The Beginner's Guide to Jungian Psychology [Paperback]

Robin Robertson (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Nicolas-Hays, Inc. (March 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892540222
• ISBN-13: 978-0892540228
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #162,500 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Robin Robertson has spent a life-time bridging the worlds of psychology, science, business and the arts. He's a clinical psychologist, university professor and writer who has published sixteen books and more than a hundred articles in either psychology or his hobby field of magic. He teaches psychology on-line to graduate level students as an Associate Professor at the California Institute of Integral Studies. Before becoming a psychologist, he was a vice-president of software development for a large insurance company, and for the last twenty years, he's been a consultant to a multi-employer pension plan. He has separate undergraduate degrees in mathematics and English literature, as well as an M.A. in counseling psychology, and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology.

Robin's books, often on Jungian psychology or the relationship between psychology and science, have gone through multiple printings, new editions, and foreign translations. Since 1986, he's been a writer, editor, columnist and editorial board member of the Jungian journal Psychological Perspectives (a beautiful journal that speaks not merely to specialists, but to everyone who loves Jung.)

He has also been heavily involved with the applications of chaos theory in psychology as a writer, editor, speaker, and officer of the "Society for Chaos Theory in Psychology and the Life Sciences." And, in more recent years, he's been a consulting editor and contributor for the cybernetics journal Cybernetics & Human Knowing (a journal that looks at deep issues about the nature of reality).

He is a life-time amateur magician, and a member of the Order of Merlin of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, who has published six magic books and many original effects, in recent years often collaborating with the clever Scottish magician, Peter Duffie.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and easy-to-read ispringboard to Jung's ideas, December 30, 2003

By 

Robert Anderson (Pacific Northwest) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Beginner's Guide to Jungian Psychology (Paperback)

Jungian psychology is fascinating, nuanced and voluminous, - and Jung's writings themselves are a tough read for someone unacquainted with psychology because he addresses himself to his peers who already understand the jargon. Additionally, Jung being extremely intelligent and intellectual (Robertson, I would say is very intelligent but avoids coming off as intellectual) continually interrelates his ideas to religion, literature, art, mythology, while he writes which, while interesting, makes it hard for a beginner to extract just the basic ideas.

I've read three of Robertson's books on Jung and he has a gift for communicating Jung's basic ideas in a simple and useful manner.

If you have read a bit on Jungian psychology before, this book will re-enforce your knowledge and fill in some of the blanks, - or at the very least shed light on the subject in a different way. If you're new to Jungian psychology this book is an excellent starting point. Sure, - it's limited and not extremely precise - but it's a quick read and will save you a lot of head-scratching once you start reading more in depth treatments of Jung's work.

If you're stuffy or intellectual, this book isn't for you, but if you're looking for a down-to-earth springboard to Jung, this is it!

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fine beginning!, January 23, 2006

By 

William Timothy Lukeman - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Beginner's Guide to Jungian Psychology (Paperback)

Here's a rarity among introductory books about Jung & his thought: clear, easy to read & follow, setting forth the basic ideas in ways which are easy to grasp ... all without dumbing down the material in any way. What Robertson does is provide the beginner with the overall feel of Jungian thought, sketching out the basic outlines & providing straightforward examples. Other books go into greater detail, of course, but a beginner could do far worse than start with this fine volume. Robertson's humane & humanist heart beats strongly in every page, and he's good company for what should be an ongoing & enriching journey into the Psyche. Recommended!

(For anyone concerned about the negative reviews, while some do raise fair objections & concerns, feel free to ignore those with an obvious ax to grind. A reading of Deirdre Bair's new biography of Jung will provide an honest & far more accurate picture of Jung's life & personality.)

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A delightful guide into Jungian ideaa., September 18, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: The Beginner's Guide to Jungian Psychology (Paperback)

Robin Robertson is a Jungian analyst, mathematician, and professional magician. This wonderful book, like his others, brings together the insight of the first of these professions with the clarity of thought of the second, and the delightful stage style of the third. I have found this to be the best introduction to Jungian ideas around. --Allan Combs; author of The Radiance of Being, and Synchronicity