Complex: Path of Transformation from Archetype to Ego (Studies in Jungian Psychology By Jungian Analysts, 98) [Paperback]

Erel Shalit (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Inner City Books (February 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0919123996
• ISBN-13: 978-0919123991
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #730,266 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Erel Shalit is a Jungian psychoanalyst in Ra'anana, Israel, and the Director of the Jungian Psychotherapy Program at Bar Ilan University. He is past president of the Israel Society of Analytical Psychology. He is the author of several publications, including The Cycle of Life: Themes and Tales of the Journey; Requiem: A Tale of Exile and Return; Enemy, Cripple & Beggar; The Hero and His Shadow; and The Complex: Path of Transformation from Archetype to Ego. Articles of his have have appeared in mnay journals, among others Quadrant, The Jung Journal, Spring, and Midstream. He has entries in The Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion. 'Silence is the center of feeling,' an interview with Erel Shalit, appears in Robert and Janis Henderson's "Living with Jung" volume 3. He has contributed the chapter on Jerusalem in Thomas Singer's book Psyche and the City: A Soul's Guide to the Modern Metropolis. Dr. Shalit lectures at professional institutes, universities and cultural forums in Israel, Europe and the United States.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How Complex is the Complex?, February 4, 2002

By 

R.S.L. (Kadima, Israel) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complex: Path of Transformation from Archetype to Ego (Studies in Jungian Psychology By Jungian Analysts, 98) (Paperback)

In order to understand the driving forces of our life we are compelled to identify the archetypes as they manifest themselves in our dreams and associations. Our complexes are acted out in human form through behaviours inspired by these archetypes. By the therapeutic process of examination of these behaviours we are able to diffuse and disarm these archetypal images thereby enabling new types of behaviour to evolve.
Erel Shalit gives a fascinating explanation of the mechanisms of the complex and translates his understandings by examining Franz Kafka along with other patients of his which clearly exemplify the process by which one faces,identifies and diffuses the elements of the shadow which drive one's life.
Just as the complex is "the messenger of the gods, or the archetypes, rather than the ego, Erel (which means angel who goes down from the heavens to contact human souls) Shalit is the messenger of a concept so complex yet made so accessable to our understanding by his methodical yet poetic description of the very motifs which grip our total existance.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant work on important subject for both psychology and theology, March 22, 2011

By 

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

This review is from: Complex: Path of Transformation from Archetype to Ego (Studies in Jungian Psychology By Jungian Analysts, 98) (Paperback)

This is a fantastic work which is useful for both psychologist and theologian. Shalit describes the complex in terms of death anxiety, sexual complexes, and inferiority complexes. These complexes work together to create a sense of desperation and dissatisfaction which eventually propel higher evolution and good works. According to Jung, "the perfect have no need of others" (p.28). Therefore, "only through imperfection, and recognition of it (by encountering our shadow), can we constructively relate to the divine spark within" (p.28). This epitomizes Shalit's message, which is that the complex, even when seemingly negative, has a way of forcing us to reverse our inferiority and achive security, and this eventually leads to evolution (but only after a detour through the shadow). "The complex's engine is initially driven by the power of death-anxiety" (p.30). This statement reminds us how closely connected ontology, systematic theology, and depth psychology are. Anyone who has read Heidegger will see the connection between the death-anxiety complex and his being-towards-death - a concept which also comes up frequently in Paul Tillich's Systematic Theology. "Complexes are the carriers of life energy" (p.31). This goes back to Jung's concept of psychic libido energy which can be diverted into a number of pursuits both good and seemingly bad. The complex simply provides life energy which propels all actions, and if we have a mystical sense we will realize that all of these complex-driven actions are ultimately GOOD. In fact everything is all good. We realize this as soon as we unserstand that even negative experiences have a way of producing food for the soul, and the soul will eventually use this food to evolve into a loving and compassionate individual.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oedipus denied... not so quickly!, September 1, 2008

By 

Mel Mathews (Florence, Italy) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Complex: Path of Transformation from Archetype to Ego (Studies in Jungian Psychology By Jungian Analysts, 98) (Paperback)

Whether we know it, or not, whether we care to or are able to admit it, every human being is influenced by psychological 'complexes'. In The Complex: Path of Transformation from Archetype to Ego, Erel Shalit explains the difference between an 'autonomous complex' and an integrated complex. Shalit explains, "The fundamental task of the complex is to serve as a vehicle and vessel of transformation..." In other words, Psychological complexes are necessary aspects of our being and when we are able to recognize and develop a dialogue or an ongoing conscious relationship with these complexes, these aspects of our humanity can be expressed and honored in a healthy and often creative manner.

A complex becomes troublesome when it is denied and splits off from our greater whole, as is the case with the Oedipus myth. In studying and deciphering the symbolic meaning of the Oedipus myth, Erel Shalit explains how a complex that has the potential to bring us into living a fuller, more conscious existence, is often denied and splits off into an 'autonomous' complex. Denying a complex, an aspect of who we are, does not cause this entity to go away. Instead, the denied castaway becomes 'autonomous' energy and unconsciously continues to live a life of its own, often wreaking havoc that is acted out in a host of neurotic symptoms.

In recognizing and welcoming home these prodigal complexes, vital pieces of our beings, we are able to reclaim lost aspects of our souls, and in turn unblock the stymied flow of psychological and creative energy that often gets dammed up and diverted into neurotic symptoms and suffering.

This publication addresses far more than just the Oedipal Complex. Dr. Shalit also delves into the Father Complex and the Mother Complex in both negative and positive forms. Clients' dreams and case studies are also discussed to bring theory into more concrete and practical terms.

For those interested in psychology, myth, religion, and philosophy, but even more so to those who might be suffering from a host of neurotic symptoms, including addictions or obsessive compulsive tendencies, I highly recommend 'The Complex: Path of Transformation from Archetype to Ego' (ISBN 978-0919123991) as well as Erel Shalit's most recently published book Enemy, Cripple, & Beggar: Shadows in the Hero's Path