2. History of the Unconscious
2.9. Key Features of C. G. Jung’s Theory
2.9.6. Self-individuation Experienced in a Painting Process
Jungian analysis is primarily oriented toward the patient’s future. Jung focused his analytical psychology on the attainment of adulthood.
In contrast, Freudian analysis is oriented toward the patient’s past (Jung 1963, 20–21). In the individuation process, Jung envisioned the human as an individual who has the potential to discover his or her true inner self. The spiritual process that Jung devised for seeking ful-fillment in life represents a valuable contribution to humanity.
In this study, the theory of individuation became an ideal. In my artistic production, during which I explored my hidden, unconscious angelic and demonic mind, the theory of individuation equipped me to survive experiences of my unconscious behavior. After struggling with demonic ideas that I had allowed my unconscious to produce, I was able to consider my behavior with my rational mind and to find a balance. I forgave myself for my mistakes, and, more important, I forgave others for their mistakes. If not in real life, at least in my dreams I forgave my enemies for their mistakes. In the aftermath, I felt wonderful and experienced a sense of purity and well-being.
Additionally, after completing my painting process, I became even more rational than usual when analyzing my artwork. By combining discourse analysis and the Artwork Interpretation Model, I was able to interpret effectively, to see the whole picture, and to understand the influence of the unconscious on the act of painting. In Jung’s words, I educated myself to see with greater insight and to become more rational.
Early in his career, Jung explored his own unconscious through dreams, by using an active imagination technique, which induced visions in a waking state. Many fundamental concepts of Jung’s ana-lytical psychology came from his experiences with active imagination.
While he was engaged in his self-analytical activity, he continued to develop his theoretical work (Jung 1989, 41). For example, Jung’s (2009) publication The Red Book (Liber Novus) includes a wide range of his mandala drawings. In the individuation process the mandala represents the center. A person can feel a connection to oneself while drawing these unique and personal mandalas. The self is part of the individuation process, which is about the person’s self-experiences. In 1921, Jung (2009, 211) defined “self ” as follows: “Inasmuch as the I is only the center of my field of consciousness, it is not identical with the totality of my psyche, being merely a complex among other complexes.
Hence I discriminate between the I and the self, since the I is only the subject of my consciousness, while the self is the subject of my
total-ity; hence it also includes the unconscious psyche. In this sense the self would be an (ideal) greatness which embraces and includes the I.”
Individuation is important because a person needs meaning to live and to have a connection to a center. The ego is ill when it is cut off from the whole and has lost the connection with mankind as well as with spirit. A self has two parts: light and shadow. The shadow con-forms to Freud’s conception of the unconscious. The shadow figure occurs with the personal unconscious and appears in dreams. The goal of individuation is to become a balanced person. Throughout history, rites of initiation have taught spiritual rebirth (Jung 1964, 83–85;
1980, 284; 1984a, 188).
The goal in Jung’s (1963, 19) theories is to move through the pro-cess of individuation, which is essentially a spiritual journey. By paying attention to our inner voice, the individual achieves a new synthesis between the conscious and the unconscious, and comes to realize the meaning of life. Jung’s individuation process is a process, or course, of development, arising out of conflict between two fundamental psy-chic givens, the conscious and the unconscious. They do not unite into a whole when one domain is suppressed and injured by the other;
both domains, being aspects of life, must be included in the synthesis.
While consciousness should defend its reason and protect itself, an unconscious chaotic life should be given the chance to have its way too, as much as is feasible.
In the individuation process, one withdraws oneself from emotions, and one is no longer identical with them. When individuals succeed in remembering themselves, succeed in distinguishing between them-selves and that outburst of passion, then they discover themthem-selves and begin to individuate. One basically rises above one’s emotions and starts to reason and think about one’s behavior. Through this process, people can begin to individuate and discover their true selves (Jung 1996, 38–39). Jung (1980, 275; 1996, 39) described the individuation process as follows:
Individuation is not that you become an ego—you would then become an individualist. You know, an individualist is a man who did not succeed in individuating; he is a philosophically distilled egoist.
Individuation is becoming that thing which is not the ego, and that is very strange. Therefore, nobody understands what the self is, because the self is just the thing which you are not, which is not the ego. The ego discovers itself as being a mere appendix of the self in a sort of loose connection…. I use the term “individuation” to denote the pro-cess by which a person becomes a psychological “in-dividual,” that is, a separate, indivisible unity or “whole.”