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
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.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Phenomenal Introduction to Jung, March 11, 2002
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!
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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
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.
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