaknesses, some that he accepted and worked with—dipping into the unconsciousness (darkness) to find meaning. Similar to prior readings, Jung also attempts to find meaning in his own life, "meaninglessness inhibits fullness of life and is therefore the equivalent to illness.” Furthermore, Jung states that people are childish and they have to be guided through religion in order to adapt to reality. Therefore, religious enlightenment is necessary to promote healthy well-being of humankind. “How are they ever to emerge if analysis does not make them aware of something different or better?” questions Jung.
Carl Jung is the father of archetypal criticism and creator of the term collective unconscious. Jung (1875 – 1961) was born in Switzerland and learned from Sigmund Freud, a psychoanalytic critic, before breaking off and creating his own literary theory. Because of his shift to the Archetypal theory, also called mythic criticism, Jung was repelled by the psychoanalytic community, until he came up with the idea of a collective unconscious. “Jung’s ideas caused him to be banished from the psychanalytic community for the next five years. During this time, he formulated his own model of the human psyche, which would become his most important contribution to psychology and literary criticism (Bressler).” The collective unconscious is the common knowledge of themes and archetypes that every human has gained from ancestral memory. This is the bases for Archetypal criticism, the reason for humans being able to recognize archetypes and recurring patterns in literature. Archetypal literary works relate to the beliefs, knowledge, and desires of readers through recognizable themes and archetypes (Bressler 149). Archetypes are universally recognized patterns, characteristics, or objects that invoke similar emotional responses from every person. Archetypes give literary works deeper meaning because
The motif, isolation, plays a huge role in Ludwig Tieck's Eckbert the Blond. What sets this story apart from modern tales is that motifs such as isolation, nature, psychology and, philosophy are subject to interpretation which causes the reader to play a role in how they are to experience the tale. Each motif connects to create actions and punish the characters. The way the story opens with two characters living in isolation begins the questioning of the reader. Because of the way Tieck presents their lack of children the motif nature feels as though it is hindered in some way. As the story continues Eckbert’s wife tells her very magical story, forgetting the name of the dog. Strangely enough Walther the friend knows it right away. This coincidence
One of the largest goals of modern literature is to explore the psyche; a collection of the conscious and subconscious actions of humans. Generally, the human mind is explored through the use of a character that is subjected to a series of emotional challenges and tests. This character may often reflect on the author himself or simply what the author’s take on psychology and the human mind is. In the novel Demian, by Hermann Hesse, the author invites the reader to explore the mind of the character Emil Sinclair by including forms of stream of consciousness narration and an open-ended ending to the book.
Paris, Bernard J. Imagined Human Beings: A Psychological Approach to Character and Conflict in Literature. New York: New York University Press. 1997.