Psychological Types (Collected Works of C.G. Jung) [Paperback]

C.G. Jung (Author)

Book Description

Series: Collected Works of C.G. Jung | Publication Date: January 2, 1992

Psychological Types is one of Jung's most important and most famous works. First published by Routledge (Kegan Paul) in the early 1920s it appeared after Jung's so-called fallow period, during which he published little, and it is perhaps the first significant book to appear after his own confrontation with the unconscious. It is the book that introduced the world to the terms 'extravert' and 'introvert'.

Though very much associated with the unconscious, in Psychological Types Jung shows himself to be a supreme theorist of the conscious. In putting forward his system of psychological types Jung provides a means for understanding ourselves and the world around us: our different patterns of behaviour, our relationships, marriage, national and international conflict, organizational functioning.

Appearing in paperback for the first time this central volume from Jung's Collected Works will be essential to anyone requiring a proper understanding of Jung's psychology.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, German (translation) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 640 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 New edition (January 2, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415071771
• ISBN-13: 978-0415071772
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,955,768 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

43 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars introversion extraversion intuition sensation thinkng feelng, October 18, 2003

By 

Edwardson Tan (.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Psychological Types (Collected Works of C.G. Jung Vol.6) (Paperback)

If you're familiar with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and want to know more about it then _Psychological Types_ is one title you'd certainly want to read. It is the definitive work on which the MBTI is based. In this volume Jung explains in detail what the nature of the two attitudes--introversion and extraversion--really are, as well as that of the four functions--intuition, sensation, thinking, and feeling. He also discusses various combinations of these attitudes and functions, such as Introverted-Thinking, Introverted-Feeling, Extraverted-Sensation, etc.

It is Jung who gave us the terms introversion and extraversion. But our colloquial understanding of these terms are not exactly what Jung had in mind. For instance introversion he says means "an inward-turning of libido [psychic energy]." Moreover, the introverted person is one who orients himself predominantly by subjective views in contrast to the extraverted who orients himself by objective (external) conditions. Therefore, extraversion and introversion have to do with which realm--outer or inner--the person is drawn to and invests his energies in. So much for our simplistic notions of what these now household words mean!

Personally, I have not read the first half of the book. When I got my copy I went straight to Chapter 10 "General Description of the Types" since that's where the meat of Jungian typology can be found. And let's not forget the four essays in the appendix. They too offer additional insights into typology.

As a bonus there is an entire chapter (some 80 pages) entitled "Definitions" which is actually an in-depth glossary of some of the more important terms and ideas that Jung uses throughout the Collected Works.

If you'd like to learn about (Jungian) personality typology then I suggest you get this relatively inexpensive paperback edition. I've read many works on Jungian typology but nothing beats getting it straight from the horse's mouth.

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars professionals masterpiece, addressible for laymen, April 14, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Psychological Types (Collected Works of C.G. Jung, Volume 6) (Hardcover)

A deep look at the mechanisms of the "psychic functions". Surely instructive for layman with its analysis of human behaviour in everyday life. This work best explores the Jung's concept of the unconscious and proves that his concept is far from being a mystical one as some critics wrote. It also gives a historical perspective of the thoughts of some great thinkers (Schiller, William James and some others )on the problem of psychological types.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Viva la differences!, June 5, 2006

By 

Neal J. Pollock (VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Psychological Types (Collected Works of C.G. Jung, Volume 6) (Hardcover)

This is the forerunner of many contemporary works on psychological types. The mother-daughter team of Briggs & Myers devised the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) on it--devising the 4th (Judgmental-Perceptive) scale based on preferences (i.e. superior function vs. secondary function) between the iNtuitive-Sensate scale & the Thinker-Feeler scale. Jung does not address the J-P scale (it didn't exist yet). The book is written in Jung's usual rambling, erudite style with his usual quantity of incredible interspersed observations & conclusions. Some modern works are far easier to read, but many (e.g. Keirsey's "Please Understand Me") leave much out. Indeed, his assessment tool is quicker but less accurate IMHO (I used to score MBTI results for a professor doing research on MBTI's in other countries). I also took a couple of short courses (paid for by the U.S. Navy) related to the MBTI--& lots of management courses which referred to it or utilized it. It is extremely useful in improving interpersonal communications & understanding amongst co-workers, supervisors, etc. I used it with my own subordinates & found it quite valuable--people shared their results readily. Of course, there's a bit of confusion between Extrovert & Introvert--surface/laymen views can be misleading. The key is where one gets/loses one's psychic energy. Introverts get it from being alone & tend to lose it in groups; Extroverts, vice versa. But, this has nothing to do with whether one enjoys people, books, parties, etc. So, to understand the types, one must read the book. As Jung states, p. 526 "The psyche is the very thing we know least about, although it seems to be what we know best of all, & furthermore that everyone else probably understands it better than we do ourselves." Further, self-knowledge is a continuing challenge because p. 52: "The psyche creates reality every day." Also, psychological type relates not only to self, but also to society: p. 448: "Only a society that can preserve its internal cohesion and collective values, while at the same time granting the individual the greatest possible freedom, has any prospect of enduring vitality" & p. 449: "The more a man's life is shaped by the collective norm, the greater is his individual immorality." However, it is important to understand that Jung is NOT saying people ARE this type or that (implying the types are real) but that the types are a useful model for understanding human differences-- p. 493 "Reality neither consists of theories nor follows them." The sixteen types are a reasonable model for differences in accordance with Jung's scientific approach. As he states here & elsewhere--on p. 41 & on p. 494ff: "The scientific axiom known as Occam's Razor--`explanatory principles should not be multiplied beyond the necessary.'" Necessary & sufficient are required. This work is at least as relevant today as when it was written.