Analytical psychology

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The analytical psychology (also called "complex psychology") is a psychoanalytically based, psychological school, the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung has established. He first suggested the term “analytical psychology” in 1912 for Sigmund Freud's depth psychology, but after breaking with Freud he used it for his own theories from around 1915.

The analytic psychology has nothing to do with the analytic psycho- therapy to do, which is recognized scientifically and legally as psychoanalytic therapies.

Similar to psychoanalysis, it deals with the unconscious parts of the human psyche, under the assumption that the unconscious has a much greater influence than conscious perception. Jung and his successors particularly emphasized the symbolic possibilities of expression of the unconscious and tried to use them psychotherapeutically.

In Germany, analytical psychology is supported by the German Society for Analytical Psychology e. V. (DGAP) based in Stuttgart, represented internationally by the International Association for Analytical Psychology (IAAP) in Zurich.

Classification and basic assumptions

Analytical psychology is one of the so-called insight therapies, which are designed to give the patient insight into his or her psychological suffering and thereby bring about changes in experience and action. Even if insight is ascribed a major role in this, the therapeutic relationship that emerges in the course of the therapy and its analysis is of great importance in order to initiate the process of discussion and drive it forward in the interests of the patient.

One of the basic assumptions of analytical psychology is that mental disorders, similar to psychoanalysis and individual psychology, arise from a conflict between the fulfillment and defense of the instinct (Freud) and the overcompensation of feelings of inferiority ( Alfred Adler ). This is how analytical psychology sees the onset of mental disorders mainly in childhood. But it can also be in the middle of life , where new goals in life lead to conflicts in the course of the advancing individuation process.

Analytical psychology sees itself as a prospectively oriented therapy, i. That is, the symptoms of mental illness are not only harmful warning signs, but also include an aspiration towards something positive. The methods that are supposed to lead to the healing of a mental illness are derived from this.

methodology

The therapist grants the patient space and supports him through dream analysis , dealing with the phenomena of transference and countertransference as well as active imagination , so that repressed or for other reasons unconscious parts of the personality can become conscious. The subsequent discussion can lead to the patient integrating this into their overall personality and consequently becoming open to new opportunities for action and experience.

The relationship between patient and analyst is mainly characterized by the passages of dialectics and synthesis . Analytical psychology understands this to mean the patient's increased participation in the analysis. The analyst involves the patient more and tries to establish a relationship with him that enables an encounter without denying the differences in the realities of the relationship (patient / doctor, etc.). This is in contrast to the methods of psychoanalysis, which (in the classic form) regards a distant relationship as the ideal of treatment.

CG Jung

The structures of the soul, derived from the personality theory of CG Jung, play a special role in analytical psychology. The ego is considered the center of consciousness and interacts with the complexes that are often in the unconscious. Complexes are constellations that can disturb the conscious attitude and usually form around a certain core, e.g. B. own inferiority or the relationship with a formative person, such as the mother. Archetypes of the collective unconscious are inherited possibilities of perception, thinking and feeling. They can be activated through individual experiences.

Example: A certain archetype rests in the unconscious and is updated with the external image. This external image corresponds to a recurring situation from human history such as the expectation of a mother for the newborn child or falling in love with a partner. Analytical psychology assumes that newborns expect a certain person who will treat them in a certain way. Since images such as that of the mother cannot be inherited, analytical psychology assumes that there are certain basic structures in the unconscious, which e.g. B. Let the newborn expect someone to be there for him, to look after him and to bond with him so that he can learn the first and most important things. This tried and tested “evolutionary” concept (infant - caregiver) results in a very complex interaction between mother and child. Humans are therefore not considered tabula rasa , but are in possession of an abundance of predispositions, i.e. certain predetermined patterns of experience and behavior. In this context, Jung speaks of patterns of behavior .

Another example of an archetype is that of the opposite-sex sexual partner. This particular archetype becomes important after puberty, as might be expected. It now contains both inherited and “real” experiences shaped notions of what one may or may not suffer from the opposite sex. This creates a dynamic image of a sexual partner who arouses love and sexual pleasure and can also differ from the conscious ideas of an ideal partner. Usually this archetype also consists of unconscious parts of the opposite sex and plays a special role in the psychological development of the individual.

In the theoretical foundation of analytical psychology, the archetypes also form the basis for our interaction with other people. Since the archetypal basic structures give external images an “archetypal” (general human) meaning, they can best be examined in dreams and symptoms as well as in certain actions. These can be compared with reports of fairy tales, myths and religious writings from all centuries in order to arrive at the special meaning of the individual, symbolic dream and thus to give an idea of ​​the underlying archetypal structures.

criticism

Analytical psychology was criticized primarily by Sigmund Freud and his school, psychoanalysis . The criticism is directed primarily against the conception of the unconscious , which is very broad in analytical psychology. Most psychoanalysts, for example, doubt that certain trajectories can be found in terms of the theory of archetypes . Psychoanalysis sees the content of the unconscious mainly determined by the personal past. Although the two schools are similar in many ways, many past and present specific assumptions have led to discord.

In addition, analytical psychology is also criticized by academic psychology, in particular that its theories and models were found through unscientific methods. Although analytical psychology is also based on individual-empirical methods (long-term therapist-patient relationship), it is doubted that these can be generally understood.

Important representatives

literature

  • Jolande Jacobi : The Psychology of CG Jung. An introduction to the complete works. Rascher, Zurich 1940; Fischer Taschenbuch, Frankfurt am Main 1977, ISBN 3-596-26365-4 .
  • Erich Neumann : History of the origin of consciousness. Rascher, Zurich 1949; Walter, Düsseldorf 2004, ISBN 3-530-42185-5 .
  • Dieter Eicke (Ed.): Individual psychology and analytical psychology (= depth psychology. Volume 4). Beltz, Weinheim 1982, ISBN 3-407-83042-4 .
  • Andrew Samuels: Jung and his successors. Recent developments in analytical psychology. Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 1989, ISBN 3-608-95455-4 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ CG Jung: New Paths in Psychology , Zurich 1912.
  2. ↑ Psychotherapy Guideline of the Joint Federal Committee, April 2013, §§ 14, 14b.
  3. ↑ Website of the German Society for Analytical Psychology (DGAP)