On the Conflicts of the Child's Soul PDF Download

Author: Carl Jung
Publisher: Livraria Press
ISBN: 3689384907
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 110

Get Book

Book Description
On the Conflicts of the Child's Soul (original title "Über Konflikte der kindlichen Seele") was first published inside the Jahrbuch fur psychoanalytische und psychopathologische foschungen which included essays by Bleuler and Freud. It illustrates his further departure from the Freudian school of thought and his exploration into the deeper and broader aspects of the human psyche. Jung believed that children naturally gravitate towards certain symbols and myths as part of their psychological development, a perspective he would elaborate on more in his later works on the collective unconscious and archetypes. Unlike Freud, who emphasized childhood experiences and especially early sexual experiences as the dominant forces shaping the personality, Jung introduced the notion that children also possess innate ideas – precursors to his later, more refined concept of archetypes. He suggests that these are universally present and influence the child's experience of the world. This edition is a new translation with an Afterword by the Translator, a philosophic index of Jung's terminology and a timeline of his life and works. Jung's interest in child psychology primarily stems from his broader focus on individuation—the process by which a person becomes differentiated from their unconscious and integrates their personality into a cohesive whole. In addressing childhood conflicts, Jung would likely emphasize the role of archetypal influences and the developmental impact of the early family environment. He suggests that early experiences shape the unconscious, and unresolved conflicts from this period manifest in adult life through neuroses. Jung also highlights the child's inner world, where external events (e.g., parental conflicts or social pressures) are internalized, leading to psychological struggles between different aspects of the self, such as between the ego and the unconscious. This mirrors the theoretical framework outlined in his other works where he explores the dynamics between consciousness and the unconscious. In Beitrage zur Symbolik des Selbst, for instance, Jung discusses how the self is not just the conscious "I" (the ego) but a larger whole that includes unconscious elements. The development of the child's ego, and its eventual integration with the unconscious, would be a process fraught with these early conflicts​​. In this essay, Jung explores the psychological conflicts experienced by children, challenging the idea that only adults face significant psychological dilemmas. He argues that children are deeply affected by their emotional environments, particularly through their relationships with their parents. Jung suggests that these early conflicts can have a lasting impact on the child's development and may lead to psychological issues later in life. This work is important for its contribution to developmental psychology and for laying the groundwork for understanding the impact of childhood experiences on the formation of complexes.