Ego and Archetype [Paperback]

Edward Edinger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 25, 1992

This book is about the individual's journey to psychological wholeness, known in analytical psychology as the process of individuation. Edward Edinger traces the stages in this process and relates them to the search for meaning through encounters with symbolism in religion, myth, dreams, and art. For contemporary men and women, Edinger believes, the encounter with the self is equivalent to the discovery of God. The result of the dialogue between the ego and the archetypal image of God is an experience that dramatically changes the individual's worldview and makes possible a new and more meaningful way of life.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Edward F. Edinger, M.D., a founding member of the C. G. Jung Foundation for Analytical Psychology in New York, is the author of many books on Jungian psychology, including The Eternal Drama and Anatomy of the Psyche: Alchemical Symbolism in Psychotherapy.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala (August 25, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 087773576X
• ISBN-13: 978-0877735762
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 0.8 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,485 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A naturalistic book about God, March 28, 1999

By 

Richard Borkow ([e-mail]) (Dobbs Ferry, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ego and Archetype (Paperback)

Ego and Archetype emphasizes that (1) God is directly experienced within, at the core of the human psyche, that (2) spiritual maturation requires a radical shift away from narrow ego focus and towards subordination of the ego to God-within and that (3) maturation is accomplished only if the individual squarely faces and confesses the almost unbearable inadequacies, pretensions and selfishness of the unguided ego. While Ego and Archetype deals with the themes of sin, repentance and atonement, the theories advanced are naturalistic and not religion-bound. Edward Edinger elaborates on these themes masterfully, and any reader who considers them to be at the heart of the human condition will cherish this book.

57 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent analysis of Jung's theory of individuation., May 17, 1999

By 

Manuel Alvarez (Miami Lakes, FL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ego and Archetype (Paperback)

Dr. Edinger explains the Jungian concept of individuation as both a psychological and spiritual phenomenon. Although the author does not explicitly acknowledge the underlying spirituality of Jung's concept of the self/ego relationship, it is apparent that he feels there is a metaphysical and spiritual basis to human development. Edinger, it seems to me, posits that the ego is a temporal construct rooted in a trascendental, timeless Self (soul). The text is filled with insightful accounts of many hermetic and esoteric concepts which appear in the Jungian corpus. Those who have read Jung's works on alchemy will find Edinger's interpretations illuminating. This is a wonderful secondary work on Jungian theory.

60 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful & illuminating, November 7, 2002

By 

William Timothy Lukeman - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ego and Archetype (Paperback)

I first read this book as a teenager 30 years ago. At the time I was a little overwhelmed by its richness & depth, gleaning only a little of its wisdom. But after three decades of reading it many times over, I've grown enough to truly appreciate the soul-nourishing food for thought to be found in its pages. I've seldom come across an elucidation of Jungian & spiritual thought with such clarity & poetry! Even more than Jung's own work, this book gave me my first understanding of the reality of the Psyche, as well as providing me with a new perception of God & the Sacred which went far beyond the either/or simplicity of Literal vs. Illusion. It helped me to grasp that what goes on inside is just as real as the experience of the exterior universe -- in some ways, perhaps even moreso. And each new reading reveals more layers of understanding for me. Most highly recommended!