Meaning of life Questions Questions about the meaning of life have been expressed in a broad variety of ways, including the following: What is the meaning of life? What's it all about? Philosopher in Meditation (detail) by RembrandtWhy are we here? These questions have resulted in a wide range of competing answers and arguments, from scientific theories, to philosophical, theological, and spiritual explanations. Scientific inquiry and perspectives Many members of the scientific community and philosophy of science communities think that science can provide the relevant context, and set of parameters necessary for dealing with topics related to the meaning of life. Psychological significance and value in life Neuroscience describes reward, pleasure, and motivation in terms of neurotransmitter activity, especially in the limbic system and the ventral tegmental area in particular. Neurotheology is a controversial field which tries to find neural correlates and mechanisms of religious experience. Parapsychology
Carl Jung, part 3: Encountering the unconscious | Mark Vernon Jung's split with Freud in 1913 was costly. He was on his own again, an experience that reminded him of his lonely childhood. He suffered a breakdown that lasted through the years of the first world war. It was a traumatic experience. But it was not simply a collapse. It turned out to be a highly inventive period, one of discovery. He experienced a succession of episodes during which he vividly encountered the rich and disturbing fantasies of his unconscious. Its publication sparked massive interest in Jungian circles, rather like what happens in Christian circles when a new first-century codex is discovered. In particular he wrote two pieces, known as the Two Essays, that provide a succinct introduction to his mature work. In The Relations between the Ego and the Unconscious, he describes a process whereby a person can pay attention to how their unconscious life manifests itself in their conscious life. A non-judgmental attitude is critical.
Complex (psychology) For alternate usage, see complexity. A complex is a core pattern of emotions, memories, perceptions, and wishes in the personal unconscious organized around a common theme, such as power or status (Schultz, D. & Schultz, S., 2009). Primarily a psychoanalytic term, it is found extensively in the works of Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud. An example of a complex would be as follows: if you had a leg amputated when you were a child, this would influence your life in profound ways, even if you were wonderfully successful in overcoming the handicap. You might have many thoughts, emotions, memories, feelings of inferiority, triumphs, bitterness and determinations centering on that one aspect of your life. If these thoughts troubled you, Jung would say you had a complex about the leg (Dewey, 2007). Complex existence is widely agreed upon in the area of depth psychology. Carl Jung distinguished between two types of unconscious mind: the personal unconscious and collective unconscious (Dewey, 2007).
Psychology and Alchemy Psychology and Alchemy is Volume 12 in The Collected Works of C. G. Jung, a series of books published by Princeton University Press in the U.S. and Routledge & Kegan Paul in the U.K. Detailed abstracts of each chapter are available online.[3] Overview[edit] In this book, Jung argues for a reevaluation of the symbolism of Alchemy as being intimately related to the psychoanalytical process. In drawing these parallels Jung reinforces the universal nature of his theory of the archetype and makes an impassioned argument for the importance of spirituality in the psychic health of the modern man. Also interesting about this book is that the patient whose dreams are being analyzed in the second section is the physicist Wolfgang Pauli, who would go on to collaborate with Jung on such ideas as the acausal connection principle of synchronicity. Content[edit] Part I. Part II. Jung sets out his agenda and explains his method. Part III. Quotations[edit] Editions[edit] Jung, C.G. (1968). References[edit]
Archetype The concept of an archetype /ˈɑːrkɪtaɪp/ appears in areas relating to behavior, historical psychological theory, and literary analysis. An archetype can be: Etymology[edit] The word archetype, "original pattern from which copies are made", first entered into English usage in the 1540s[1] and derives from the Latin noun archetypum, latinisation of the Greek noun ἀρχέτυπον (archétypon), whose adjective form is ἀρχέτυπος (archétypos), which means "first-molded",[2] which is a compound of ἀρχή archḗ, "beginning, origin",[3] and τύπος týpos, which can mean, amongst other things, "pattern", "model", or "type".[4] It, thus, referred to the beginning or origin of the pattern, model or type.[5] Function[edit] Usage of archetypes in specific pieces of writing is a holistic approach, which can help the writing win universal acceptance. Plato[edit] The origins of the archetypal hypothesis date as far back as Plato. Jungian archetypes[edit] Jung states in part one of Man And His Symbols that:
From the classroom to the frontline – schools must be careful what they teach kids about the army By Jonathan Parry *reposted from Dinner time at Harrogate’s army foundation college. When you think of child soldiers, it might conjure up images of young children far away, taken from their homes and forced to take part in war and fighting, often held against their will. It may surprise you then to learn the UK employs child soldiers – about 23% of army personnel were recruited before their 18th birthday. This policy has earned criticism from humanitarian organisations – including the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. And yet this is something the UK government arguably wants to see more of. Given that the number of children signing up has declined over the last two decades, three of the report’s 20 recommendations implore the government to increase efforts to promote military service to young people. Frontline roles Kill or be killed
Carl Jung, part 5: Psychological types | Mark Vernon It is striking how differently individuals can react to precisely the same thing. Some love Marmite and others loathe it. And more seriously, many arguments self-perpetuate aside from whether there is evidence or sound reason to decide the issue, because opposing sides embody different temperaments. Depending upon your outlook, Wimbledon is two weeks of poetry in motion, or two weeks of channel-hogging TV tedium. Such oppositions struck Jung after his split with Freud. Two types seem especially clear: the introvert and the extravert [sic]. There is fun to be had describing types, especially those not your own – though, as a parlour game, be warned: it is hard accurately to ascertain the type of others because your view will be clouded by your own. They tend to need to join in, be with it and make a show of themselves. The introvert is not forthcoming and needs regular retreats from the world. Again, people will tend to rely more on one function than another.
Jung on Death and Immortality - C. G. Jung - Google Books Psychological Types Psychological Types is Volume 6 in the Princeton / Bollingen edition of The Collected Works of C. G. Jung.[1] It was also published in the U.K. by Routledge.[2] The original German language edition, Psychologische Typen, was first published by Rascher Verlag, Zurich in 1921.[3] Extensive detailed abstracts of each chapter are available online.[4] The eight psychological types are as follows: Extraverted sensationIntroverted sensationExtraverted intuitionIntroverted intuitionExtraverted thinkingIntroverted thinkingExtraverted feelingIntroverted feeling Historical context[edit] The characteristic animosity between the adherents of the two standpoints arises from the fact that either standpoint necessarily involves a devaluation and disparagement of the other. Due to the multifarious nature of fantasy, the fantasies of both Adlerian and Freudian patients contained ample empirical evidence to reinforce the steadfast belief of each side in their respective theories. See also[edit] Notes[edit]
The Trick To Thinking Clearer and Better – Personal Growth The late historians Will and Ariel Durant spent four decades of their life studying, compiling, and writing the history of Western civilization. The product of their efforts, The Story of Civilization, went on to fill four million words, across 10,000 pages, divided into 11 separate books. After finishing the last one, they then took on an arguably more daunting task: to summarize all they had learned into a 100 pages in The Lessons of History. It’s an incomplete and generalizing attempt, no doubt, but it is also one of the most densely-packed sources of modern wisdom available to us. There are many trends and patterns to be found in the past, and the Durants do a commendable job of highlighting them. “The only real revolution is in the enlightenment of the mind and the improvement of character, the only real emancipation is individual, and the only real revolutionists are philosophers and saints.” A Mind That Is Stuck in Habit Loops Diversifying Your Thinking Patterns The Takeaway
Carl Jung, part 6: Synchronicity | Mark Vernon Diana Athill's experience of 'synchroncity' inspired a short story. Photograph: Karen Robinson The literary agent and author Diane Athill describes the genesis of one of her short stories. That was odd enough, so early in the day. It is an example of what Jung called synchronicity, "a coincidence in time of two or more causally unrelated events which have the same or similar meaning" – in Athill's case, the surprising invitation of the man and his looking like her friend. Jung pursued this question in an odd relationship of his own, with one of the great physicists of the 20th century, Wolfgang Pauli. Pauli was a Jekyll and Hyde character, a Nobel theorist by day and sometime drunk womaniser by night. Miller demonstrates that Jung provided insights which facilitated Pauli with his great contributions to science, notably the exclusion principle that bears his name, a linchpin of quantum physics. Individuals from Plato to Spinoza have similarly tried to chart that fine course.
academyofideas View art in video The following is a transcript of this video. Far too many of us are oblivious to the dangers that some of our behavioural patterns pose to our long-term well-being. Instead of facing up to our problems, we either try and convince ourselves that our issues are trivial and so can be ignored, or we pretend that the problems do not exist at all. Jung, however, is not unique in this respect as many philosophers and psychologists, both past and present, share in this view. “What most people overlook or seem unable to understand is the fact that I regard the psyche as real.” The psyche, in Jung’s view is not merely a by-product of a certain configuration of matter. One reason for this lack of knowledge can be attributed to our Christian heritage and the associated belief in an omniscient god who not only knew if we were committing bad deeds, but also if we were thinking blasphemous thoughts. Jung was no proponent of this ideal. Further Readings Art Used in this Video Related
Prototype theory A theory of categorization based upon degrees of similarity to a central case Prototype theory is a theory of categorization in cognitive science, particularly in psychology and cognitive linguistics, in which there is a graded degree of belonging to a conceptual category, and some members are more central than others. It emerged in 1971 with the work of psychologist Eleanor Rosch, and it has been described as a "Copernican Revolution" in the theory of categorization for its departure from the traditional Aristotelian categories.[1] It has been criticized by those that still endorse the traditional theory of categories, like linguist Eugenio Coseriu and other proponents of the structural semantics paradigm.[1] In this prototype theory, any given concept in any given language has a real world example that best represents this concept. For example: when asked to give an example of the concept furniture, a couch is more frequently cited than, say, a wardrobe. Overview and terminology[edit]
How to improve your Critical Thinking skills: Interview with Dr. Gerald Nosich – Life Lessons In this article I interview an expert on Critical Thinking, Dr. Gerald Nosich from the Foundation for Critical Thinking, who has been teaching Critical Thinking since 1977 to find out how we can improve our Critical Thinking skills. In this article you will learn: Let’s start at the beginning… Michael: What is Critical thinking? Dr. One it’s reflective. So if I’m making a decision I can ask myself : “What assumptions am I making about this?” Or I can ask myself about the implications: “Well, if I make this decision, what’s likely to happen?” “And if I make this other decision, what’s likely to happen?” Notice I’m not just thinking about the decision I have to make, but I’m also reflecting on how I’m going about making the decision, that is I’m reflecting on my thinking about the decision. Now reflectiveness is a major part of critical thinking, but reflective all by itself does not make something “critical thinking”. Dr. “What assumptions am I making about how my child is doing in school?” Dr.