Jung (Past Masters) [Paperback]

Anthony Stevens (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 3, 1994 | ISBN-10: 0192876864 | ISBN-13: 978-0192876867

Part of the "Past Masters" series, this book provides a concise introduction to the basic concepts of analytical psychology revealing how they arose directly from the life and personality of their originator, Carl Gustav Jung. Anthony Stevens is the author of "Archetypes: A Natural History of the Self", "The Roots of War", "On Jung" and "The Two Million-Year-Old Self".

Editorial Reviews

Review

`offers a concise introduction to Jungian psychology, covering everything from the collective unconscious and the archetype to the theories of synchronicity and individuation.' Ken McGoogan, Calgary Herald --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

About the Author:
Anthony Stevens is also the author of Archetype: A Natural History of the Self (1982), On Jung (1990), and, most recently, The Two Million-Year-Old Self (1993).

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (March 3, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192876864
• ISBN-13: 978-0192876867
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,648,764 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #58 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( J ) > Jung, Carl

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Easy to read, appreciative but objective account of Jung, June 3, 2005

By 

GPK (The Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jung: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (Paperback)

Let me start to mention that I am not a social scienticst myself; my impression was that Jung is considered as someone who introduced many breakthrough concepts in psychology, but is also being 'hyped'. Therefore I was looking for a few books that would give me a proper (= not too appreciative, but scientifically objective) introducton to Jung and his ideas.

First I read Calvin Halls "A Primer of Jungian Psychology", but I found that book difficult to read. At the end I was unable to summarize Jungs ideas for myself. For me this is always a good test whether or not a book has had any impact on me. A year later I came accross the VSI by Anthony Stevens. Perhaps, reading Hall prepared me, but I found the VSI book very good.

What I like in particular about the VSI book is:
- it seems rather objective to me (i.e. maintaining a somewhat critical undertone)
- it now and then openly acknowledges that Jungs approach was rather non-mainstream, sometimes against-the-stream. Allowing the reader to make up his own mind.
- its division into well organised chapters helps the reader to progress through the book and look up things afterwards.

I also missed a few things:
- Stevens emphasizes Jungs goal to develop a psychology aimed at "personal growth and development". In this context, I would be very interested to see a comparison with the ideas of Viktor Frankl. After all, one cannot discuss existential psychology without mentioning Frankl.
- I would have liked to see more material included about the present day status of Jungs ideas: since I am not a psychologist myself, I wonder to what extent Jungs ideas are still upheld today. Especially all his ideas about dreams: to me this seems difficult to test scientifically.

Summary: easy to read book, after finishing it I have the impression I learned a lot. I recommend it.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Phenomenal Introduction to Jung, March 11, 2002

By 

D. Upchurch "[e-mail]" (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jung: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (Paperback)

This is probably the best introduction to Jung on the market. It is simple, concise, and VERY reader-friendly. It is very current as well including a short introduction to all the major aspects of his work and life. I can't recommend this one highly enough!

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Short Introduction book as it should be written, September 22, 2005

By 

Arkadiy Dubovoy (Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jung: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (Paperback)

The task of creating a concise, well-rounded, and very readable introduction to life and teachings of Carl Jung seemed impossible to me until I read this book. This book is a true work of love written by someone intimately familiar with the subject. This is not surprising, considering that Anthony Stevens is a practicing psychiatrist and Jungian analyst who wrote several good books on the subject as he has been developing ideas of Carl Jung in the last thirty-plus years.
If you need an excellent short introduction to Jungian thought, look no further.