Product Description

"Certainly the very best introduction to Jung around."--Joseph Campbell. After 13 printings, this classic is completely revised to encorporate developments over the last two decades--particularly in the areas of gender relations, psychotherapeutic drugs, and the evolution of Jung's concept and personality types. Includes revised case histories.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #71076 in Books
• Published on: 1994-10-01
• Released on: 1994-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 528 pages

Review
"In a way one might say that this book ought not to have been published, because it gives away the essential secrets of psychotherapy and is from the pen of one of the great masters of the art."--Alan Watts

"It is so deep and so rich and so lucid."--Anais Nin -- Review

Review
"In a way one might say that this book ought not to have been published, because it gives away the essential secrets of psychotherapy and is from the pen of one of the great masters of the art."--Alan Watts

"It is so deep and so rich and so lucid."--Anais Nin

From the Publisher
After thirteen printings and with nearly 100,000 copies in print since its publication twenty years ago, Boundaries Of The Soul has become recognized as THE classic introduction to Jung and the practice of Jung's psychology. The book has been described as "the clearest and most coherent exposition of Jung's total thought," by Robertson Davies, and Alan Watts has called Dr. Singer "one of the great masters of the art." Now, in a completely revised edition of Boundaries Of The Soul, Dr. Singer incorporates the latest developments in Jungian psychology over the last two decades, particularlv in the areas of masculine/feminine relationships, the use of psychotherapeutic drugs, and the evolution of Jung's concept and personality types and its application both clinically and in the world of business and industry. In addition, the case histories, so central to understanding many of Jung's concepts, have been re-examined and revised where necessary to correspond to the spirit of today's world. The updated edition of Boundaries Of The Soul should reaffirm the book's long-standing reputation as the best introduction to Jung's thought available.

"In a way one might say that this book ought not to have been published, because it gives away the essential secrets of psychotherapy and is from the pen of one of the great masters of the art."--Alan Watts

"It is so deep and so rich and so lucid."--Anais Nin

0385420501

Customer Reviews

A great work

I have to write a review, since there seem to be a lot of negative comments on this board about this book, which I find misleading.

Jung is not easy. If some readers think that Singer is unfocused and unscientific, I’d suggest their going to the source. Jung’s writings meander like the subconscious streams he plummets into. His thinking is generally inter-relational and holistic, not as mechanistic and “simplistic” as Freud’s theories tend to be. Jung wasn’t happy with merely restoring a patient’s ego to the status-quo; he wanted to know and understand the whole-shebang. He had an inkling that there was more to reality than rational systems could explain, and spent his life exploring this realization.

Basically, Freud was a depth psychologist using a mechanistic model, where humans are seen as separate units being driven by internal “engines”, whereas Jung’s model is closer to a quantum theory of the subconscious mind, with humans, indeed all reality, connected by a field on the deep level that is incompatible with "ego" functioning. All things, he seems to say, affect all other things, just as a lot of quantum mechanical experiments illustrate about the physical world. He called this "inter-realtedness" the collective subconscious for lack of a better term, I suppose.

Both views, by the way, are essential; simply two sides of the same coin. Freud developed a more practical, easier to use system, but Jung is the superior theorist.

I think Singer not only does an admirable job explaining Jung. Though it takes some work to read, I really like the way she illustrates examples with stories from her practice. She organizes and humanizes the often incomprehensible theories of Jung with real-world examples. I have read the book four times in my life, and have found it ever more reliable and insightful as I grow older. While I still love to ponder Jung, without Singer and her real-world case studies, I would have been lost.

As an aside, I would suggest to anyone doubting the difference in the sexes to pick up Jean Shinoda Bolen’s "The Goddesses in Everywoman" and "The Gods in Everyman" for a modern, post-feminist perspective on these issues. Her point, as well as Jung’s, is that men and women are different. Equally powerful, but different.

A rich & deep introduction to Jung
I first read this wonderful book some 30-odd years ago, and I've returned to it many times since. It remains one of the best introductions to Jung's thought & basic concepts that I know. Singer's personal touch, both in her own case histories & her autobiographical anecdotes, add to the book; the feeling is one of listening to a wise woman, rather than hearing a dry lecture. Singer not only knows her material intellectually, she knows it in her soul, and that comes through on every page. This book made me start paying attention to my dreams, and gave me a much-needed framework for understanding my life at a crucial time, when I was most in need of such a framework.

While the revised & updated edition is excellent, I'd also recommend reading the original 1972 edition if you can find it. For example, Singer's chapter on Jung & the Counterculture is superb, and not nearly as dated as the author herself believed; in any case, it provides a valuable on-the-spot account of Jungian thought & its intersection with the 1960s, the impact of which is still being felt today. Yet it's also fascinating to read the follow-up stories of some of her patients in the newer edition.

Jung is a much better known name today than when this book first appeared, but his thought isn't always as well understood as it might be. Let Singer take you on a revelatory tour of the Psyche & learn far more about both Jung & yourself than you ever imagined. Highly recommended!

Analysis in Action
I have to give this book 5 stars not just because I found it to be a very thorough explanation of Jung's theories but also because readers much greater than I have given this book rave reviews as noted from the back cover! Admittedly, this book is not easy to get through but worth the bit of struggle; it seems everyone should be interested in psychology since it's how we think, our attitudes and resulting behavior that rules our lives and the lives of all the human beings that we come in contact with!

Interspersed with Jung's theories are real life psychoanalytical scenarios most centered around dream analysis which I thought was way more real and interesting than reality TV! Prior to reading this book, I did not realize how much of Jung's theory has become a part of our lives, such as archetypes, although I think these were originally discussed by Plato, projection and transference, synchronicity and of course the individuation process. The latter is the acceptance of our humanness on a holistic level and the continuing discovery of our potential.

Warning, this book may raise your level of consciousness and force you to realize that the world does not revolve around you! The sooner we all face up to the truth of our existence, that all human beings are untied, regardless of their race, color or creed, the sooner we can achieve internal and therefore external peace.