Man and His Symbols

Jung begins by explaining the two fundamental aspects of dreams: 1) Dreams should be considered fact and 2) A “dream is a specific expression of the unconscious” (24). He argues that dreams have both cause and purpose. Drawing on analogy, Jung describes the way the unconscious influences consciousness. When a person temporarily tunes out a repetitive noise, the noise continues to exist despite it no longer being at the forefront of the person’s perception and awareness. The same may be said of unconscious thoughts, emotions, and symbols. The unconscious guides conscious behavior and thought so much that the line between conscious and unconscious motivation is hard to draw.

Jung explains that a person in a severely dissociated state may not be aware of their surroundings but is still processing them on an unconscious level. Neurosis is just an exaggerated form of symptoms all people experience. People absorb the world around them, and only actively notice a few details out of many. However, the unconscious notices these details and takes them in; Jung refers to this phenomenon as “subliminal sense perception” (26). These subliminal perceptions influence how we interact with situations and other people and can be triggered by anything from a subtle smell to a distant sound. Many of the memories associated with these subliminal perceptions are disagreeable and get repressed by the individual either consciously or unconsciously. In turn, they can be pulled out of the unconscious at any moment. The mind does this to make room for new ideas and images. Jung ends the section by stating that it is from the unconscious that completely novel ideas are born, and that this often occurs through the dream state.

Jung notes that dreams do not follow the logic of the waking life. They may appear random, contradictory, or mixed up, and there is often no sense of time or physical laws. It is this distinction that makes dreams difficult for people to interpret, as a person may either disregard them completely or try and fail at making sense of them. The physical world is not as strictly set as people believe, and most of what people know depends on the individual context within which they are exposed to some event or idea. In this way, everything around us and within us carries a subtext of meaning that is impossible to ever know fully. These “psychic associations” (32) are at the heart of consciousness and of dream analysis. Jung explains that in dreams, elements are much more vivid because the unconscious is unrepressed and can fully express itself without the rationalization of the conscious mind. This is not an intentional game or trick of the unconscious. Rather, we struggle to interpret dreams because of the limits of our consciousness and our attachment to rational explanation.

Jung makes a distinction between the way “modern and primitive man” (34) view unexplainable phenomenon, explaining that tribespeople are more open to uncertainty and willing to admit to the weaknesses of their perception. On the other hand, “modern” people find this difficult and often openly deny the possibility. Jung continues to make this comparison throughout the text, explaining that “many dreams present images and associations that are analogous to primitive ideas, myths, and rites” (34) but which still have significance and value today. These ancient associations are the link between instinct and consciousness. While these symbols produce little response in people during their waking life, they are fully unleashed and unencumbered in dreams which causes people to pay closer attention to them.

Jung asserts that dreams restore a psychic balance which is thrown off by the distractions of the material world. The further a person sinks into the events of conscious life, the less they can live a healthy life. Dreams serve a “complementary role” (36) which counteracts unrealistic perceptions of the consciousness and brings them back down to a place of truth. Dreams may also foreshadow events that are not necessarily destined to occur but that are likely if a person continues down the same path. For instance, Jung recounts a patient who dreamed of spontaneously stepping off a ledge while mountain climbing and who ended up doing just that. He speculates that the climber “unconsciously sought a way out of his difficulties” (37). What the conscious mind refuses to see is revealed by the unconscious.

Jung recalls that during a trip to East Africa, he encountered a tribe whose chief and medicine man, after the arrival of British colonists, no longer had guiding dreams regarding tribal welfare. Jung notes that the rationality of modern (i.e., colonialist, imperialist) thinking overruled tribal instincts, much like it did for the rest of humanity long ago. He points out that dream interpretation involves the uniting of the conscious and unconscious and that this should be done with caution especially in the case of those with mental health issues. Although there are common motifs found in dreams, they must still be interpreted within the context of the individual; recurring motifs are of particular interest to Jung.

Jung describes another distinction between signs and symbols: Signs are finite and have a set meaning whereas symbols possess an unknown or hidden element. Humans receive knowledge of symbols through dreams, as well as through “psychic manifestations” (41) in the physical world, such as feelings and symbolic behaviors. Jung describes collective symbols which occur in the unconscious mind of most people and that originated in primeval dreams. This means that collective symbols which bear a common meaning are not deeply rooted in history and spontaneous dream states. Jung emphasizes the importance of interpreting dreams within the context of the individual, not from the standpoint of the psychologist (as he speculates Freud did). Jung concludes the section by warning of the dynamic between the analyst of the dream and the dreamer, and the potential for the analyst’s own personality to skew interpretation. He believes that “the individual is the only reality” (44); in other words; generalizing perceptions is a dangerous road to take.

Jung explains that psychology is not a generalizable science. In other words, no matter how much is known about the human mind in general, there are always some elements that are specific to individuals. Jung insists that people must be treated as people, not as objects of psychological theories. The individual personalities of both the psychologist and the patient may clash, complement, harmonize, or influence each other in such a way that it is vital to keep these differences in mind when conducting dream analysis. Jung describes one way in which individuality manifests, claiming that some intelligent people navigate the world with thought and others through feeling. He explains the many connotations behind the word “feeling,” from sentiment, to opinion, to intuition, distinguishing these from his own perspective on the word. Jung writes: “[When I use] the word ‘feeling’ in contrast to ‘thinking’, I refer to a judgment of value—for instance, agreeable or disagreeable, good or bad” (47). He clarifies that feeling is not an emotion under this definition; rather, it is a rational function much like thinking. Jung contrasts this voluntary and intentional type of feeling with intuition, which he asserts is involuntary and irrational in the sense that it does not require conscious thought. Within this scope, there are what Jung refers to as “four functional types [which] correspond to the obvious means by which consciousness obtains its orientation to experience” (47). These types are: 1) sensation, which alerts one to the existence of the environment and everything within it; 2) thinking, which rationalizes what one is sensing; 3) feeling, which provides information about whether the stimulus is good or bad; and 4) intuition, which hints at the past and future of what one is sensing.

Jung describes how dreams have a compensatory function. He recalls a patient who dreamt repeatedly of a woman she disliked. In her dreams, however, she felt differently. Jung interprets this as an attempt by her subconscious to alert her to the shadow side of her personality, which manifested in her dream about the woman. He explains that dark qualities are not repressed exclusively, and that positive aspects of the self are often overlooked or ignored as well. Jung recants the treatment of a patient with an inferiority complex who regularly dreamt of powerful historical figures. This was his unconscious mind’s way of balancing out his feelings of inferiority with megalomania.

Jung then explores the reasons why dreams present ambiguous messages rather than obvious and straightforward ones. He speculates that the subliminal components of the mind are much vaguer and more irrational, which leads to dreams being confusing or occasionally nonsensical. He explains that consciousness is what adds definition to images and ideas; the conscious mind organizes, whereas the unconscious mind is like a pool of endlessly mixing and circulating images.

Dreams contain what Jung calls “dream symbols,” which are the images produced in dreams. If the unconscious mind becomes overwhelmed, it may begin to influence consciousness and behavior in negative ways. Symbols which may have an inherent meaning are now distorted in the mind of the dreamer, and Jung insists that it is therefore essential for the patient to interrogate their fears and personal dislikes to clarify any clouding of meaning behind their dreams. He states that the psychologist must then assure the patient of their positive qualities to prevent any further deepening of negativity and that the psychologist must work at the patient’s pace, never forcing them to discuss dark ideas unless they are truly ready to do so. He repeats that “learning the language of the individual patient and following the gropings of his unconscious toward the light” (53) is the way to approach dream analysis.

Jung explains that some dream images are innate and inherited through ancestry. They began when humans first developed consciousness. This “primitive mind” is composed of “collective images” and “mythological motifs” (54). Jung asserts that knowledge of ancient symbols and motifs is essential to the analysis of dreams and psychology in general. He refers to these inherited images as archetypes. He clarifies that archetypes are represented by the individual in vastly varying ways but that their core pattern remains constant. Archetypes are manifestations of a person’s instincts communicated in symbolic form.

Jung draws on anecdotes from past patients to illustrate the existence of these archetypes, recalling that two of his patients had dreams which presented images they had never seen before and which were therefore free of personal association. One particularly intriguing case involved a 10-year-old girl who dreamed philosophical dreams which answered questions such as the origins of humanity and the universe. Her father insisted that the girl had no previous knowledge or background which would have inspired these dreams. Jung argues that these archetypes were inherited from primitive humans. The major motif of her series of dreams was destruction and restitution, and she died of an infection at age 11. Jung assumes that the girl was dreaming of destruction because her unconscious could in some way sense her coming death (on the brink of adolescence, the girl would normally be full of hope). Her mind created the dreams in a compensatory manner, preparing her for her death.

Jung says that people often do and feel things without knowing why and that these things are seemingly ingrained into humans in general. To him, this is evidence of the unconscious mind at work. Jung references universal gestures and thought patterns that are common worldwide despite no direct linkages between cultures. He explains that emotions are the birthplace of reflection and speculates that emotion may have been the origin of consciousness.

Archetypal forms also serve a prognostic function in that they provide a way for the unconscious mind to make sense of experiences and predict what is likely to occur as a result. Jung concludes the section by explaining that it is only in modern times that people reflect consciously on the archetypes they encounter. In earlier times, people simply lived these archetypes without questioning them, which implies that they were instinctual and derived from the unconscious, rather than consciously constructed like a story. 

Jung asserts that although “civilized consciousness has steadily separated itself from the basic instincts” (66), they still exist below the surface, within the unconscious. They affect the course of a person’s life and the decisions a person makes. They may also manifest in psychological problems or neurological difficulties with memory or speech. Jung insists that, as a result, people do not control themselves as much as they believe. He describes how people compartmentalize their instincts and their conscious selves in such a way that the two rarely intertwine. Consequently, people suppress the darker side of their nature, creating a vulnerability that results because they are unaware of themselves or their true intentions. He goes on to say that this dissociation of the mind is reflected in the world around us in the form of worldwide conflicts (in particular, the Cold War, which was the defining conflict at the time Jung was writing). 

Next, Jung explains his argument that human life is composed of opposites and conflicts (i.e., life and death, good and evil) and that this both propels existence and inspires religion. He states that the modern movement away from religion results in disjointedness because religion provides essential answers to life’s greatest questions, specifically regarding suffering and death. He notes the shift towards a reliance and belief in science and doctors, though not inherently harmful, can be insufficient. Jung points to the necessity of belief for people to feel they have a purpose and a place. He asserts that thinking about the possibility of God and the afterlife is yet another archetype that has followed humanity throughout the ages but which has only recently been cast into doubt.

Jung parallels this with dream symbolism, explaining that dreams were once taken literally but that psychology emphasized entirely symbolic interpretation. Jung argues that while dreams do present themselves in symbolic form and may therefore possess multiple meanings, they are not an elusive puzzle. He describes the way in which psychologists feel the need to pin down specific definitions for things and thus may try to avoid abstract possibilities but believes that they must contend with these aspects of a person. It is for this reason that psychology can only be learned through experience, not in a laboratory or textbook.

Jung concludes the section by stressing the importance of interpreting a patient’s dreams and the symbols they produce through the lens of the individual and their background, while maintaining an awareness of one’s own biases. He states that “nothing is more vulnerable than scientific theory, which is an ephemeral attempt to explain facts and not an everlasting truth in itself” (75).

Jung clarifies the difference between cultural symbols and natural symbols. Natural symbols are those which are part of the conscious mind and may thus have an infinite number of interpretations. Cultural symbols, which are often religious symbols, seem to be more universal, deep-rooted, and last through time. When a person represses the impact of these cultural symbols on their life, they crop up in other forms, most often through the unconscious. He insists that repression of natural tendencies creates a “shadow” (75) on peoples’ lives because things which people were once aware of and made attempts to understand are now hidden, and this influences their actions, often in negative ways. Jung explains that humanity’s shift away from religion and “numinous symbols” (76) is causing a shift away from what gives life purpose and significance. He describes this as dehumanization and the loss of the “emotional unconscious identity” (76).

This leads up to Jung’s belief that the symbols in dreams act as compensation for a lack of spirituality and symbolic connection. He explains that dreams often appear incomprehensible because they use a primitive, archetypal language with which we have lost connection. Interpreting dreams involves determining whether the symbols within them relate to this general consciousness or to the individual. Jung distinguishes the difference between an archetype and a regular image, stating that archetypes are emotionally charged and should be interpreted as such. He explains that people are often afraid to confront the symbols in their dreams because of the implication that their consciousness is part of a collective.