American Collective Psyche

8/19/2019 American Collective Psyche

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What’s next for America?

A depth psychological look into

the American collective unconscious.


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Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist

developed theories on

psychological processes

that today seem not only true,

but significant to current times.


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His ideas seem significant,

Some definitions of his concepts may help

us get started.


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Jung saw the unconscious as bothpersonal and collective.


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The Personal Unconscious belongs to

each individual and contains one’sshadow (unwanted characteristics),

as well as one’s instincts.


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The Collective Unconscious belongs to all people

and contains structured patterns that can never

be fully known or understood, but those patterns

can be viewed by consciousness in the way

of dreams, active imagination and images.

He called those patterns archetypes, and the

images archetypal images.


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Jung had the idea that psyche (both conscious and

unconscious) had cycles, or patterns

and processes, that helped us evolve into more

mature levels of conscious functioning.

He called this process individuation.


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Edward F. Edinger, a leading Jungian analyst, created

a Psychic Life Cycle model of this process

defining the cycles of relationship between

Ego and Self. Ego is conscious awareness,

while Self, with a capital S, is an archetypal

concept that is “not merely the empirical man,

but the totality of his being” (Jung, 1956 [CW 5, p. 303, para. 460]).


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Edinger, 1972, Ego and Archetype, p. 41

The idea is that ego, as part of the cycle, identifies with

Self and becomes inflated. Inflation, in its most negative

form, will be narcissism. Narcissism is a psychologicalcondition whereby one’s ego thinks it is the Self.

Narcissism shows up in one’s personality as “excessive

or erotic concern with oneself and appearance” (Google).


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An inflated state will cause one to seek heroic acts,

to further one’s self assessment as a God-like figure.The heroic act may be met with rejection. Oftentimes many

rejections are necessary to force a separation between

ego and Self.


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As the ego and Self separate their identities, one

will hopefully cross the threshold of humility.Humility pushes psyche toward acceptance of

one’s very human condition and develop

compassion and empathy for others.


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If we consider the collective unconscious of

America as a single personality and

look at where we might be

within this cycle, something

interesting arises.

Pixabay


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What makes up a personality and its functions?

?


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Google defines personality as:

the combination of characteristics or qualities that

form an individual's distinctive character.


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In what ways is America distinctive

in its personality?

?


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There are a plethora of characteristics we could look at,

but let’s keep this somewhat simple

and look at two.

In what ways is America distinctive

in its personality?


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Political and Economic distinctions.


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Political

We have two major political

parties. These parties could

be viewed as representing thebinary in which we live.

Republicans and Democrats

represent two opposingideologies.


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• Tax cuts to big business• Pro-life / anti abortion• Stronger security• Privatized health care

• Right to work laws• Continued use of fossil fuels• Cut social security• Defund schools• Defund planned parenthood• Deregulate big banks• Voter integrity laws (voter fraud concerns)• Platform based on being against things• Strong base in religious beliefs.

Test Tube News

• More taxes paid by wealthy• Fetus aborted before viable• Strong security• Private and socialist healthcare

• Unions, pensions, 401K• Green energy alternatives• Strengthen social security• Fund schools and raise teacher pay• Fund women’s health care• Regulate fair business practices• Voter availability (everyone votes)• Platform based on what they are for• Separation of church and state

The Two Party Platforms


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As cited in Huffington Post on 5-22-2015

Liberal social views on the rise in America


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Republican conservatives seemingly are losing their party

base largely due to the extreme of views within the party.

They are viewed, more and more, as fanatics. This forcesmoderates to choose the democratic liberal side.*

* http://www.people-press.org/2015/07/23/gops-favorability-rating-takes-a-negative-turn/

As cited in Huffington Post on 5-22-2015


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Economics

The Republican platformincludes an economic

ideology that began with

Ronald Regan called

Trickle Down Economics.The hypothesis of

Trickle Down is that we should

allow the wealthy

to gain even more wealthbecause when they

have a lot, they then give their

extra away and others benefit.


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Unfortunately, that does not happen because what

conservatives then also believe is that everyone

has an opportunity to achieve the American Dream

and make themselves rich. With this belief system

firmly in place, the wealthy believe they deserve

their wealth and they will not help those who

don’t help themselves.


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Whereas the Democrats think that we are all socially

responsible for each other. Those who are poverty ridden do

not have the same opportunities as those born with wealthand therefore cannot achieve the American Dream.

Democrats want social programs that help everyone to have

equal opportunity. They share wealth among all rather than

keep it to themselves.

Pixabay


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The two extreme views

haven’t always been so

extreme.

We have seen the chasm

between these two

ideologies grow wider and

wider over the past several

decades.

That division can be viewedas a growing

tension of opposites, as

Jung termed it, in a national

psychological process.

Pixabay


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The tension between the two ideologies is

becoming extreme as the views

are stretched to their maximumpotential on both sides.

Pixabay


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If the tension between the opposites can be held inconsciousness, then something will happen

internally to resolve the conflict.


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Energy previously

locked up in tension is

released and theprogression of libido

(psychic energy)

becomes possible.

Pixabay


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Jung called this the transcendent function, becausewhat happens transcends the opposites.

Pixabay


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In the case of America, thetension, or conflict seems to

be around moral issues such

as faith, equality, fairness.

A new set of moral value may

result because consciousconflicts manifest

as moral and ethicalconcerns.

Pixabay


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But what about the unconscious conflicts?

Those tensions are building too and

unconscious conflicts manifest asphysical symptoms.


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Pixabay


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Pixabay


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Pixabay


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Valley of Drums


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Pixabay


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boston.com

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/06/caught_in_the_oil.html


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NASA

The transcendent function brings a new attitude,

or perspective. The 2016 election could

be a major factor in this process.

American Collective Psyche

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