The main goal in life is to discover ourselves. Many psychologists have thought of ways to explain the process on how to achieve this goal, one of which is Carl Gustav Jung. Jung came up with breakthrough theories that dealt with knowing yourself, and in many people’s eyes surpassed the theories of others. His most famous theory was the process towards achieving self-awareness, also known as individuation. According to Carl Jung there are four main aspects to completing the journey of self-awareness, they are, the Persona, the Shadow, the Anima, and the Self. Each aspect, better known as an archetype is crucial to reaching self-awareness and each archetype relies on the one before it. This view on self-awareness was widely publicised and had an impact on many people, one of whom was Robertson Davies, the author of the fictional memoir “Fifth Business”. Davies used this concept of the journey towards self-awareness in his novel, and inflicted it upon the protagonist, Dunstan Ramsay. Dunstan undergoes this journey throughout the course of the novel, and is cast into the role of the outcast, the role of Fifth Business, in which the title suggests. When someone is Fifth Business, they are the outcast in their own lives, not being the person in control, and Dunstan fits into this role perfectly. Fifth Business “knows the secret of the hero’s birth, comes to the assistance of the heroine, when she thinks all is lost, keeps the hermitess in her cell, and may even be the cause for somebody’s death”(Davies,218). This explanation of Fifth Business fits into Dunstan’s life with a high degree of accuracy, vaguely yet precisely outlining the events of his life. Dunstan achieved self-awareness by embracing his role of Fifth Business....
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... review of an article that was published about his ‘boring’ life, saying “I have been cast by fate and my own character for the vital though never glorious role of Fifth Business” (Davies, 9). His psychological fate was sealed the second the snowball left Boy’s hand; him being Fifth Business and all subsequent events in his life stemmed from the outcome of that day. The Jungian archetypes of the Persona, the Anima, the Shadow and the Self all played a significant role during Dunstan’s journey towards self-awareness because they all played a substantial role in his life, affecting each move he made. Dunstan’s role of Fifth Business and him consciously acknowledging it was crucial for him to achieve self-awareness because that’s what actual role he fit into, and had he denied it, he would not have known his true self, which is Fifth Business, and individuation.
Thwarted love. Ambition. Guilt. Sexuality. Fifth Business is rife with these life lessons. However, the most dominant themes in the novel are ambition and motivation. It is well known that excessive ambition and motivation can destroy someone, but, used correctly, can skyrocket someone to happiness, as in the case of Dunstan Ramsey, Percy Staunton, and Paul Dempster. These two qualities not only give these characters the will to keep on living, but also enable them to rise above the masses during the Great Depression. Right in the beginning of the novel, Dunstan displays his superior motivation and ambition through his learning of juvenile magic.
Primarily, one of the dominant and fundamental theoretical variances concerning Freud and Jung’s personality theories was that relating to their opposing notions regarding the unconscious human mind. Firstly, Freud understood that the centre of ones inhibited beliefs and distressing recollections was found in the unconscious mind. Freud stated that the human mind focuses on three constructs: namely the id, the ego and the super ego. He claimed that the id shaped ones unconscious energy. Freud said that it is not limited by ethics and morals, but as an alternative simply aims to fulfil ones desires. The id strives to keep with the “pleasure principle, which can be understood as a demand to take care of needs immediately.” (Boere) The next unconscious
"The Archetypes and the Collected Unconscious."The Collected Works of C.G. Jung. 2nd ed. Ed. Carl G. Jung. London: Routledge, 1990. 393-417.
Sigmund Freud provides a concept of how a person’s personality is structured and to have a healthy personality requires a balance in the interaction between the id, ego, and superego. Bandura’s theory of observational learning plays a vital role in the persons conditioning process. By understanding the basis of observational learning that includes modeling, disinhibition, and trolling, one can recognize the different types of reinforcements that contribute to how one learns and then behaves in situations throughout their life. The experience and knowledge of self-discovery comes gradually without an instantaneous impact. Although, moments of true realization can give one a release from past insecurities, doubt, and shame just to name a few. Such realizations can change how one views or feels about their past, which includes their choices, successes, failures, and the different relationships they have had from birth to the present. In conclusion, one should invest in getting to know their own personality to educate themselves and receive the benefits of a healthy state of mental
Boy and Dunstan personify the physical and the spirit, respectively. They illustrate the incomplete nature of their psyche through their imbalanced sexuality and differing interpretations of mythology. By developing a deeper understanding of the physical, Dunstan is able to create equilibrium between the opposing forces. Boy, however, fails to resolve his antithesis by vehemently denying the spiritual realm of his psyche. This inability leads to his psychological suicide and eventual death. Boy and Dunstan illustrate the necessity for an acknowledgement and assimilation of both the hylic and the pneumatic. Without this synthesis between the spirit and the body, the self cannot become whole.
	Robertson Davies’ novel, Fifth Business, revolves around guilt, competition, and two men who are foils of each other. Although Dunstan Ramsay and Percy Boyd Staunton are parallels to each other, they contrast in a great number of ways. Their awkward relationship plays a significant role in the number of elements which make Fifth Business such an interesting story.
Fate and my own character for the vital though the never glorious role of Fifth Business!” (Davies, 7)
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.
In all the psychology of the personality is difficult to understand, because trying to read what someone is thinking about you and your personality is a tough process. This was roughly and explanation into the view of Freud’s view of the id, ego, and superego and some of the psychoanalysis stages that come in the crazy world and studies of Sigmund Freud. Even though his views are not popular today some people still research them and think to themselves he might not be as weird as people told me he was.
The theory of personality of Erik Erikson is among one of the most important theories used to explain how people develop their personality. Although a psychoanalyst, Erikson it not merely considered the psychosexual aspect as the mere factors that contributed to the development of individuals’ personality, but also took into account the psychosocial aspect. Erikson divided personality development in eight stages: basic trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame and doubt, industry vs. inferiority, identity vs. role diffusion, intimacy vs. isolation, generativity vs. stagnation, and integrity vs. despair, (Cervone & Pervin, 2013; Johnson & Ahmad, 2014; Maitland, 2011).
Fifth Business is a fictional memoir of Dunstan Ramsay, a small town boy from Deptford, Canada whom we get to see evolve into an intellectual man looking for meaning in life. Dunstan has an innate ability to read people upon first or second meeting, but never seems to get a true read on himself. He is relatively successful financially, and is proclaimed a war hero after receiving the most prestigious English award; the Victoria Cross. He was raised well, and has an intelligence that exceeds his small-town upbringing. All these things seem like they would lead Dunstan to a happy, satisfying life. However, at the beginning of the story Dunstan goes through a major life-changing event. His best friend and biggest rival Percy hits a pregnant woman with a snowball intended for Dunstan. This sends Dunstan into a life full of guilt, eventually leading him to a life without any significant other or true friendships.
From society to family to media, external influences never seem to disappear from everyday life. These outward forces tend to leave a lasting impression on us for as long as we live. Because they are so prevalent in our daily lives, exterior factors will have a significant influence on us, specifically our sense of self and happiness. When defining our sense of self, it eventually comes down to how we interpret our individual self-image. In most cases, we do not truly know who we are from our own mindset. Therefore, we take into account the reactions that those around us have an influence on our actions and decisions. From these external effects, we create the persona of who we are. In his article, Immune to Reality, Daniel Gilbert explains
Erik Erikson, a German-born American who is a well known developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst, established the grand theory of psychosocial development. Throughout his theory, persistently stresses that one’s personality advances non-stop throughout the duration of several differential stages. Erikson’s theory also goes in depth to explain the immense impact of social experiences in one’s lifespan. The main element that is produced from his theory of psychosocial development is essentially ego identity. Ego identity can be defined as a sense of self, or better, the knowledge of one’s self that forms through a process within all social interaction. Contemporary
I chose the topic of self-concept through interpersonal communication because I had an interest in it. This interest is because I didn’t understand that one’s self-concept affected the way one is perceived by others. I learned self-concept through class discussions, but I wanted a better understanding of how communication affects one’s self-concept and how it affects one’s perception
Humanity is defined by one major factor: one’s understating of the self. By understanding one’s self, one can understand society and the world that surrounds themselves. There is one thing that can often distort one’s personality, one’s identity. By identifying as one thing a person can often change how they act or do certain things. This is often found to hide one’s true motives or intention, but it can also be used to hide hidden factors that aren’t as prevalent. One’s personality and identity are very closely linked, and tend to play off one another. This fact can be show in within multiple works. To name a few authors who demonstrate this fact: Clifford Geertz, Horace Miner, and Andrei Toom. Their works seek to dive deeper