Jung: A Very Short Introduction

Description

Though he was a prolific writer and original thinker of vast erudition, Jung lacked a gift for clear exposition and his ideas are less widely appreciated than they deserve.

In this concise introduction, Anthony Stevens explains clearly the basic concepts of Jungian psychology: the collective unconscious, complex, archetype, shadow, persona, anima, animus, and the individuation of the Self. He examines Jung's views on such disparate subjects as myth, religion, alchemy, 'synchronicity', and the psychology of gender differences, and he devotes separate chapters to the stages of life, Jung's theory of psychological types, the interpretation of dreams, the practice of Jungian analysis, and the unjust allegation that Jung was a Nazi sympathiser. Finally, he argues that Jung's visionary powers and profound spirituality have helped many to find an alternative set of values to the arid materialism prevailing in Western society.

Review

Anthony Stevens tries to capture Jung's complex work and distill it into less than 200 pages. I found it to be a great insight into Jung's background, life, and main ideas. It also piqued my interest to read other works on specific topics introduced in this book. Before approaching the original source though, I might read analysis of the source instead as an introduction.