The Symbolic Quest [Paperback]

Edward C. Whitmont (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

[Whitmont] has succeeded in what can only be called an act of creative translation. . . . The general reader will get what has not been available before, a clear and lucid statement of the Jungian position, that life has a pattern of wholeness which can only be comprehended symbolically at this moment in time. -- The Los Angeles Times

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press; Rep Sub edition (January 1, 1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691024545
• ISBN-13: 978-0691024547
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #236,748 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ed W. Can Do, January 6, 2002

By 

David (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Symbolic Quest: Basic Concepts of Analytical Psychology (Paperback)

If anybody can take the pains to read and reread a book inch by inch, over and over again, ad infinitum, until you reach the other side, then by all means read this book! Being able to learn, retain and actually actualize the ideas he espouses, as you go along, into one ever expanding platform is all essential to even remotely comprehending so much as the first chapter, let alone the first page of this entire book! Mr. Whitmont is extreemly intellectual and wrote this book for people like him that thirst for inner knowledge. The text is written AS IF you already happen to know a number of words used only by depth psychologists. So be prepared to learn literally a text book of data per every page. This work is hailed as the next generation of Jungian thought written by Jung's prodigy student and spiritual heir apparent. And cannot be expected to be instantly readable by everyone, especially those already angry with Jung in general.Yet with each new concept integrated into your understanding of Jungianism, there will be a definite reward in terms of personal growth. I promise you a rose garden!

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Consider This From a Non-Psychologist, August 26, 2004

By 

Dana Garrett - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Symbolic Quest (Paperback)

I have a read a few introductions to Jungian psychology and they have all suffered from one serious defect. Namely, in their attempt to be understood, they didn't provide a sense of the expanse of Jungian psychological thought. This book is the sole exception. It seems to be quite thorough.

Apparently, some readers have found this work difficult. I didn't and I am not a psychologist. In fact, I read this work as a beach book while on vacation. I found it to be a helpful explanation and introduction.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bum Rap, February 25, 2000

By 

S. Mirell (Manhattan Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Symbolic Quest (Paperback)

Whitmont presents the basic concepts of Jungian psychology in prose which is, indeed, intricate (one of the less pejorative meanings of "convoluted"); but there is no better overview and summary of Carl Jung's astonishingly broad and comprehensive theories. This is not and is not meant to be a "popular" book but does seek - and reaches - a general reader who is willing to learn. The Redwood City reader takes the allegedly incomprehensible sentence out of the context in which it is embedded. On the page previous to it, active thinking is contrasted with passive thinking and thinking is contrasted with feeling. With that in mind - a "translation":

"Active thinking brings a representation (i.e. a likeness or image rising from perception) to a process of ordering and sequencing which establishes a cause-effect relationship between a given event and that which appears to [but does not necessarily] follow it."

Whitmont's next sentence points out that this interpretation [i.e. the assignment of a cause-effect relationship] is "imposed" upon the facts and because of this may or may not be a true and valid interpretation of them. "Pretentious" can mean "making demands on one's skill" - though I doubt that is what Redwood City reader means to say. In the sense of "unjustified claims of value" - which is probably what was meant, he is in error; but in the former sense, it is true, the book makes demands and offers great rewards.