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..::
The Theory of the Archetypes ::..
By
Alan Schneider and Jeff Bade (ed.)
The initial work of Sigmund Freud on repression as the primary
contributing factor in neuroses and psychoses is well known, both to
psychological professionals and to the informed public as well. Freud
postulated a psychic structure composed of three primary areas that
combined to create the mind – the ego, the id, and the superego. The ego
is the focus of sentience and self awareness – the “me” that I “know”
and can observe functioning in the world. The id is a compendium of
largely subconscious instinctual drives and drive states that compel the
organism to seek gratification of many physical desires, including
sexual ones. The superego is the result of acculturation factors that
frequently function in opposition to the instinctual id – social and
moral prescriptions that tell us what we can and cannot do in a given
situation. The ego has the unenviable task of mediating the demands of
the id, on one hand, and the superego on the other. Inasmuch as we are
social creatures who are dependent on each other for survival, culture
is both necessary and inevitable (hence producing the superego), and
there would be no population to survive without the action of the id
spurring reproduction. Yes, the ego has a rough balancing act!
According to Freud, the occurrence of trauma in childhood – which could
result even from ineffective parenting – caused the occasion of the need
to deny, or repress, the memory of the traumatic circumstance(s), thus
producing neuroses and, in extreme cases, psychoses. The neurotic ego
frequently feels that it is somehow inadequate in one or more key areas
of life, and feels driven to compensate for this, either consciously or
unconsciously. In the case of the psychotic, the damage to the ego is
very extensive, causing large gaps in both integrated thought processing
and continuity of awareness, frequently accompanied by hallucinations
and delusions of many kinds. While the mind of the neurotic may be
characterized as “dented”, the mind of the psychotic is essentially
“ruptured” (or broken into dissociated “layers” – e.g. schizophrenia),
allowing the mental contents to emerge sporadically and frequently
inappropriately. Those contents tend to take the form of symbolic
expressions of emotional and psychic states that have become dissociated
from what remains of the individual’s sentient self awareness.
Carl Jung was one
of Freud’s contemporaries in the early days of psychiatric
investigation. In contrast to the Freudian theory of sexual repression,
he had made an extensive study of both the hallucinations of the many
psychotic patients he encountered in therapeutic practice, and the
traditional beliefs and norm structures of literally every culture in
history that he could find information on, and had noticed a fascinating
series of correlations in the content of the symbols and representations
present in both cases. From this database of information, which has
never been equaled, the theory of the Archetypes of the Collective
Unconscious Mind was postulated by Jung. Freud was furious with Jung for
his departure from the sexually based theories of mental dysfunction,
and a subsequent permanent split in psychiatric theory was the result.
In Jung’s view of
the mind, or psyche, as it is more appropriately referred to in
scientific contexts, much more is present than the three Freudian
elements previously discussed. For Jung, the matter of conscious versus
unconscious processing of information is paramount. The ego is seen as a
“bright spot” of sentient conscious awareness which incorporates the
acculturated superego, and is surrounded by the personal unconscious, a
region of repressed material that includes some of the contents of the
id (the ones that did not survive the censorship of the superego),
repressed memories and urges related to trauma formation, elements of
superego functioning of which awareness has been lost, personal
dream/myth symbols, and any other psychic material acculturated out of
conscious recognition by the individual’s cultural socialization. The
key element here is that the unconscious at this level is personal in
character, and concerns personal information. Although this information
may contain many stereotypes, it does not per se contain the archetypes
– they belong to the next, deeper level of psychic manifestation, which
Jung referred to as the Collective Unconscious, in view of its universal
expression in human culture and consciousness.
Both the ego and the personal unconscious can be thought of as
“floating” on the much larger sphere of the total psyche. Within this
sphere of mental activity are found the Archetypes of the Collective
Unconscious. Jung defined a hierarchical structure of manifestation for
the Archetypes, from those of greater frequency of expression and impact
on the psyche, to those of relatively lesser presence and influence. As
one “dives” deeper into the collective unconscious, the archetypal
symbols encountered become more potent and more universal in expression.
At the core of the sphere, at the deepest level of expression, the
Primal Self is present as the root driving force for all psychic
activity. Freud thought that his concept of the Libido, or erotic life
force, was the subconscious ultimate mover of the mind, and was
primarily sexual in nature, but Jung felt that this force was first and
foremost existential. That is to say we are, in Jung’s model of the
mind, driven by the need to understand and experience meaning, as
opposed to copulate and experience orgasm in the Freudian model. In
fact, both models are correct – on the one hand, we are driven by
instinct, and on the other, by the need to make sense of the world
around us. The mind cannot well tolerate a void of meaning, and the body
cannot well tolerate a void of stimulation.
The work of Jung
took the momentous step of postulating the existence of a world of
symbolic conscious expression that stood beyond the physical boundaries
of the organism, effectively in a non-observable, non-determinate state.
Jung called these symbolic expression generators the Archetypes of the
Collective Unconscious. It is important to note here that the specific
nature of the archetypes is hidden beyond the threshold of observation –
they cannot be known directly. They can, however, be known indirectly
through the symbolic expressions they generate in the phases of
consciousness that we can access and observe. These archetypal symbols
are the building blocks of consciousness in the Jungian psyche. Jung
believed that archetypal symbols occur instinctually, are a part of
racial memory, and serve to enhance survival by providing an inborn
tendency to organize perception along certain lines that result in
improved social organization and coordinated activity.
There are literally hundreds of archetypal symbols – referred to
hereinafter simply as archetypes for the sake of literary convenience –
perhaps more than one thousand. They demonstrate a clearly hierarchical
organization in layers of implicit interaction with each other and the
Freudian ego. In most cases, they are valenced, and have clear positive
or negative implications for the well being of the organism. And
there are certain meta-maps of the mind that appear to be descriptions
of the totality of consciousness that extends beyond the personal,
Freudian mind. This extended model is usually referred to as Mind, Self,
Truth, or Psyche (here capitalized to make the distinction with the
personal mind or psyche). Jung felt that the Hindu Chakra System of the
States of conscious experience was the most psychologically functional
description of the Self referred to above. This relationship of
the Chakras to states of experience was explored by Jung in The
Psychology of Kundalini Yoga in substantial detail.
Another
significant aspect of the archetypes is their nature as chaotic strange
attractors. The strange attractor is the governing influence of chaotic
systems. By definition, a strange attractor cannot be directly observed
(since chaos is defined as the condition that exists beyond organized
sensory impressions consistent with observation), exerts a definite, but
not readily measurable, effect on surrounding systems, and is known
indirectly by the secondary effects of its activity emerging as
observable data in the more orderly systems (e.g. the physical senses
and perception). Such orderly systems all, however, are themselves
located in a setting of primary chaos. In the case of the human
organism, the border of chaos is the physical body. Paradoxically, we
experience the body, and the world, through the impressions of the
senses. And we can only experience our sensory impression of the body –
the ultimate reality of the body lies beyond the senses in the Self.
What we do experience is the emergence of archetypal symbols into
observable form, from the threshold of chaos. These symbols then tend to
structure and influence our perception and behavior – clearly secondary
effects, as noted above.
Perhaps the most important implication of strange attractors is what
they infer about the Mind (Self, Psyche) and its physical reflection,
the universe. The very “existence” of this phenomenon suggests an
organizing influence present even in apparently chaotic conditions. This
influence appears to possess a subtle expression of intelligence and
purpose that extends beyond the occurrence of isolated strange
attractors. The Self is knowable as God – the Self is God. “In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God.” The implication of Jungian psychodynamics is that God exists in a
(normally) unobservable state, but can be inferred from, and experienced
through, the organization of the archetypes – particularly the Chakras.
Science doubts
what cannot be observed and experimented upon. Jung warned of relying
too heavily on logical, scientific thought in view of the circumstance
that it was only one possible method of observing the world. Feeling,
intuition, and sensation are other, equally valid methods that, however,
do not lend themselves to quantification and measurement. The Jungian
postulate that consciousness essentially originates in a realm beyond
personal experience and control was too controversial (then, and now)
for most scientists to accept (as demonstrated in the curriculum of
modern universities, almost all of which insist on maintaining the
strictly scientific method of inquiry). Preference was given to Freud’s
model, which was at least contained within the organism. It was not
until the advent of Quantum mechanics and Relativity physics that the
non-specific nature of observation itself was seen as the defining
factor in all observations. Under such non-determinate circumstances,
chaos, and what lies beyond chaos, becomes a pliable and observable
condition about which much of value can be learned. Perception, as it
turns out, is conditional, and manifestation is interpretive. But the
Self has left a subconsciously imprinted map of its nature, one which
can be accessed through the process of meditation.
The concepts of
Yoga, meditation, and the Chakras are closely related in the philosophy
of Hinduism. Yoga is actually a form of “moving” meditation, and the
Chakras are centers of consciousness being “activated” by the Yoga
process. Although Yoga can be engaged in as a purely physical activity,
its original and traditional goal is the union of the Freudian self with
the Jungian Primal Self in the condition of religious ecstasy known as
Samadhi. (3) When Yoga and static meditation are practiced in the
spiritual context, the Freudian ego is relaxed into a state of
inactivity, and removed from the center of consciousness (thus
permitting the observation of the Self to begin to take place in the
individual’s perception), and permitting the subsequent experience of
the Chakras as active Jungian archetypes. The non-ego-referenced
consciousness successively experiences each Chakra, generating
progressively more involved and intense spiritual perception for the
practitioner. The ultimate state of Samadhi is tantamount to complete
experiential reunion with God (as expressed in conventional religious
terminology). The condition of Yoga in Samadhi is the long term goal of
most Hindu schools of spiritual conception.
As Primary Archetypes (perhaps the most Primary Archetypes that can be
experienced in any state of consciousness) the Chakras represent a
succession of stages of perception, first of the Freudian self at the
first Chakra, Muladhara, and transitionally culminating with the Jungian
Primal Self at the seventh Chakra, Sahasrara. A brief description of
the implications of each Chakra follows:
1) Muladhara – the center of conscious manifestation concerned with the
physical survival of the body, located at the base of the spine.
2) Svadhisthana – the center concerned with sex, pleasure, and
reproduction, located at the abdomen.
3) Manipura – the center concerned with social power and prestige, located
at the navel.
4) Anahata – the center concerned with the Soul, compassion, and selfless
love, located at the heart. In Anahata, we feel the Truth.
5) Vishuddha – the center concerned with vocal and verbal processing,
communication, and mantra chanting. In Vishuddha, we can teach and speak
about the Truth.
6) Ajna – the center concerned with extrasensory perception, intuition, and
spiritual visions. In Ajna, we perceive the Inner Truth.
7) Sahasrara – the center of Supreme Consciousness, located above the head.
In Sahasrara, we reunite with and directly experience the Truth.
Depending on the
individual’s Karma, or destiny, and the level of spiritual development
permitted by that Karma, life is perceived as being controlled by a
given Chakra or combination of Chakras. It is the goal of Yoga,
meditation, and all other higher consciousness practices to promote
awareness of the meaning and existence of the Chakras and to foster the
process of ascension through the stages of Chakra expression as far and
as high as circumstances will permit at any given time. In a word, the
Chakras represent the psychological “royal road” to the Self. If this
road is less traveled, it is nonetheless well worth the journey for the
investigator courageous and disciplined enough to make the trip!
- With Love, Alan -
(CR2008, Alan Schneider)
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