Status
Available
Call number
Collections
Publication
Pantheon (1963), Edition: 1St Edition, Hardcover, 398 pages
Subjects
Original publication date
1962 (in German)
1963 (in English)
ISBN
8601407197090
Description
'I can understand myself only in the light of inner happenings. It is these that make up the singularity of my life, and with these my autobiography deals' Carl Jung An eye-opening biography of one of the most influential psychiatrists of the modern age, drawing from his lectures, conversations, and own writings. In the spring of 1957, when he was eighty-one years old, Carl Gustav Jung undertook the telling of his life story. Memories, Dreams, Reflections is that book, composed of conversations with his colleague and friend Aniela Jaffé, as well as chapters written in his own hand, and other materials. Jung continued to work on the final stages of the manuscript until shortly before his death on June 6, 1961, making this a uniquely comprehensive reflection on a remarkable life.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member ablueidol
When in my early 20's and struggling to make sense of me and the poverty I came from, Jung always made far more sense to me then Freud in explaining my inner life. Marx made more sense of the outer world although as 1 came from the lumpen proles I was less romantic about the working class then many
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of my then revolutionary friends. But Jung, myths and the need to hold the shadow and the light as a unified whole always appealed rather then grand struggles of good and evil. Another reason why i rejected much of main steam Christian thinking Show Less
LibraryThing member clevinger
These are a set of memoirs like no other. Rather than set about detailing the things he's done, the places he's been and the people he has met like most autobiographers would do, Jung (with the help of an assistant) at the age of 83 recounts his inner experiences, dreams and visions that informed
For much of his early life at school Jung was preoccupied with concepts of Christian doctrine, his father being a village pastor who in Jung's estimation preached Christianity by rote without ever understanding it, and of his own accord studied German philosophers to better understand the world and man's place in it. Whilst still at school he read Kant, Schopenhauer and Goethe; by university he discovered von Hartmann and Nietzsche, though "the clinical semesters that followed kept me so busy that scarcely any time remained for my forays into outlying fields. I was able to study Kant only on Sundays." [p.122] As a child he also observed in himself a neurosis and in his mother a hidden personality that surfaced from time to time to speak words of wisdom, foundations for his later psychiatric work.
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and shaped his understanding of the psyche and the subconscious. For much of his early life at school Jung was preoccupied with concepts of Christian doctrine, his father being a village pastor who in Jung's estimation preached Christianity by rote without ever understanding it, and of his own accord studied German philosophers to better understand the world and man's place in it. Whilst still at school he read Kant, Schopenhauer and Goethe; by university he discovered von Hartmann and Nietzsche, though "the clinical semesters that followed kept me so busy that scarcely any time remained for my forays into outlying fields. I was able to study Kant only on Sundays." [p.122] As a child he also observed in himself a neurosis and in his mother a hidden personality that surfaced from time to time to speak words of wisdom, foundations for his later psychiatric work.
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LibraryThing member jwhenderson
This is only a partially autobiographical book by Swiss psychologist Carl Jung as he was assisted by an associate, Aniela Jaffé. The book details Jung's childhood, his personal life, and exploration into the psyche. Jung was very reluctant to cooperate with Jaffé in the beginning, but because of
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his growing conviction of the work's importance, he became more engrossed in the project and began writing part of the text himself. While he wrote several chapters the rest of the text was written by Jaffé through recording her conversations with Jung. The book was finally published in 1963, two years after Jung's death. Having read several of Jung's better known works, including his Answer to Job, I found this unusual autobiography to be consonant with his ideas if not comprehensive. Considering the title I would characterize the book as an amalgam of memoir, meditation and mirror-like thoughts that I found tantalizing and provocative. Show Less
LibraryThing member Keith_Conners
Jung is fascinating because so much of his writing is interwoven with his intermittent psychotic states. Indeed, some authors think that he had a lifelong struggle with psychosis (see the review by Edelhoff in this collection). Of course, the Freudians think that his work strayed often into the
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bizarre and mentally disordered visions lacking reality. But there is no doubt that his mind was that of a genius, if a literary one rather than a purely scientific one. His life is, as he says, a myth, but his own myth. His real contribution is that he escaped from Freud's narrow view of the role of the id and libido in human development, into a broader awareness of the many powerful forces of symbols, myths, and universal motives beyond sexuality and aggression.His memories are his own reconstructions of the facts; his dreams cover the broad expanse of human nature; and his reflections are often penetrating and illuminating, in the same way that great artists have the power to create. Show Less
LibraryThing member phillynyc
Even if you are not a Jung junkie, this book is a great read for anyone with at least one College Psyche class under their belt. The passage about Jung's split from Freud and the reasons behind it will change you impressions of these two dreams mavens.
LibraryThing member kencf0618
Not many people have had a life like Jung's. Or should.
LibraryThing member LisaShapter
This memoir contains, among many other wonderful things, an account of the time-slip he saw with his mistress.
LibraryThing member michaelbartley
very interesting book, as a autobiography it left much to be desired. jung rarely wrote about his life, he wrote about his ideas and as the title said his dreams. for mw the most interesting part was when he talked about his relationship with Freud and the reasons for their breakup. overall a good
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overview of his ideas. they are very complex! Show Less
LibraryThing member RajivC
I quite liked this book. It is an unusual autobiography. It is an autobiography of his spiritual / intellectual / emotional life rather than a chronology of events.
It does give a fair amount of insight into the gent, though I must say that there were times when I thought that he rambled a bit.
What I like, is the style of writing. Easy to read and follow. I was expecting turgid prose.
Read a chapter a day. Else, it can get a bit confusing, especially if you have other things to do!
It does give a fair amount of insight into the gent, though I must say that there were times when I thought that he rambled a bit.
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Given his age, and the number of thoughts that were probably rushing through his head, I would say that this is understandableWhat I like, is the style of writing. Easy to read and follow. I was expecting turgid prose.
Read a chapter a day. Else, it can get a bit confusing, especially if you have other things to do!
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LibraryThing member dbsovereign
One of the best memoirs ever written, this book has impacted my own dreams. Jung is still vital even as his spirit pervaded the reality of the 70s in almost everything I encountered.
LibraryThing member Andy5185
I periodically go back to this book to re-read passages from this man's life. It would have been such a wonderful to thing to have had the opportunity to have a conversation with him in person.
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Call number
BA JUNG