Customer Reviews

A Primer of Jungian Psychology

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This is an indispensable book for anyone beginning their studies in Jungian psychology. At 140 pages in length, the text is an easy read with no wasted words and no convoluted passages to unravel. It addresses Jung's entire system and provides succinct, memorable summaries of each concept.

The Book is broken up into seven chapters:
1. Carl Gustav Jung (biographical background)
2. The Structure of Personality (the psyche, conscious, personal unconscious and collective unconscious)
3. The Dynamics of Personality (psychic energy and values, the principles of equivalence and entropy, etc.)
4. The Development of Personality (individuation, transcendence and integration, etc.)
5. Psychological Types (thinking, feeling, sensation, and intuitive)
6. Symbols and Dreams
7. Jung's Place in Psychology.

For more eminently readable Jungian psychology, try Marie-Louise von Franz.

This book is so clearly written that reading it becomes a numinous experience. Dr. Jung's unique knowledge of universal themes in myths, tales, and dreams, and of alchemy, and Eastern philosophy brings, together with the scientific Western approach, new elements to the understanding of the human psyche. Consequently, I would say that this analytic psychology's chief aim is individuation and self-realization. Hall and Nordby address this matter very lucidly showing the importance of transcendence and intergration in the process of individuation. Indeed, this process is one of self-knowledge, "Education is drawing out from the person, something that is already there in a nascent state, and not the filling up of an empty container with academic knowledge" (p.83). Altogether, this book is a cromprehensive work addresing concepts such as; the collective unconscious, archetypes, complexes, the shadow, introversion and extroversion, and it even includes a brief description of synchronicity. Undoubtedly, it is worth reading,

It's a waste of money. Get it at the library, instead. The informational contents are minimal. The paper is of the lowest quality causing the contrast to be very low and very difficult to read. A much better introduction is "What Jung Really Said" by E.A. Bennet, ISBN: 0805210466.

This book is absolutly wonderfull; it defines all of Jung's major psychological contributions in layman's terms. A very, "to the point" book with minute, clear examples in each area.

"The Primer of Jungian Psychology" is an excellent start for any one curious about who Carl Gustav Jung was and his theories/concepts of the human psyche. It is a well-written, easy-to-read (though some of his concepts may take some time to wrap your brain around; don't let that deter you) book that gives the reader enough explanation of Jungian Psychology without drowning the reader in a purely academic treatise and detail.
If you don't know C.G. Jung or are unsure about his contributions and work, start with this book and decide from there.

Although it may be rather brief, this book does an excellent job with introducing people to the basics of Jungian psychology. For people beginning to learn about Jung's theories, I think this is one of the best starting points, and after reading it I've had a good basis to continue learning more about this subject. It's well-written, easy to understand, provides real-life examples to clarify concepts, and the information is organized in a logical sequence. Altogether it is a wonderful overview.

'Got turned on to the great Dr. Jung in '90. 'Fell in love w/the feeling of 'startling disclosure' that results from studying Jung's work and how his postulates apply to one's daily existence. The excellent authors of this book talk about 'startling disclosure.' In fact, they shared the term w/me in this very book - the first book of Jungian concepts I ever bought - which is frankly the last book on Jungian PSY a reader will ever need.

I have read a number of books which attempt to give an overview of Jungian psychology. Jacobi's is great but if one doesn't have some background, it is a bit difficult. This book is an "oldie but goodie" and provides easily understood explanations of Jung's basic concepts. It is not all inclusive but certainly can spark the reader to pursue more investigating.

Jung builds off many of Freuds concepts, therefore the author Calvin Hall had to, and does have a sense of Freudian psychology. There are also many things that are Jungs own such as ideas about: a collective unconscious, archetypes, dreams and symbols and various personality types. All these things and more covered by Calvin Hall - originating from Carl Gustov Jung. Read it.

This book is a good introduction to the general ideas of Jung. I see no point in going into detail about the contents. You either know Jung or you do not. Either way I would recommend, as another reviewer suggested, either getting this book from the library, finding a used copy for a dollar somewhere or skipping it altogether and investing your money in a much more detailed analysis. In no way shape or form is this book worth the money that this particular edition costs. And yes, I do realize that as far as books go this is rather inexpensive. I still stand by my point.