After Jung: Women and Individuation Throughout Lifespan in the 21st Century

Abstract

There are many times throughout a woman’s life when it is necessary to stand in her own unique way. The ability to listen to her own voice and not be influenced by family, friends, institutions, or by society is what Carl Jung theorized as the individuation process. This dissertation explores the lived experiences of women, creating the opportunity to examine how the process evolves from within, and how others also take part. It bears the research question: What can women from different generations learn from one another that aids in the individuation process? This research was an attempt from a depth psychological perspective in understanding the phenomenological processes of how women grow throughout the lifespan in wholeness to stand in their own unique way. Very little research on women and the individuation process throughout the lifespan is found in the academic literature. This study may assist mental health providers in working with patients at critical growth points in their patient’s lives, as well as to better understand the dynamics of the intersubjective experience, or the therapeutic exchange, that occurs between the therapist and their patients leading to individuation.