The Portable Jung (Portable Library) by C. G. Jung

by R.F.C. Hull

This comprehensive collection of writings by the epoch-shaping Swiss psychoanalyst was edited by Joseph Campbell, himself the most famous of Jung's American followers. It comprises Jung's pioneering studies of the structure of the psyche - including the works that introduced such notions as the collective unconscious, the Shadow, Anima and Animus - as well as inquries into the psychology of spirituality and creativity, and Jung's influential "On Synchronicity," a paper whose implications extend from the I Ching to quantum physics. Campbell's introduction completes this compact volume, placing Jung's astonishingly wide-ranging oeuvre within the context of his life and times.

Genres: Psychology, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Science, Psychoanalysis, Classics, Mythology

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Richard Francis Carrington Hull was a British translator, best known for his role in translating The Collected Works of C.G. Jung among other scholarly works.

Reviews

[Chloé · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I even carry it in my purse, because I can always reread sections and get more out of it each time. The introduction by Joseph Campbell was my first exposure to Carl Jung (and Campbell as well). It was very clear and comprehensive, and with Campbell's vast knowledge on mythological matters, thus linking him to analytical psychology to an extent, I trust that the selections of text are some of the best for a good understanding of Jung's theories. It covers his views on marriage, religion, alchemy, etc, and contains his writing that explains some of his most important concepts. Jung's style is even engaging. It has an almost poetic quality, vastly different from Freud's more scientifically based writing. I don't just learn about analytical psychology through this book - Jung often makes allusions to religion or mythology or history, and then I search other sources to know more about what he brought up in passing. Overall, this is an excellent exposure to Jung's writing. The selections aren't so long that they become tedious, but they are long enough to give a decent understanding. From this book, it's easy to figure out which books to turn to next for deeper study.

[Kevin Lopez (on sabbatical) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even if it were only comprised of the essays “Answer to Job” and “On Synchronicity,” The Portable Jung would be a classic tome. That it includes over a dozen other masterly essays—exploring topics ranging from the collective unconscious to the phenomenology of self to the structure of the psyche (and also a superb introduction [with footnotes!] by the eminent Jungian scholar/disciple Joseph Campbell)—only serves to further further heighten its worth as one of the foremost collections of psychological theory and insight ever compiled. An absolute must-read for anyone interested in psychology, psychiatry, or the philosophy of mind—invaluable for beginners and experts alike.

[Natacha Pavlov · Rating 4 out of 5]

This compilation consists of 15 articles that cover a range of Jung’s work. Given the variety of articles found in this book, it would be a great place to start to get an overall feel for the breadth of Jung’s work. Some of the topics covered include the collective unconscious, psychological types, dream symbolism in relation to alchemy, spiritual problem of modern man, differences in thinking between East and West, synchronicity and his dissertation “Answer to Job.” As usual, I retained some interesting points, the following of which are nowhere near exhaustive in a 650-page book:

-We have no ‘problems’ during childhood because we haven’t yet internalized them (aka: ‘taken them personal’). This is linked to the lack of ‘I-ness’ at that age, and it’s therefore the development of that ability later on that triggers our awareness of ‘problems’

--We have a personal unconscious (aka your own history) and collective unconscious (broader; inherited patterns by a species, essentially made up of archetypes)

--The role of ego, which is likely influenced by the unconscious and is part of the personality, but not the whole of it

--The existence of anima and animus as proof of the unconscious’s autonomy

--The concept that uniting our conscious and unconscious offers ways to analyze problems and how to best deal with them in the future (for indeed there will always be issues to deal with!)

As fascinating as I found the book, the main source of my ambivalence pertained to his lengthy interpretation of the biblical story of Job given in the last chapter “Answer To Job.” While I found it very interesting, my impression of that dissertation is that it mostly delivers a very negative view and/or understanding of God, stating things like ‘at that time, God was more archaic and thus susceptible to persuasion by Satan.’ I’m no theologian (and neither is Jung, as he acknowledges himself early on), but a statement like that is almost instantly confusing if not illogical, depending on one’s view of God. It all boils down to inferring that God had to undergo ‘growth’ aka ‘learning’, and if I take Jung’s word on it, then that begs the question of from whom—and that therefore God is not all-knowing. For if God needs to be taught by something and/or someone else, then how can He be called all-knowing? To me this displays a very different view of God than I happen to have, and while it’s fascinating to read his interpretation, it reminds me that a view that is as foundational as God will likely affect everything else. He also expresses clear confusion (which is at least somewhat understandable) over God’s dual loving-revengeful identity, and has his moments where he underlines that Jesus also displays both such attributes. While I personally wouldn’t see this duality as a ‘negative’, it feels like this detail is used to point to an ‘unpredictability’ in God’s character as a result of these presumed ‘contradicting’ attributes.
I also realize that this may be the view that Jung was brought up with, and let’s just say I won’t be surprised if much of it is derived from some church teachings, some of which are no doubt fond of reiterating the ‘you deserve to suffer’ spiel.

Despite its length, the book wasn’t too difficult to grasp. The most testing was the linguistically-challenging chapter 8, which tackled introverted and extraverted personality types. Having read a few books on him by now, I’ve no doubt he’s one of the most important minds of our time. But the last chapter has genuinely peaked my interest on his views of God and how he came to them (and perhaps he was vague about them on purpose?). Perhaps what’s fascinating is that while he may have been ambivalent on the matter, he was a proponent of spiritual exploration and saw from experience how a belief in such a concept can and often does enhance a person’s life. Complex and fascinating being to say the least. =)

[Clay Kallam · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Portable Jung" solved a problem for me: I had always wanted to read some of Jung's work, but I had no idea where to start -- and he has written a lot of very long books. This compendium, edited by Joseph Campbell, seemed to me to be a very good introduction to Jung's thought.

There are 15 essays in the 650 pages, and though as usual some are better than others, by the time I finished "The Portable Jung" I felt I had a much better understanding of his thought. Of course, some of his ideas have been rendered outdated by scientific advances (the causes of schizophrenia), and the long "Answer to Job" didn't answer anything, but still this is a book well worth reading.

Not having read anything by Jung other than this book, it could be that this is not a good representation of his work, but seeing Campbell as the editor gave me some confidence that it was a fair sample. For newbies like me, "The Portable Jung" is an easily digestible place to start learning about one of the 20th century's great thinkers.

[Lezlee Hays · Rating 5 out of 5]

As far as I'm concerned you're never really done reading this book. The thing that struck me while reading it, is how on earth did one man have a brain so fantastically intelligent and creative at the same time. How on earth did he have time to have all these amazing thoughts. While he certainly does owe much to the thinking of Freud, Jung's thoughts diverge pretty greatly from where Freud left off and take us to amazing places. Some of these things are astute observations. Other are incredible philosophical insights. Still more are speculative conjectures of a fantastical degree. And yet all of it is both fascinating and useful. I know Jung didn't necessarily consider himself a philosopher, but he is my favorite philosopher. I love him, I love this compilation of his thoughts and I look forward to reading it again.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a conflicted relationship with C. G. Jung. I remember enjoying his work back in high school when I had an interest in dream interpretation, a topic I have recently resumed interest in. I became more critical of Jung when I noticed how often Buddhists and Hindus who insisted on sticking to traditional practice and not watering down teachings mentioned Jung as one of the authors to blame for the most Western misconceptions about those 2 religions along with Helena Blavatsky, Mircea Eliade, Julius Evola and so on.

Nonetheless, here in 2021 I have decided to develop a working knowledge of modern Western occultism: Which requires an understanding of Jungian analytical psychology since many modern occultists borrow from him e.g. Erwin Neutzsky-Wulff, Robert Anton Wilson, Lynn Picknett and David Myatt. I decided to start with this thick collection of Jung's essays, selected by Joseph Campbell who also wrote the introduction with the specific purpose of giving an overview of Jung's career and how his ideas evolved throughout his life. Campbell accordingly picked essays from the beginning of Jung's career around the fin-de-siecle up until 1952's ”Answer to Job”. The results make for a different reading experience than the very first book by Jung I read: ”Man and His Symbols”, edited by the man himself shortly before his death and most of the content written by his students Marie-Louise von Franz, Joseph Henderson, Jolande Jacobi and Aniela Jaffé. I would myself say that ”The Portable Jung” paints a more accurate portrait of Jung, as opposed to how he preferred to be remembered which is the picture you get in ”Man and His Symbols”.

The first thing that struck me was how seriously Jung took many phenomena which today are considered pseudoscience – such as including precognition, telepathy and telekinesis. In his youth Jung witnessed several cases of all those psychic powers at work, which had a significant impact on the development of his overall worldview and his psychological system. In the earlier essays compiled here, Jung spends much energy on looking for the symbolic significance that paranormal occurrences had to their witnesses.

Reading ”The Portable Jung” has also corrected popular misunderstandings of Jung's ideas I had internalised. For example his definitions of the self and the ego, the anima and animus, or extraversion and intraversion – Campbell's selection here including the essays where Jung coined those terms in the first place. For example his ideas of ”the self” and ”individuation” turn out to be somewhat different from how I imagined it and depicted by popular culture: The Jungian self being the sum total of influences, impulses and tendencies present in one person's psyche be they conscious or unconscious, particular to that person or universal to humanity; individuation being the process of becoming indivisible by facing all those conflicting tendencies and developing a philosophy for living life where they no longer undermine each other. While we are at it, I had no idea that Jung defined extraversion and introversion specifically as outright dysfunctions at worst, dead ends in spiritual development at best that required a considerable level of soul-searching to get out of. Come to think of it, Jung's description of the extraversion as manifested in women sounds eerily like Lucy from ”Peanuts” or Asuka from ”Neon Genesis Evangelion”...

The main things in here I recognised from my reading of ”Man and His Symbols” in high school are the focus on dream analysis and the idea of all religions expressing the same universal human truth filtered through different cultures. As expected, this takes up a good chunk of the page count – complete with Jung focusing on the importance of Mandala symbolism, another New Age cliché that originated with Jung but I never quite grasped until now. I have found out that Jung's approach to comparative religion was nowhere as universalistic as I remembered, since Campbell did include an essay where Jung points out the differences between Eastern and Western mystical traditions. In this essay, Jung even castigates Helena Blavatsky and other Theosophists for attempting to paper over those differences! That said, perhaps Jung either did not have access to very good translations of the primary sources for Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism etc or he wasn't careful enough as even several of his students (e. g. James Hillman and Robert A. Johnson) have criticised him for projecting distinctly Western narratives about individuation, gender roles and so on unto the universal human condition.

Jung's interest in occultism and parapsychology really shines through in the essay ”Individual Dream Symbolism in Relation to Alchemy”, where he points out how alchemy and psychology describe the same things just through different languages. The detailed examples of just how many visual symbols and narrative structures central to Renaissance-era European alchemy occurred again and again in his patients' dreams can get downright uncanny. One case story involves a symbol very similar to the eight-pointed star of chaos appearing in a patient's dream long before the British fantasy author Michael Moorcock popularised it – let alone before occultist Peter Carroll started using the eight-rayed star in his own practice.

”29. VISUAL IMPRESSION:
A bunch of roses, then the sign (one vertical line with 4 horisontal lines crossing through), but it should be (an eight-pointed star).

A rose bouquet is like a fountain fanning out. The meaning of the first sign – possibly a tree – is not clear, whereas the correction represents the eightfold flower. Evidently, a mistake is being corrected which somehow impaired the wholeness of the rose. The aim of the reconstruction is to bring the problem of the mandala – the correct valuation and interpretation of the ”centre” - once more into the field of consciousness.” (pp. 419-420)

The symbol appears several times later in the same patient's dream:

”51. DREAM:
There is a feeling of great tension. Many people are circulating along a large central oblong with four smaller oblongs on its sides. The circulation in the large oblong goes to the left and in the smaller oblongs to the right. In the middle there is the eight-rayed star. A bowl is placed in the centre of each of the smaller oblongs, containing red, yellow, green and colourless water. The water rotates to the left. The disquieting question arises: Is there enough water?” (p. 434)

Here, Jung goes on to read the symbol as a ”disturbed mandal” - ie a Star of Chaos. These anecdotes come from case stories from 1935-1937, that is before Aleister Crowley would design his Tarot deck depicting the Eight of Wands in a similar way.

As I made it through ”The Portable Jung” it startled me just how many tropes of modern occultism could be found here in embryonic form. One essay included is even dedicated to the notion that the modern Western world suffers from an unprecedented spiritual crisis that very few people living in it are properly equipped by their surrounding culture to handle. Another widespread notion in Western occultism today, both of the ”serious” and ”New Age” varieties!

The most interesting text found in ”The Portable Jung”, as far as impact on modern occultism goes, has to be ”Answer to Job”: A work of Biblical exegesis which examines not just the Book of Job in the Old Testament, but also the Book of Revelation in the NT. This work points out a dizzying number of clear parallels between those texts, spelling out their exact thematic significance in great depth. The reader can tell here that Jung at first set out to be a Lutheran preacher before finding psychology to be his real calling, since ”Answer to Job” demonstrates an impressive knowledge of the minutiae of Christian theology way beyond that expected from a psychotherapist. The central point Jung makes is that Job in the Bible ends up understanding Yahweh better than Yahweh understands himself. From where, Jung goes on to examine the symbolic callbacks to the OT in the NT, many of which are fairly subtle and whose exact thematic points are not always clear to the reader.

Jung's exegesis of Job and Revelation found in ”Answer to Job” leads to a criticism of modern Christianity for neglecting both its esoteric dimension and the divine feminine, especially in her dark destructive side... who only gets more dangerous the more you repress her! Criticisms that are echoed today by occultists such as Erwin Neutzsky-Wulff and Lynn Picknett. Yet for all of Jung's criticism of how Christianity is popularly practiced in the modern West, he treats the religion with more respect and nuance than his imitators usually do. Compare and contrast to the tendency of modern Western occultists to consistently treat Judaism with a level of utmost respect they rarely show Christianity or Islam. (Neutzsky-Wulff frequently describes Christianity as combining the least interesting aspects of Judaism and Greek paganism, as did Alejandro Jodorowsky until 2006 or so)

It should be mentioned that by the late 1950's/early 1960's when Jung wrote his contributions to ”Man and His Symbols”, he had become significantly more distrustful towards traditional religions than he was in the older texts compiled here. This is one reason this compilation gives a more accurate portrayal of Jung's ideas out of those 2 books, while longer and less accessible.

All in all, I would say that ”The Portable Jung” serves as a good introduction to Jung's work in that the texts found herein represent both his strengths and weaknesses. It is however a more difficult read than ”Man and His Symbols”, which I would chalk up to Jung not being as skilled a writer and communicator as those of his students which contributed to that book, in particular Marie-Louise von Frantz. While I find Jung to have a better signal-to-noise ratio than I remembered, I also thought he often used very different language to describe the phenomena he wrote about than I would have. Several of his conclusions also struck me as somewhat ”off” compared to my own experiences of the same problems and processes. I nonetheless managed to find useful ideas in this compilation, way more than I expected to.

[Chris brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first thing that I will say is that this is an amazing book. This is well worth the trip down to the local bookstore; finding the Psychology section; searching through what is really "self-help" (late night crapola that has become popular) to find this gem. If you're like most people then you'll probably go to amazon or some other place so I will save you the trouble and post the link.

http://www.amazon.com/Portable-Jung-V...

Now to the book.

Edited by Joseph Campbell ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_C...) and translated by R.F.C. Hull this collection of works (which I've found to be very extensive but by far just the tip of the proverbial iceberg) is humbly life changing.

It took me a bit longer to finish this book than what I thought mainly because I underestimated how much I would love this book. I underestimated how much that I would want to dissect and ponder line by line, page by page of the shear soundness of the logic, reason, and thought that this book revealed. Also, throwing it in the back pack and forgetting it; reading on lunch breaks, the Bart, bus, and before sleep and not being diligent for an hour a day like I normally am added a few weeks.
This tome opens with his "Stages of Life" which discusses the stages of psychological development (and problems there of) as a person ages. The child state or "the unbearable age" which is marked by birth and roughly puberty where it is said that one said to be govern by "instinct" rather than conscience. The next state roughly is from puberty to mid life where he explains the the development of "self" and the desire for one to gain achievement, social standing, family, friends, religion. Then the last stage where he discuses logically and insightfully the latter part of life. He explains how and why some people become rigid, unwilling to embrace anything "new" and or "different" to the other extreme of rejecting the "old way" or "mid life crisis". The riding of what has worked in the past to embrace any idea that is not new and different.

The next work is "The Structure of the Psyche". Here we are introduced to one of the most famous and ground breaking ideas in modern psychological thought "Collective Unconscious"

The collective unconscious so far as we can say anything about it at all appears to consist of mythological motifs or primordial images, for which reason the myths of all nations are its real exponents. In fact, the whole of mythology could be taken as a sort of projection of the collective unconscious.

C. G. Jung

This idea in its time not only revolutionized the world of psychology but the world in general. The idea that all people no matter what or where are connected not just by the mere physically form of the human being but in some way the human mind is also connected to all other human minds. This idea still sends chills down some spines while being disregarded at the same time. If we fast forward to chapter 4 "The Concept of the Collective Unconscious" Jung goes more in dept in his explanation of his idea and introduces the archetypal factors of collective unconscious.

If we fast forward another 4 chapters we get to what Jung is probably most famous for "Psychological Types". Here he introduces the "Introvert" and the "Extraverted" types. Which again has been so revolutionary they remain a part of our lexicon and are halfway understood by most people today. I challenge anyone to fill out an survey online (for fun or for work) and not see the question

Are you more introverted or extraverted?

A word of cation; when reading understand (and it is said at the end of the chapter) most people are a mixture of both and most people gravitate slightly more to one or the other. So don't freak out if you see yourself in one of these types because he does get down and dirty in explaining the failings of both. The problem arises when one is so extreme that one is strictly one or the other. Again that is likely not to happen but, compared to modern psychological studies you see how one can easily fall in OCD patterns or bouts of exhibitionism. This chapter was one of my favorites in the whole book I read it twice which again added to the time.

Going back a few chapters to 6 "Aion: Phenomenology of Self" I think is another one of the pillars that modern psychology is based upon. If your a dork like me you will absolutely love every single word and eventually end up highlighting every page of this chapter.

Part 2 of the book was however a tad bit disappointing. The fervor that worked you into fanatic fascination in part one was brought to a mild hum in part two. "The Transcendent function" I found agreeable and a natural fulfillment of chapters 3, 4, 5, and 6. I disagree with his stand point in "Relation of Analytical Psychology to Poetry.

Art by its very nature is not science, and science by its very nature is not art; both these spheres of the mind have something in reserve that is peculiar to them and can be explained only in its own terms. Hence when we speak of the relation of psychology to art, we shall treat only of that aspect of art which can be submitted to psychological scrutiny without violation its nature. Whatever the psychologist has to say about art will be confined to the process of artistic creation and has noting to do with its innermost essence. He can no more explain this than the intellect can describe or even understand the nature of feeling

C.G. Jung

I agree and disagree with this statement. While it is true that we should not go out and arrest Steve King or Hideo Yamamoto based on the content of their artistic expression any good criminal psychologist will tell you that the truly insane and the truly disturbed killers, rapists, and what have you see their destruction as art. Take Manson for example. The difference is that while writers and artist can freely write, draw, and or paint about killing, raping and pillaging, the fact that they do not act on the idea separates the criminal malfunction from artistic expression.

Chapter 12 "The Spiritual Problem of Modern Man" I found to be the saving grace of part two of the book

It must be clearly understood that the mere fact of living in the present does not make a man modern, for in that case everyone at the present alive would be so. He alone is modern who is fully conscious of the present.

C. G. Jung

I think that if this had been written today it might be categorized in the dreaded "self help" section rather than its rightful place of psychology. This was a reminder to me that some of these men that come on late night television and public broadcasting networks and spout out ideas (however watered down they may be) are really saying things that ancient people like Lou Tzu and modern people like C.G. Jung have said time and time again. Only they have re-worded/written them to sound as if it was their own shiny new thing.

Part three was a true let down. "Synchronicity" I feel should have been more expansive and his "Answer to Job" would have been better left out as I felt it took away from the other works.

To sum it all up if your a dork like me and you like psychological works and think that Freud was a complete idiot you will absolutely love Jung and this book. Stay away from part three and as a homosexual man I found chapter 7 "Marriage as a Psychological Relationship" and his views on homosexuality very interesting and understandable (but not excusable) for a man of his time. Get two copies of this book so after you have highlighted, dogeared, tagged, and folded the first one you still have one that you can read over and over again.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading Jung for the first time. I was introduced to his writing through the strong references of Joseph Campbell (who compiled and edited this book),and many others who have appreciated his incisive probings into the meaning of the unconscious and personality types.

Jung really seems like a person who cares. His writings come across as a bit more hortatory (encouraging and urging) rather than a technical dissection of the mind. He isn't just a psychologist or a scientist, he's a philosopher-poet as well. His writing style incorporates his feelings, which he admits is the only way to honestly represent ones thoughts and ideas that have been formed in the matrix of subjective experience in the first place. He writes in an introduction to his personal reactions in Answer To Job, "I deliberately chose this form [style of writing:] because I wanted to avoid the impression that I had any idea of announcing an 'eternal truth'. The book does not pretend to be anything but the voice or question of a single individual who hopes or expects to meet with thoughtfulness in the public." Indeed, the entire book of selections is replete with this transparency and earnestness in manner, and I greatly appreciated it.

The first 20 pages of these selected writings was called "The Stages Of Life" and I found this to be VERY informative and inspiring. I made copies of it for people to read, it was that good. In the chapter he discusses basic stages of growth from instinct to consciousness, from child to youth to adulthood. He also inspects the nature of interruptions in growth patterns, and he surmises that most people don't ever grow out of the 'youth' stage to become prepared for later phases of life. Very challenging and eye-opening. If any of you reading this review would like, I can give you a copy of that chapter.

Jung is the progenitor of some very important ideas in pschology, including the idea of the collective unconscious, intraverted/extraverted personality types, and a strategy to bridge the conscious mind with the unconscious by a means called the 'transcendent function', which is basically being able to guide your conscious mind while being able to extract from your unconscious mind what is needed to function more healthfully. He also has a wonderful chapter about the difference between the introverted mindset of the mystical eastern traditions, and the extroverted mindset of the rational western traditions.

All in all, this book was among some of the greatest stepping stones in my educational history. I wish I would have read it sooner. Only a couple chapters felt a bit belabored...the rest was very revolutionary. I'll be reviewing it and memorizing for months to come.

[Nate Markham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this cover to cover and felt a much deeper understanding of everything i ever thought that i understood. This book caused a personal changing point in my life and way of thinking. Something big clicked for me when I finally came to understand the collective unconscious and the shadow self. Coming to terms with the reality of the shadow self is the KEY TO THE LOCK.

[Johnny · Rating 3 out of 5]

It would take too long to recount the insights in the multiple volume set of Jung’s works available at my local library. It is both voluminous and verbose. It would take up far too much room in my personal library (which is already far too cumbersome), so I am thankful for this paperback volume of 650 pages, edited by the late, great Joseph Campbell. In this volume, Campbell sets out Jung’s basic understanding of archetypes, the collective unconscious, dream theory, perceptions of general personality types, definition of psychic objectivity, appeal to individuation, holistic approach to understanding personality (with its underpinnings in Eastern thought), definition of the symbolic, and explanation of synchronicity. The final portion of the volume is the famous essay, “Answer to Job.”

Personally, I resonate with much of this book. Even though I am an unapologetic Christian in terms of my faith, while Jung struggled against what he perceived as the unhealthy traditions of Christianity (and opened himself to Eastern and alchemical symbolism as a “corrective”) and Campbell functioned as the 20th century’s most noted syncretist, these writings continue to be insightful to me. I love the line suggesting that doubt is a prerequisite for certainty (p. 5), as well as the idea that every conflict stimulates the mind to activity to find a solution (p. 486). I enjoy poking fun at my more positivist friends by reminding them of Jung’s definition of “psychic objectivity” as nothing less than the conviction as to the concrete existence of the spirit-world (p. 136), that “philosophical statements are always subjective” (p. 484), and that “physical truths” are not the only truths (p. 522). I like the way Jung describes the danger of objectifying ourselves and the world around us in terms of mere functionality, defining this as “psychic inflation” rather than merely describing the callous actions such objectification engenders as “godlike” (or perhaps, more accurately, demonic) attitudes (p. 88).

Perhaps, one of the most profound observations in this little volume is when he suggests: “…it is highly improbable that there could ever be a therapy that got rid of all difficulties. Man needs difficulties; they are necessary for health.” (p. 278) Having spent a great deal of my adult life as a critic, I was also taken with Jung’s description of the social importance of “art.” He described the work of the artist as activating an archetypal image and shaping it (and elaborating upon it) until he/she presents the work in a form where it can “educate” the spirit of the age, bringing to the fore some aspect of reality that the current culture needs but has ignored (p. 321).

It was interesting to see how the “seventh” level represents “initiation” into the alchemical mysteries (pp. 339-340) and plays a symbolic role in terms of finding meaning, in much the same way that young Jewish males passing their bar-mitzvahs learn to wrap the “teliphin” around their biceps and arms seven times and how the Bible uses both 7 and 12 as numbers suggesting that the creation is in right relationship with its Creator. Speaking of numerical symbolism, I also benefited from his multiple notations of how the number 4 is “basic” to nature and often in competition with the number 3 (pp. 451-452) which of course forms the basis of 3+4 = 7 and 3*4 = 12.

I also enjoyed his quote from Homer (regarding the “Golden Fleece”) where Thales shares how important the risk of loss is to the value of what we desire:

“That is indeed what most men seek on earth:
‘Tis the rust alone which gives the coin its worth.” (quoted on p. 405).

One of the most famous essays in the book is “On Synchronicity” which we might define as “meaningful coincidence” (p. 509). In this essay, he cites the research of parapsychologist J. B. Rhine in terms of testing for extra-sensory perception. Since conclusions based on those tests can be explained in different ways according to one’s presuppositions, I won’t elaborate—except to note something that really caught my eye. The effect of attitude was absolutely measurable in Rhine’s tests. The hit-ratio went up when the subjects were in a positive mood and went down measurably when they were in a skeptical mood (p. 510).

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joseph Campbell selected numerous excerpts from the writings of Carl Jung and compiled them into this large volume. He assembled it into three parts and his particular sequence helps bring the reader up to speed on the general terms and patient cases that Jung refers to in many of his later works. I felt Campbell assembled a fine selection of Carl Jung's works and by the time I reached the "Answer to Job" chapter at the end of the book I was able to read it at a smooth pace, without needing to stop and look anything up.

I find Carl Jung to be a fascinating writer and feel that time spent studying his works will enhance one's understanding of many subjects outside of psychology. How I approach science, logic, rationalism, religion, art, film, history, paranormal studies, myth, sociology, and fiction are slightly different than before I read Jung. It had a unifying effect on how I understand those separate subjects, and it was accomplished simply and profoundly by establishing the psyche as real (or the basis for how reality is approached on a daily basis). It's not to be misunderstood as the external world being "unreal", but rather the reality of one's psyche needing to be the central factor we return home to, for it might be the only thing any one person truly can know. This type of focus tends to abstract the external world a little, making it appear a little less chaotic and a little more symbolic. Whether the outside world actually is that way or not is unimportant in the development of the psyche. I guess this is an expected view for a psychologist.

Jung holds the traditional eastern interpretations of "mind" in high esteem, however he never pushes the reader or his patients to step outside their culture (culture being a heavy influence on the psyche) to find truth, as this defeats the point mentioned above. He holds the ideal of mindful attentiveness to the process manifest in one's personal psyche (as it's often different for each person) centered around certain core, universal concepts. The chapter "On the difference between eastern and western thinking" highlights and better explains these ideas.

In Jungian psychology the psyche is pressed with the task of expanding personal consciousness by gradual incorporation of unconscious contents. This individuation process is done gently, gradually, and taking constant personal responsibility for the negative, suppressed aspects of the unconscious psyche (termed "shadow"). What follows is a natural lead-in to understanding the difference between the personal unconscious contents and the collective unconscious contents that serve as an infinite source of mythological motifs and primal images and archetypes that influence human instinct and help to animate dreams.

The line between the personal and collective unconscious can be a blurry one and incorporating unconscious contents into waking consciousness always runs the risk of psychological instability. The unstable patient who is perhaps socially isolated and psychological immature is perhaps tempted to dissolve the personality and replace parts or all with the super-human archetypal motifs of the collective unconscious, producing the familiar delusions of grandeur and self-importance that follow.

At the opposite extreme, the common psyche looks to cultural and social standards for determining what to suppress into the unconscious and if left unchecked can grow and fester into a cesspool of negative feelings that periodically unleash into unpleasant emotional outbursts or even neurotic episodes. Somewhere in the middle lies the process of individuation and it's gradual incorporation and acceptance into waking consciousness of the unpleasant, negative patterns without losing or dissolving the true personality.

Reading Jung is a refreshing return to the earlier days of psychology when it was consulted as a means for the average person to better themselves spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. We seem to be losing that approach to the subject and perhaps have begun to view it instead as rarely effective medicine for the already mentally ill.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

(2nd reading)

“In all earnestness I asked myself what kind of world I had stumbled into.”

In this short sentence is encompassed the excitement I have in Jung. In its shadow is the issue I take with him. What I love is the exploration of the mystery that we are and live in. What I cannot stomach is the assumptions we all almost inevitable fall into in our eagerness to know. Of course Jung himself is aware of the danger.

“Do we ever understand what we think? We only understand that kind of thinking which is a mere equation, from which nothing comes out but what we have put in.”

“This open avowal of our limitations seems to me essential, because it is these problems more than any others which tempt us to the use of high-sounding and empty words. …Too many of us already have fallen victim to our own grandiloquence.”

In my view Jung’s own transgression/victimhood can be found in some mild quasi-sexism, or the occasional mis-defining of a concept (such as agnosticism); but mostly it is in his certainty regarding the interpretation of dreams. For all his pioneering brilliance, Jung seems to fall victim to his own eagerness to be an intermediary between symbols - such as circles and squares, threes and fours, gods and men - and true meaning.

If we may be so bold as to analyze the analyst, we can at least wonder if there is an unconsciously implied syllogism in his passing himself off as something of an authority on the unconscious while slyly correlating it with the ultimate:

“We cannot tell whether God and the unconscious are two different entities.”

Brilliant, innovative, and flawed.

“Thus man breathes his own life into things, until finally they begin to live of themselves and to multiply; and imperceptibly he is overgrown by them.”

[Briana Saussy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read three essays out of the Portable Jung: Structure of the Psyche, the Relations between the Ego and Unconscious and the Spiritual Problem of Modern Man. I recommend all three because Jung is like licorice--you either love him or you hate him with few people taking an ambivalent position.

In modern psychology he is grudgingly given credit for some of his insights (the role of symbols across cultures, the collective unconscious and the idea of archetypes) but he is also held at arm's length from the study of psychology today and especially from the therapy room. Psychoanalysis has been determined to be ineffectual, a waste of time, money, and resources, that culminates mostly in unhelpful navel gazing. On the other hand, for those who still believe in the benefit of psychoanalysis, dream interpretation, myth and story Jung is a figure of paramount importance, insight, and intelligence.

The three essays I mention above are helpful not because they confirm or deny these strong opinions, but because they allow the reader to get into the nitty gritty of what some of Jung's fundamental suppositions are. One example of this that plays out in all three essays is Jung's concern with the collective versus the individual. He uses the terms vaguely, sometimes using them to modify words like psyche, and at other times using them in what seems to be a political sense. I think the vagueness is intentional and that Jung really is interested in how these two notions play out against one another on a lot of different levels. His notion of collective is a departure from Freud, where it seems that every man is an island, perhaps plumbing the depth of his own individual psyche but in a fundamental way cut off from others and unable to articulate or express his experiences to others. Jung wants to address this problem and his assertion of the collective unconscious allows him to do that. The result is that psychic dysfunction, bad dreams, and even what we regard as good or positive is in some way shared among all people and in some parts of these essays he implies even shared beyond people.

[Christopher Mocella · Rating 3 out of 5]

"It all depends on how we look at things, and not how they are in themselves."

The main reason that I picked up this book is that, since so many others on my shelves have referenced Jung, I may as well read it from the source. I found the early parts of Part I interesting, where Jung forms his analytical psychology theory and defines the various terms and structure of the psyche, Aion included. I found myself browsing through a few sections, however, even the Personality Types section as he began to get into the weeds of the Extraverted and Introverted types. What I found most interesting, and didn't think that I would, was the last chapter: Answer To Job. This would require one to have both an open mind about God and Judeo-Christianity in the religious sense, as well as an open mind about using Jungian psychology to analyze Yahweh/God through Genesis, Job, the birth and life of Christ, and Revelation.

Very much worth the read, not necessarily as a means to subscribe wholly to Jung's ideas, but a thought-provoking way to gain new insight into one's own.

"It must be clearly understood that the mere fact of living the present does not make a man modern, for in that case everyone at present alive would be so. He alone is modern who is fully conscious of the present."

[Don Skotch Vail · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this man is probably a genius, but he is also probably wrong about so much. Most importantly, he is possibly the worst, most confusing writer I have ever read, and a great thinker that cannot organize his thoughts is likely to miss things.

Wins:
Convincing argument that most of our mind is not accesible to our conciosness. Just might be true.

Convincing argument that we share a collective unconcious. It would make sense that we are born with instinctive common templates about life, nature, and society. However, I suspect he goes too far in the interpretation of mythology. Apparently no myth is too obscure to be part of the collective unconscious.

Convincing argument that humans need religion, and that only the living, morphing religions are healthy. (btw I am a long time athiest)

Fails:
Synchronicity is based on bad statistics and bad studies. He gets a bit too excited here and sadly this misinformed paper is one of his best written.

His dream interpretation is unverifiable and just a bit self indulgent.

His personality types are vauge and unrecognizable, and likely just not true.

In conclusion, I will probably read more about his ideas, but I will have to read other authors who know how to communicate.

[Acid · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a good place to begin reading carl jung...dealing with synchronicity, collective unconscious, archetypes, personality types (introverted, extroverted and all there shades), some case study examples from his work as an analyst... carl jung studied alchemy, mandalas, dreams, patients, and many other avenues in his research for the work upon which he has written...I learned that many symbolic types of knowledge can be integrated into ones personal work, art, music,etc... if one begins to understand what a symbol is and how they effect the conscious and unconscious minds...mike seely and the acid tong

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow...I am enthralled. I knew the major ideas of the psychoanalysts but never read any Freud, Jung, Lacan, etc. until I picked up this five-dollar book at the used book store. I found myself describing Jung's theory of the collective unconscious to everyone I talked with. I don't believe in his ideas with a total certainty, but he must be admired for his brilliant mind. It is an almost transcedent beauty to see how humans are connected to one another. The idea that the human mind is not situated in time reminds you that there is something immortal in all of us, and it almost seems a little holy.

[Roy Madrid · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was really cool to read the actual manuscripts of works that've shaped so much of our view on the "internal life." However, that novelty wore off fairly quickly with the complication and tangential explanations of concepts that, in themselves, weren't necessarily true/accurate. It was like taking a ride on a steam of consciousness that continually introduces complicating "examples" to explain a roundabout chain of points that don't particularly add to the original message. Personally, I enjoyed reading the secondary sources on the works more since they removed the roundabout and got to the point.

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

He gets it. I would recommend to everybody to read 'The Spiritual Problem of Modern Man' but this whole selection is a delight, I can't believe I raced through 650 pages so quickly.

[Myra · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Difficult Read, At Best

There is much of Jung's work that I believe in and appreciate. However, I don't believe this book is the best way to understand Jung. His writing is dense and very liberally peppered with Latin phrases, words, and allusions to other writers and works that only the rarest scholar is familiar with these days. I would recommend instead of trying to slog through this work to read "A Very Short Introduction To Jung". It is concise and entirely comprehensible, without the struggle of reading this work.

A further note on this Kindle edition. There is no Table of Contents, giving the titles of the talks in this book, nor page numbers. So there is no easy way to navigate out of a talk. Additionally, many pages are split into parts be over long footnotes. All in all, reading this edition is difficult, not to say "a chore".

[Barbara K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe I finished this one in 2009. It was one of the first two books I read by Carl Jung. It was edited by Joseph Campbell, and I think he did an excellent job of choosing which of Jung's writings to include in order to provide a well-rounded look at Jung's work, so that someone new to Jung can in a sense put it all together and get an idea what they want to know more about for further reading. This and Memories, Dreams, Reflections were recommended to me as good choices for someone new to Jung.

[Joshua Nomen-Mutatio · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel rather differently (far less convinced of its truth and usefulness) about Jung (along with Freud and Lacan) than I used to, but this was still a very interesting catalyst propelling me towards the interests and alignments I'm currently attached to.

I would likely give this two less stars today, but I tend to attempt to rate books according to how I responded to them when I read them initially.

[Florence · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first exposure to the writings of Carl Jung. I found them influencing my thought process in many ways. I frequently try to analyze my dreams and interpret my thoughts and emotional reactions in terms of the collective uncounscious. So this is the source of the Myers-Briggs test! Unlik the broad generalizations of Myers-Briggs, Jung's writing on personality type is nuanced and insightful.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrific anthology of essential Jung, who's more generous than Freud, for my taste. The collective unconscious is the overriding idea of the man's work, but oddly enough I find the essay about the general description of types (extravert, introvert, thinking, feeling, etc.) to be the most interesting, if only because Jung so thoroughly and convincingly demonstrates the infinitely complex interaction between dominant characteristics and unconsciously compensating ones.

[Habiba Azab · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wealth of psychological analysis from a unique and valuable perspective. Jung's psychology incorporates the more mysterious aspects of existence, shedding light on the unconscious and its affects on our day-to-day existence. I particularly enjoyed reading 'The Difference Between Eastern and Western Thinking', which I found especially illuminating.

[John Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read this book many times and am still blown away each time. There is so much we don't know about ourselves and the mysteries and messages of myths. Aptly edited by Joseph Campbell the myth miester.

[Stefan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply the best of Jung. The clarity, depth and engagement in his works is amazing and feels fresh and intellectually challenging and modern. Recommended. If you need somewhere to start reading Jung this is the book!

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read Part I and Part II for class. A good introduction to Jung's work and ideas. The writing can get a bit tedious at times, and sometimes you have to read sections again to make sure you really understand the point Jung is trying to make.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books of all time. I carry a copy with me everywhere. In my office, at home, travelling, etc. A expert source for psychologists and people interested in the psyche.

[Jim B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this through more than once, and can still pick it up and read anywhere to find something I feel or think I have not seen before.