In
the beginning, Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1960) studied under Sigmund Freud. Eventually, their differing views on dreams caused a major rift and each
went their separate ways.
Like
Freud, Jung believed in the existence of the unconscious. However, he
didn't see the unconscious as animalistic, instinctual, and
sexual; he saw it
as more spiritual. Dreams
were a way of communicating and acquainting
ourselves with the unconscious. Dreams were not attempts to conceal our true feelings from the waking mind, but rather
they were a window to our unconscious. They served to
guide the waking self to achieve wholeness. Dreams offered a
solution to a problem we are facing in our waking life.
Jung
viewed the ego as one's sense of self and how we portray ourselves to the
world. Part of Jung's theory was that all things can be viewed as paired
opposites (i.e. good/evil, male/female, or love/hate). And thus
working in opposition to the ego, is the "counterego" or what he
referred to as the shadow. The shadow represents rejected aspects of yourself that you do
not wish to acknowledge. It is considered an aspect
of yourself which is somewhat more primitive, uncultured, and
awkward.
In
the beginning, Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1960) studied under Sigmund Freud. Eventually, their differing views on dreams caused a major rift and each
went their separate ways.
