Analytical psychology – Suomen Analyyttisen Psykologian Yhdistys ry

Analytical psychology is a branch of psychology and psychotherapy developed by the Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Gustav Jung. It is depth-psychological in its approach, and like all depth-psychological orientations, the interaction between the conscious and unconscious mind is central. The unconscious expresses itself through both empowering and burdensome emotions, memories, and associations. These may relate to personal experiences or be universal in nature, connected to human life in general.

One distinctive feature of Jungian psychology is the recognition that we are influenced by factors beyond our personal lives — unconscious forces that arise from outside our individual experience. These factors, which Jung called archetypes, belong to the collective unconscious and emerge in cultural heritage, fairy tales, myths, and religious phenomena.

External and internal conflicts manifest as psychological symptoms and suffering. At the same time, a functioning connection between the environment, the conscious mind, and the unconscious enables a person’s psychological growth and the becoming of “what they were born to be.”

To become “what we were born to be” means, according to analytical psychology, a lifelong process of growth — individuation. This is not about emphasizing individuality, but about being able to accept both our strengths and weaknesses within ourselves, and to find meaning in our very existence.

Jung’s own life and his work with clients formed the experiential foundation from which he built the theoretical framework of analytical psychology.

Working as a psychiatrist, he observed early on that beneath the surface of his patients’ severe psychological symptoms, there was a discernible attempt by the psyche to establish some order within their chaotic mental state. This was the beginning of Jung’s view that psychic energy is fundamentally oriented toward a goal. This goal — telos — is a striving toward a new equilibrium in place of a previous conflict, and a striving for the person to gain a broader perspective on what had caused their earlier psychological distress or imbalance. The psyche’s drive toward a new equilibrium is also reflected in many aspects of the Jungian analyst’s work.

The starting point of therapy is not merely to examine a person’s suffering and psychological symptoms in the light of past events, but to find the perspective oriented toward a new balance that reveals itself from within the symptoms. One can begin to explore what symbolic meaning each symptom carries within it. In Jungian analysis, dreams are seen as a valuable opportunity to gain insight into the dynamics of the psyche and into what the unconscious wishes to bring to the attention of the conscious mind at any given moment — something that holds a symbolic key toward change, toward a more balanced outlook and state of being.

See also articles on basic concepts: https://iaap.org/jung-analytical-psychology/short-articles-on-analytical-psychology/