Four Archetypes: Mother / Rebirth / Spirit / Trickster (From the Collected Works of C.G. Jung, Vol. 9, Part 1) (Vol. 9i) [Paperback]

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

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1971

Extracted from Volume 9, Part I. Includes "Psychological Aspects of the Mother Archetype," "Concerning Rebirth," "The Phenomenology of the Spirit in Fairytales," and "On the Psychology of the Trickster-Figure."

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Jung believed that the unconscious is not merely the hiding place of demons but the province of angels and ministers of grace, which he called the 'archetypes', symbols of all the inner forces that work toward unity, health, fullness of life, and purposeful conscious development.' - Lewis Mumford, The New Yorker 'His idea of the archetype involves profound attitudes towards man's existence and intimate values through which very many people have found a new significance in their lives.' - R.F. Hobson, Journal of Analytical Psychology --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961). Founded the analytical school of psychology and developed a radical new theory of the unconscious. Carl Gustav Jung (1875 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Bollingen; 1st edition (March 1, 1971)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691017662
• ISBN-13: 978-0691017662
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #135,055 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

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a great introduction to Jung, June 16, 2010

By 

doc peterson (Portland, Oregon USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Four Archetypes: Mother / Rebirth / Spirit / Trickster (From the Collected Works of C.G. Jung, Vol. 9, Part 1) (Vol. 9i) (Paperback)

Wanting to have a broader understanding of both "Jungian psychology" and the meaning of "archetype" I picked up this slim volume. I was at first a little off-put by the cultural references to "primordial" and "simpler" civilizations and societies, as I was by attitudes towards gender - I needed to take into account the time in which Jung was writing and the relative newness of the discipline. These concerns aside, I was deeply impressed with both Jung's intellect (the book is essentially a collection of his lectures on the topic) and his insights into human psychology.

The four archetypes to which the book refers are the "mother," "the trickster," "rebirth," and "spirit." Jung's initial discussion of the power and ubiquitousness of the mother archetype was simply brilliant, although when he began to apply the archetype to various psychoses and mental "types" I felt he was getting farther and farther off-base. (This, of course with the benefit of behaviouralists like Skinner, Delgado and Milgram.) The lecture on "rebirth" was fascinating from an anthropological perspective as Jung tied together the various experiences and interpretations of "rebirth" from nature, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism as well as institutionalized rebrith (through ritual and unconscious identity). The "spirit" archetype was a bit metaphysical for my tastes, but Jung's classical education (and brilliance) was apparent as he discussed the broader philosophical and occult aspects of the archetype. His disucssion of the "trickster" was the weakes of the lot - I had expected him to disucss the literary and cultural elements of the archetype, but instead the dual role (positive and negative) of the archetype was what was focused on.

The broader idea Jung puts forth: that we have a collective unconscious that ties us to our distant (primordial) past is intriguing - that there is no "Tabula Rasa", but rather all humans (regardless of place of birth of culture) share in the same intuitive view of the world is the basis for his dissertation here. He may be on to something, although I tend to lean more towards Rousseau and Locke on the issue. For those interested in a brief introduction to Jung, I'm tepid about this book. For an understanding of what Jung means by "archetypes" and their function in his broader work, this would be my recommendation.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Important work for undertanding Jung, October 23, 2008

By 

Christopher R. Travers "Einhverfr" (Chelan, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Four Archetypes: Mother / Rebirth / Spirit / Trickster (From the Collected Works of C.G. Jung, Vol. 9, Part 1) (Vol. 9i) (Paperback)

The term "Archetype" has been greatly abused in popular speech. Yet in this monograph, Jung clearly states his ideas in this work well.

The first portion of this work covers the basic ideas of archetypes in general, and looks at how these get played out in variants of the mother complex.

The second portion looks at rebirth in spiritual, mystical, and life experiences. Here he looks at the psychology behind these experiences and I think there is a lot of material to contemplate here.

The third element looks at psycho-cosmological elements of fairy tales and how the idea of the paternal spirit manifests in them. While I personally think Jung's analysis of the three-legged horse is somewhat faulty in this essay, the work as a whole is worth reading.

The last element concerns the trickster. This is a short essay which has perhaps been more influential in popular culture than the other three combined.

These these four essays represent an important and influential piece of Jung's work. I think that this work is a must-read for anyone interested in his ideas and methodology.