Customer Reviews

The Symbolic Quest

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

Much more than a primer or a simple introduction to Jung,this carefully written book expresses itself succinctly in capturing key Jungian concepts within it's proper framework and the crucial formulation of it's historical underpinnings(showcasing where appropriate the differences with Freud and at times with Adler,analyzing in detail the immense philosophic background and depth of Kant,idealism,phenemonologyy) as a vehicle in which Jung crafted his philosophy turning him into one of the major pillars not only of psychology but of thought in general whose ideas and insights reverberate throughout today's climate despite the obvious shift away from traditional psychoanalysis into medicinal therapy.
You will walk away understanding Jung after reading this book but it is no simple read.
Its text is eloquent and is not a simple beach book.
Its pages are woven carefully by a Jungian scholar and rather than diminish the ideas of Freud and others, the author, a top ranking Jungian, explains Freud and others to the reading public within a framework of understanding not only about Jung but after reading the book the major concepts and ideas of the psychoanalytical movement in general and specifics.
Another wonderful read on Jung but more suited for actual case studies and in a more relaxed style is June Singer's Boundaries Of The Soul, but for the seriousness that Jung deserves Whitmont's book can't be beat.

The Symbolic Quest remains the best popular introduction to the theory and practice of analytical psychology.

Contents: Introduction -- The Symbolic Approach -- The Approach to the Unconscious -- The Objective Psyche -- The Complex -- Archetypes and Myths -- Archetypes and the Individual Myth -- Archetypes and Personal Psychology -- Psychological Types -- The Persona -- The Shadow -- Male and Female -- The Anima -- The Animus -- The Self -- The Complex of Identity: The Ego -- The Ego-Self Estrangement -- Ego Development and the Phases of Life -- Therapy -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index

I read Whitmont's work in the late 70s after an intense spiritual awakening which was first expressed in Christian fundamentalism in the early 70s. During a time of study at the C.G. Jung Foundation and the New School (New York City) I began to discover the spiritual meaning and personal potential of the Christian myth. The work continues to this day, and I am thankful to Whitmont and others (Edinger, Neumann, Jacobi, Von Franz,) who extended the insights of Jung for pioneers along the path of individuation.

Having just finished Whitmont's Symbolic Quest, I have to admit it is not easy (which is why I had to give it four stars instead of five). Yes, sections need to be read and re-read to understand his "explanations" of Jungian analytical psychology. Often this is to explain why Jung used the terminology he did (often invented). Nonetheless, if one is careful and 'conscious' while reading it (to describe how the book should be read, as opposed to carelessly or even quickly for that matter), then one will find within a beautiful and concise description of the basic tenets of Jungian psychology: the objective psyche, the anima and animus (and the difference, as well as the newest interpretations), the ego, and the Self. The definition (and exposition) of Archetypes finally became totally understandable, especially from Jung's point of view, and therapy no longer becomes simply a method of 'repair', but becomes more of a scientific endeavor of discovery. As an anthropologist who has read a good portion of Jung, I found the book, yes, intricate, but well worth the effort. As I told a friend, I will keep this in my ever-wandering and disparate traveling library, to either reference or read again someday. Unlike other books that are just plain enjoyable, I will not be giving this one away.

While Dr. Whitmont has some very good ideas to communicate in _The Symbolic Quest_, his presentation is so convoluted and pretentious that his reader must hack through jungles of pompous wordiness and sift through convoluted sentences in order to uncover the concepts Whitmont is addressing. For example, can anyone tell me what is being communicated in this sentence from page 141?

"Active thinking submits representations to a deliberate act of rational judgment and to a deliberate order or sequence wherby that which seems of necessity to follow a given event is regarded as being caused by that event."

Whitmont should be more concerned with communicating ideas effectively and effeciently than he appears to be with constructing mutant sentences which require translation from english into english.