Product Description

This is the most lucid and timely introduction to the thought of Carl Gustav Jung available to date. Though he was a prolific writer and an original thinker of vast erudition, Jung lacked a gift for clear exposition, and his ideas are less widely appreciated than they deserve to be. Now, in this extremely accessible introduction, Anthony Stevens--one of Britain's foremost Jungian analysts--clearly explains the basic concepts of Jungian psychology: the collective unconscious, complex, archetype, shadow, persona, anima, animus, and the individualization of the Self. A small masterpiece of insight and concision, this volume offers a clear portrait of one of the twentieth century's most important and controversial thinkers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #73997 in Books
• Published on: 2001-06-07
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

From AudioFile
Carl Jung, the Swiss father of the conscious and unconscious mind, developed extensive and complicated theories of mental illness. He and rival Sigmund Freud pursued parallel efforts in psychoanalysis. Jung's extensive writings throughout a long professional life started an important reformation in our approach to mental function and malfunction. This book's vocabulary would challenge a Ph.D., but Tim Pigott-Smith's mellow voice achieves perfect pronunciation. By giving welcome expression to the dry definitions, his tempered enthusiasm and varying pace add color to a black-and-white text. In fact, the reader's feeling adds so much vitality to the production that he brings what the message lacked to make it palatable. J.A.H. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Review
`offers a concise introduction to Jungian psychology, covering everything from the collective unconscious and the archetype to the theories of synchronicity and individuation.' Ken McGoogan, Calgary Herald

About the Author

Anthony Stevens is also the author of Archetype: A Natural History of the Self (1982), On Jung (1990), and, most recently, The Two Million-Year-Old Self (1993).

Customer Reviews

An Excellent Introduction
I found this short volume to be an excellent introduction to the world of Jungian psychology. It starts off with a brief biography, since Jung's experiences had a great influence on his way of thinking. Then it gets into some of Jung's key concepts such as archtypes, psychological types, and dreams. Of particular interest is his views on therapy. He deeply disliked the clinical sterility of psychoanalysis, and favored a more person-to-person style of therapy. In this he stressed the involvement of the therapist with the patient--therapy as a two-way process between equals. It is this sense of warmth that makes Jung's ideas attractive. He allows for a more social approach to psychology. For those who haven't read about Jung before and would like a brief introduction, this book is perfect.

Superb summary of Jung's life and thought
A professional with no training in psychology, yet long fascinated by Jung. fluent in German, having read Jung's Memories Dreams & Reflections several times, possessing his collected works and having read a substantial portion of them, I picked up this little book wondering what it could tell me and was amazed at the author's superb job of comprehensively summarizing, sympathetically yet critically, and very clearly and readably Jung's life and his work in what is but an evening's read. I learned things I didn't know and gained something from the bird's-eye view. This book is a tour de force. Hats off!

Most Excellent
I'll pile on with what everyone else has said. I read this one and the VSI to Freud and they're both excellent......and a nice pair to read in sequence. Everything you probably want to know about Jung is here and it's all explained very clearly. A truly fascinating character and a great book.