The Greek Economic Crisis: An Archetypal-Mythopoetic Perspective

Abstract

A hermeneutic exploration, through an archetypal-mythopoetic lens, of cultural complexes in the Greek economic crisis reveals a Greek hero fighting for freedom against the tyrannies of oppressive foreign lenders, an ineffective government, and a broken global financial system. Economists and sociologists have also identified idiosyncrasies within the Greek culture, which may have contributed to the crisis. When viewed through a depth psychological lens, many of these cultural characteristics reflect trauma. Deepening the view of the Greek hero, particularly by considering the “place” of Greece, uncovers unhealed wounds from various atrocities including the Ottoman rule and World War II, which appear to have contributed to a split between ancient and modern Greece. These ordeals, combined with a static, orthodox God-image who seems to have been unable to help the Greeks metabolize their traumas, may hinder recovery from the crisis. Aspects of the Greek cultural shadow found in projections onto Germany may also be affecting Greece’s challenging situation. It seems that, along with fighting external oppressors, the Greeks should engage with the heroic task of facing these aspects to find freedom from unconscious influences such as the negative qualities of Dionysus and the senex and puer. Re-engaging with the imaginal to re-see the past and envision a positive future are critical to recovery. It seems that the Greeks are being called to re-member repressed cultural aspects into economics and in doing so may find themselves again in the position of being the founders of Western civilization.