Carl Jung, a pioneer in the development of psychoanalytic theory, formulated his concepts of psychology using the archetypal patterns of perception and understanding he found common to all human beings. Jung held that archetypal images are universal figures and symbols dating back to similar images from the dawn of time. Jung postulated that archetypes, as components of the collective unconscious, are present in our dreams, our art, and in all other components of our lives (Hopcke, 1999). It is our relationship to these archetypes that is at the root of our psychological issues.

"While doing research for a paper on Jungian archetypes, I suddenly recalled a photograph from an old textbook that had impressed me as a child, depicting a squatting Cro-Magnon artist at work during the Paleolithic era in a cave in what is now France, creating a remarkable image of a group of mammoths by the flickering light of an oil lamp" (LT)

One specialist in evolution addresses the artistry and depth of the paintings. He describes a particular painting of a horse, not as just a reproduction of that horse, but as “an abstraction of the graceful essence of all horses.” This is a prime example of archetypal imagery – universal images conveying meaning and emotion from the dawn of mankind and even the dawn of time.

Some twenty-four Paleolithic caves that contain Cro-Magnon paintings have been discovered in France. The Lascaux cave, where most of the pictures originate, was discovered in 1940 and dates back 13,000 years. An underwater cave at Cosquer near Marseilles, found in 1991 is the oldest, containing paintings dating from 27,000 years ago. An abundance of powerful action scenes are represented in these paintings, showing animals full of vitality and strength. The works include lions stalking prey, horses rearing up, startled reindeer in flight, and a variety of other depictions.

According to James Hillman, Archetypal Psychology is the evolutionary descendant of Jungian theory, arising out of Jung's own encouragement to find individual and unique ways of exploring the psyche. Hillman feels that by peering through the lens of our own experience, down to the core of our essence, we reach the nexus or essential element that Archetypal Psychology brings to the analytical equation (Hillman, 1976).

-- Lawrence M. Tunis, Ed. D.

REFERENCES:

Hillman, James, 1976. Re-visioning psychology. New York: HarperPerennial.

Hopcke, Robert H., 1999. A guided tour to the collected works of C. G. Jung. Boston: Shambhala Publications, Inc.

Stein, Murray, 1998. Jung's map of the Soul. Chicago: Open Court.