Jung’s Psychoid Concept Contextualised (Research in Analytical Psychology and Jungian Studies)

Jung’s Psychoid Concept Contextualised investigates the body-mind question from a clinical Jungian standpoint and establishes a contextual topography for Jung’s psychoid concept, insofar as it relates to a deeply unconscious realm that is neither solely physiological nor psychological. Seen as a somewhat mysterious and little understood element of Jung’s work, this concept nonetheless holds a fundamental position in his overall understanding of the mind, since he saw the psychoid unconscious as the foundation of archetypal experience. Situating the concept within Jung’s oeuvre and drawing on interviews with clinicians about their clinical work, this book interrogates the concept of the psychoid in a novel way. Providing an elucidation of Jung’s ideas by tracing the historical development of the psychoid concept, Addison sets its evolution in a variety of contexts within the history of ideas, in order to offer differing perspectives from which to frame an understanding. Addison continues this trajectory through to the present day by reviewing subsequent studies undertaken by the post-Jungian community. This contextual background affords an understanding of the psychoid concept from a variety of different perspectives, both cultural and clinical. The book provides an important addition to Jungian theory, demonstrating the usefulness of Jung’s psychoid concept in the present day and offering a range of understandings about its clinical and cultural applications. This book will be of great interest to the international Jungian community, including academics, researchers and postgraduate students engaged in the study of Jungian or analystical psychology. It should also be essential reading for clinicians. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Series Page 3 Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 Acknowledgements 9 1 Introduction 10 Setting the scene 10 Bifurcations 14 Chapters 19 Summary 21 PART I Historical contexts 22 2 Jung, vitalism and “the psychoid”: A historical reconstruction 24 Introduction 24 Etymology 26 Driesch’s concept of Das Psychoid 27 Jung and vitalism 29 Jung’s dissertation 30 A case of hysteria 31 Freud and Jung and their meeting 32 Bleuler's concept of Die Psychoide 33 Jung’s concept of “the psychoid” 36 Discussion 40 Conclusion 42 3 Jung’s psychoid concept: A hermeneutic understanding 44 Introduction 44 Jung’s studies 45 Discussion 59 Conclusion 60 4 Jung’s psychoid concept and Bion’s proto-mental concept: A comparison 61 Introduction 61 Jung’s opus 61 Bion’s opus 62 Influences 63 Jung’s mature thinking 71 Bion’s group work 72 Conclusion 76 5 The post-Jungians and the psychoid concept 78 Introduction 78 Background 78 The biological conception of the psychoid 80 Conclusion 98 6 Interrogation of the psychoid concept: An empirical study 100 Introduction 100 Methodology 100 Trauma Project 101 Implicit theories 103 Present research 105 Discussion 114 PART II Empirical contexts 118 7 The empirical study: An example of a data analysis by grounded theory 120 Introduction 120 Example 121 Discussion 132 Conclusion 134 8 The results of the empirical study 135 Introduction 135 Session 135 General results 138 Discussion 154 Conclusion 155 9 Conclusion: Drawing together the results 157 Introduction 157 The psychoid concept – a historical understanding 158 The psychoid concept – an empirical understanding 161 The transference field – an empirical understanding 164 Discussion 166 Conclusion 169 Appendix A: Data analysis tables 171 Bibliography 174 Index 188 __Jung’s Psychoid Concept Contextualised__ investigates the body-mind question from a clinical Jungian standpoint and establishes a contextual topography for Jung’s psychoid concept, insofar as it relates to a deeply unconscious realm that is neither solely physiological nor psychological. Seen as a somewhat mysterious and little understood element of Jung’s work, this concept nonetheless holds a fundamental position in his overall understanding of the mind, since he saw the psychoid unconscious as the foundation of archetypal experience. This book will be of great interest to the international Jungian community, including academics, researchers and postgraduate students engaged in the study of Jungian or analystical psychology. It should also be essential reading for clinicians.