Civilization in Transition (The Collected Works of C. G. Jung, Volume 10) [Hardcover]

C. G. Jung (Author), Gerhard Adler (Translator), R. F.C. Hull (Translator)

Book Description

Series: Collected Works of C.G. Jung | Publication Date: August 1, 1970

Essays bearing on the contemporary scene and on the relation of the individual to society, including papers written during the 1920s and 1930s focusing on the upheaval in Germany, and two major works of Jung's last years, The Undiscovered Self and Flying Saucers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The material in this volume forms a monumental contribution to the thought of our time. To read it is to be led towards an overview of historical events. -- Journal of Analytical Psychology

Product Details

• Hardcover: 632 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press; 2 edition (August 1, 1970)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691097623
• ISBN-13: 978-0691097626
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #885,367 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist, an influential thinker and the founder of analytical psychology (also known as Jungian psychology). Jung's radical approach to psychology has been influential in the field of depth psychology and in counter-cultural movements across the globe. Jung is considered as the first modern psychologist to state that the human psyche is "by nature religious" and to explore it in depth. His many major works include "Analytic Psychology: Its Theory and Practice," "Man and His Symbols," "Memories, Dreams, Reflections," "The Collected Works of Carl G. Jung," and "The Red Book."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jung on Society, August 9, 2000

By 

Michael P. McGarry (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Civilization in Transition (The Collected Works of C. G. Jung, Volume 10) (Hardcover)

This is Volume 10 of the Collected Works of Carl Jung (1875-1961), "Civilization in Transition". Unlike some of the other volumes in the Collected Works, this is a not a single document, but rather a collection of essays spanning four decades. All of them are concerned with some aspect of societal issues at large. Jung writes about anthropology ancient ("Archaic Man", 1931) and modern ("Woman in Europe", 1927). His topic range from the profoundly sober ("After the Catastrophe", 1945) to the seemingly absurd ("Flying Saucers: A Modern Myth", 1958). He explores professional issues in "The State of Psychotherapy Today" (1934) and "The Complications of America Psychology" (1959). He explores the interfaces of psychology with the moral ("Good and Evil in Analytic Psychology", 1959) and the spiritual ("What India Can Teach Us", 1939). In my mind, the gem of the collection is "The Undiscovered Self (Present and Future)" (1957), in which Jung explores the implications of psychological development, and the lack thereof, on the broadest scale of history. In Jung's view, the configuration of the conscious and the unconscious is the most important parameter in the life of an individual, and insofar as aspects of this configuration are identical across individuals in a culture, these aspect shape and constrain the development of the culture; that, in a nutshell, is the topic of this book.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best of Jung's collected works., December 8, 2003

By 

Ross James Browne (Atlanta, Georgia United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Civilization in Transition (The Collected Works of C. G. Jung, Volume 10) (Hardcover)

Even if this book is only available in hardcover, I assure you that it is worth every penny. _Civilization in Transition_ is a collection of some of Jung's most important essays, including some all-time classic works of philosophical and political psychology. I will briefly describe the more important essays:
AFTER THE CATASTROPHE: One of Jung's all-time greatest essays. Jung does an excellent job explaining the psychological and theological implications of the holocaust.
THE FIGHT WITH THE SHADOW: Continues in the same direction as _After the Catastrophe_; this is another truly profound and fascinationg essay, dealing with the evil forces lurking deep within man.
WOTAN: Part three of Jung's holy triptich on the evil of man. Examines the violent history of the German people and the mythological precursers which foreshadowed Germany's tragic fate.
CIVILIZATION IN TRANSITION also contains the famous essay, THE UNDISCOVERED SELF. This essay has been described as a study on society and politics, but it struck me as much more universal and well rounded, dealing with intense, far-reaching philosophical and theological issues. THE UNDISCOVERED SELF is a perfect example of Jung's bold adventures into the realms of philosophy, politics, and religion, rightly recognizing that these issues are inextricably intertwined with human psychology. This essay is available by itself in paperback form, but it is probably wiser to buy the full length CIVILIZATION IN TRANSITION because the afformentioned essays on evil are alone worth the price of the volume.
Although CIVILIZATION IN TRANSITION contains many other useful essays (such as "Women in Europe", which is still very relevant and insightful), the last one I will mention here is FLYING SAUCERS: A MODERN MYTH OF THINGS SEEN IN THE SKY. I was very sceptical of this essay at first, because I thought it would contain Jung's characteristic rantings and ravings regarding his pet "archetypes", but really this essay is quite good. Jung describes several of his patients' dreams involving flying saucers, and I found these dream sequences to be absolutely fascinating and even potentially revelatory. FLYING SAUCERS is much better than most of Jung's works regarding archetypal dreams and visions.
Overall, CIVILIZATION IN TRANSITION is one of the most useful of the collected works. And unlike some of the collected works, you can read this one cover to cover without skipping anything. Every last page of CIVILIZATION IN TRANSITION is Jung at his very best.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars _Civilization in Transition_ (C.W. Vol. 10)., April 2, 2004

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New Age of Barbarism "zosimos" (EVROPA.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Civilization in Transition (The Collected Works of C. G. Jung, Volume 10) (Hardcover)

_Civilization in Transition_ is Vol. 10 in the Collected Works of famous psychoanalyst Carl Jung. This volume consists of a series of essays and reflections by the doctor dealing with the nature of civilization, and modern man in relation to history, as well as the unique role of Jungian psychology in explaining both political and social trends within man. Jungian psychology includes notions of ego and archetype (anima and animus, and the shadow persona), as well as the unconscious and the collective unconscious (which contains ancestral memories preserved as archetypes). Much of the Jungian process can be understood as the attempt to integrate the abandoned contents of the shadow (the dark unconscious side of the personality) and achieve what is termed "individuation". Others have written linking Jungian psychology to Christian belief arguing that the process of individuation can be understood in terms of Saint Paul's putting on of the new man. Thus, Christianity plays an important part in the role of Jungian psychology and many of its most ardent adherents are indeed Christians of sorts. The book is divided into seven parts and an appendix. The first part consists of essays on "The Role of the Unconscious", "Mind and Earth" (emphasizing the cthonic nature of the Germanic mind and contrasting this to the mind of nomadic or Semitic peoples), "Archaic Man" (revealing the nature of taboo and what is naively dismissed as superstition), and "The Spiritual Problem of Modern Man". The second part deals with problems encountered within the modern world including "The Love Problem of a Student", "Woman in Europe" (which includes a description of the modern versus the medieval marriage with remarks about the anima/animus syzygy), as well as essays entitled "The Meaning of Psychology for Modern Man" and "The State of Psychotherapy Today" dealing with Jungian interpretations of modern day man. The third part deals mostly with the events of the World War. Here, essays dealing with "Contemporary Events" as well as an important essay entitled "Wotan" (which shows how the old Nordic pre-Christian deity lies behind the Germanic peoples and their battles) and two essays dealing with the catastrophe of the Third Reich entitled "After the Catastrophe" and "The Fight with the Shadow" (about German war guilt and collective guilt). The fourth section consists of the published volume _The Undiscovered Self (Present and Future)_ which deals with the plight of the individual in modern day society and the role of religion in that society in the West. The fifth section consists of an intereresting piece entitled _Flying Saucers: A Modern Myth of Things Seen in the Skies_ which deals with both the psychological myth behind these saucers (the need for integration and wholeness manifested through an apocalyptic scenario). The sixth section contains essays dealing with "A Psychological View of Conscience" (dealing with the subtle problem of conscience as the "vox Dei"), "Good and Evil in Analytical Psychology", and an introduction by Toni Wolff. The seventh section includes reviews of writings by Count Hermann Keyserling, the social philosopher and obscurantist, as well as a piece on American psychology showing the influence of both the Negro (the problem of "going black" for the European) and the Indian on the American psyche, and two pieces on the psychology of India contrasting it with the European. An Appendix is included which includes various letters and addresses of the psychotherapeutic societies as well as Jung's particular remarks on the "Jewish problem", in which he notes the distinction between Jewish (Semitic) and European psychological make-ups. This volume is particularly interesting for all those who are intent on studying the Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung and his school of thought. While Jung himself often defies proper categorization within a traditional religious perspective, many within the traditional religions have seen value in his work and writings and have incorporated what he has written into their therapeutic practices.

Also of interest: By Baron Julius Evola, _Revolt Against the Modern World_.