|
Western Collective Unconscious |
|
|
|
Thursday, 08 March 2007 |
 Joseph A. Bailey, II, M.D.
To illustrate the Western belief of how the first form of a
Collective Unconscious may have developed, imagine the scenario of creating a
path in the virgin snow. Then transfer this image to supposing Primitive man
encountered the dangers of darkness and the poisonous bite of snakes. Both made
such deep unconscious representations on the Humanity Common Unconscious as to
be deemed primordial images, dominants, imagos, mythological images, and
behavior patterns. These representations form "racial memories"--mental
structures inside the Humanity Unconscious-memories now capable of being
inherited by each soul. Hence, descendants of each Primitive man would be
predisposed to fear the darkness and snakes-a tendency which could be
reinforced by one's own personal experiences or by the related stories one
hears. Yet, I suspect there are better explanations for some of these
happenings.
The important point is that "the Collective Unconsciousness"
of Jung is about a culturally transmitted message operating within a given
people's activities of daily living plane of existence. Jung did not believe it was based on genetics
or traditional customs or by the Cartesian theory (a theory about the equal
distribution of characteristics common among all mankind). In other words, by simply "doing what comes
naturally," one society may evolve a life system not unlike another society ten
thousand miles away across distant oceans. The primary image of the archetype
"is a memory deposit, an engram, derived from a condensation of innumerable
similar experiences . . . the psychic expression of an anatomically,
physiologically determined natural tendency" (Campbell, "Primordial Myth", p.
32). Engrams were discussed by Plato when he likened human memory to soft
wax. Experiences would then produce
imprints or impressions on the "wax" -- called "memory traces" or engrams. In this way, the Collective Unconsciousness
would contain layer upon layer of information from all of humanity's past
(similar to computer files) and these layers are shared by all. Joseph Campbell gave it extensive research
support in his studies of the world's mythologies and concluded that archetypes are the common
ideas of myth (Moyers, The Power of Myth p. 60).
website: jablifeskills.com
Joseph A. Bailey, II, M.D.
|
|
BVN Calendar Events
 |
January 2009 |
 |
|
|
