A Jungian Understanding of Symbolic Function and Forms

Book excerpt: The purpose of this book is to clarify the function of the symbol and its place at the juncture of psychoanalysis and other social sciences, where the singular and the collective intersect and whose laws are identical. The debate between Freud and Jung about the symbol is well known; by examining the points of contradiction between their respective approaches, this book seeks to place them in fruitful tension, rather than categorical opposition and explore their similarities and differences. In later chapters, the author further analyses the function of the symbol in relation to the topics of myth, anthropology and dreams. This thoughtful book will appeal to those interested and involved in analytical psychology and psychoanalysis, as well as psychiatrists and psychologists.