Graduate Research Library: A Library Guide to Jung's Collected Works: Individuation

Reference publications on Individuation

"Individuation (Analytical Psychology)" In International dictionary of psychoanalysis by Gaillard, C. (de Mijolla, A. Ed.)
Call Number: Ladera: REF RC501.4.D4313
Publication Date: 2005
Individuation: "Carl Gustav Jung considered individuation to be a step or process that leads to a partial disengagement from the control of the unconscious and from collective rules and norms and feelings. This process is accompanied by a development of the rapport of the ego to the self, through an ever closer recognition of the forces and figures that structure—at first without our being aware of it—our representations and behavior.
The earliest version of this notion can be found in Gérard Dorn, in the sixteenth century, then in the Goethean conception of the novel of apprenticeship (Bildungsroman), as well as in the works of Arthur Schopenhauer and Friedrich Nietzsche. However, in his writings of the second decade of the twentieth century, Jung gave it a whole different meaning and significance, inscribing it into his own experience, then integrating it with the successive stages of his thought on the relationship with the unconscious." [Read more]
"Individuation" In A critical dictionary of Jungian analysis by Samuels, A., Shorter, B., & Plaut, F.
Call Number: BF173.J85 S275 1986
Publication Date: 1986
Individuation: "A person's becoming himself, whole, indivisible and distinct from other people or collective psychology (though also in relation to these). This is the key concept in Jung's contribution to the theories of personality development. As such, it is inextricably interwoven with others, particularly self, ego and archetype as well as with the synthesis of consciousness and unconscious elements." [Read more]
"Individuation" In Jung lexicon: A primer of terms & concepts by Sharp, D. (Ed.).
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Call Number: BF109.J8S53 1991
Publication Date: 1991
Available as a free download from the publisher
Individuation. "Individuation is a process informed by the archetypal ideal of wholeness, which in turn depends on a vital relationship between ego and unconscious. The aim is not to overcome one’s personal psychology, to become perfect, but to become familiar with it. Thus individuation involves an increasing awareness of one’s unique psychological reality, including personal strengths and limitations, and at the same time a deeper appreciation of humanity in general." (Sharp, 1991) [Read more]

"Individuation" In Encyclopedia of psychology and religion (3rd ed.) by Leon Schlamm
Publication Date: 2020
Individuation: "C. G. Jung defined individuation, the therapeutic goal of analytical psychology belonging to the second half of life, as the process by which a person becomes a psychological individual, a separate indivisible unity or whole, recognizing his innermost uniqueness; and he identified this process with becoming one’s own self or self-realization, which he distinguished from “ego-centeredness” and individualism. The self, the totality of personality and archetype of order, is superordinate to the ego, embracing consciousness and the unconscious; as the center and circumference of the whole psyche, the self is our life’s goal, the most complete expression of individuality (Jung, 1916/1928, 1939a, 1944, 1947/1954, 1963). The aim of individuation, equated with the extension of consciousness and the development of personality, is to divest the self of its false wrappings of the persona, the mask the personality uses to confront the world, and the suggestive power of numinous unconscious contents. While individuation appears to be opposed to collective standards, it is not antagonistic to them, but only differently oriented and never isolated from collective relationships and society. Nevertheless, the stunting ofindividuation by the individual’s adherence to social norms is injurious to his vitality and disastrous for his moral development (Jung, 1921, 1916/1928).") [Read more]

"Individuation" In The handbook of Jungian psychology by Stein, M. (R. Papadopoulos, Ed.)
Call Number: BF173 .H333 2006
Publication Date: 2012
Individuation: "The theme of individuation sounds through Jung's writings, like a leitmotiv, from the time of his break with Freud and psychoanalysis onward without pause to his death. All things considered, it is perhaps his major psychological idea, a sort of backbone for the rest of the corpus. Introducing the term in his esoteric, anonymously published little book Septem Sermones ad Mortuos ( Seven Sermons to the Dead ) in 1915, Jung deepened and expanded the idea in the much revised work, also begun in the same period, Two Essays on Analytical Psychology (CW 7) and in the summary work of the early period, Psychological Types (CW 6). Later he added further substance to the notion in his studies of archetypes and especially in his researches on alchemy. He detailed individuation clinically in his seminars (Analytical Psychology, Dream Analysis , Visions and Nietzsche's `Zarathustra') as well as in several case studies. It also played an important role in his many writings on religion and culture." (Stein, 2012, p. 196) [Read more]
"Spiritual aspects of Jungian analytical psychology: Individuation, Jung's psychological equivalent of a spiritual journey" In The Oxford handbook of psychology and spirituality by Joseph P. Wagenseller: Lisa J. Miller (Ed.)
ISBN: 9780199357345
Publication Date: 2012
"This chapter includes a brief description of the life and work of Carl Gustav Jung, MD, with particular attention to his personal experience of the objective psyche and its articulation into a theoretical framework. Special emphasis is placed upon the transpersonal/spiritual dimension of the psyche and the applicability of Jung's theory and practice to achieve a dynamic relationship with the self. The individual's experience with the transpersonal aspect of the psyche is illustrated with examples from symptoms, dreams, and the phenomenon of synchronicity. Jung's psychological equivalent of a spiritual journey, known as the individuation process, is described and illustrated as an option for those for whom other, perhaps more traditional religious faiths and practices are no longer meaningfully effective. In conclusion, recommendations are made for future study and research." [Read more]
"Individuation" in A guided tour of the Collected Works of C. G. Jung by Robert H. Hopcke
Call Number: REF BF173 .J85 H66
ISBN: 9781570624056
Publication Date: 1999
"Because the collective unconscious represents the source of psychic growth, Jung believed that a working relationship between the conscious and the unconscious levels of existence was vital to psychic health. This working relationship between unconscious and conscious levels of existence was also conceived and described by Jung as the relationship between the individual ego complex and the archetype of the Self, an archetype of wholeness and completion represented by symbols that Jung continually came across in the dreams and fantasies of his patients. When the conscious and unconscious, ego and Self, have an ongoing relationship, Jung saw that one could then hold together a sense of one's unique individuality as well as one's connection to the larger experience of human existence, enabling one to live in a truly creative, symbolic, and individual way." [Read more]

"Human Development & Individuation" In Cross-Currents of Jungian Thought by Donald Dyer
Call Number: REF BF109.D94 1991
ISBN: 9781570629563
Publication Date: 2001
"The concept of individuation, a process of differentiation having as its goal the development of the unique individual personality, plays a large role in Jung's psychology. It entails the recognition of both one's psychological strengths and limitations and is practically the same as the development of consciousness out of the original identity with the primordial unconscious state. The process of individuation involves raising consciousness through the recognition of the operation of archetypes, including the archetype of the Self in its guiding function, as well as the conflict of opposites. It may encompass such methods or modes as synchronicity, astrology, I Ching, tarot, or yoga. Nearly 120 books are listed in this subject category, plus twenty-five others cross referenced from other subjects. [...] Following the six works by Jung, books by other authors are arranged chronologically in order to provide historical perspective. Nearly half of these were published after 1980." [Read more]

Jung on Individuation

Jung's essays on Individuation from the Collected Works:

Adaptation, Individuation and Collectivity

Jung, C. G. (1976). Adaptation, Individuation and Collectivity (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.). In H. Read et al. (Eds.), The collected works of C. G. Jung: Vol. 18. The symbolic life (pp. 449-454). Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1935) https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400851010.1
Conscious, unconscious, and individuation (pp. 275-289)
Jung, C. G. (1968). Conscious, unconscious, and individuation (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.). In H. Read et al. (Eds.), The collected works of C. G. Jung: Vol. 9 pt. 1. Archetypes and the collective unconscious (2nd ed., pp. 275-289). Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1939) https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400850969.275
A study in the process of individuation (pp. 290-354)
Jung, C. G. (1968). A study in the process of individuation (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.). In H. Read et al. (Eds.), The collected works of C. G. Jung: Vol. 9 pt. 1. Archetypes and the collective unconscious (2nd ed., pp. 290-354). Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1950) https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400850969.290
Concerning mandala symbolism (pp. 355-384)
Jung, C. G. (1968). Concerning mandala symbolism (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.). In H. Read et al. (Eds.), The collected works of C. G. Jung: Vol. 9 pt. 1. Archetypes and the collective unconscious (2nd ed., pp. 355-384). Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1950) https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400850969.355
Transformation symbolism in the Mass (pp. 201-296)
Jung, C. G. (1969). Transformation symbolism in the Mass (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.). In H. Read et al. (Eds.), The collected works of C. G. Jung: Vol. 11. Psychology and religion (2nd ed., pp. 201-296). Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1954) https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400850983.201
The undiscovered self (pp. 245-305)
Jung, C. G. (1970). The undiscovered self (present and future) (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.). In H. Read et al. (Eds.), The collected works of C. G. Jung: Vol. 10. Civilization in transition (2nd ed., pp. 247-305). Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1957) https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400850976.247

Quotes by Jung on "individuation":

Jung, C. G. (2015). The individuation process . In J. Harris & T. Woolfson (Eds.), The Quotable Jung (pp. 283–299). Princeton University Press.

Books available from the library:

Analysis repair and individuation by Kenneth Lambert
Publication Date: 1994
An exposition on individuation including 'Archetypes, Individuation and Internal Objects' and 'The Individuation Process'.

"Lambert, like Jung, emphasizes the importance of the person of the analyst for the course of his own analysis, which includes the analyst's development in the course of his own analysis and all further personal growth; for all this inevitably determines the kind of patient, and the sort of problem he can - or cannot - work with. Lambert also suggests ways in which the analyst's psycho-social-cultural background may be a factor in deciding with which school of analysis he may choose to train. And so he brings together his own theoretical and clinical evolution with the fact of his being Anglo-Irish; with his keen interest in the history of ideas and practices whereby he can seek to demonstrate a historical continuum between the clinical attitudes of contemporary psychotherapy and those expressed in the Hippocratic Oath and St. Paul's concept of agape; and with his willingness to expose himself to and allow himself to be stimulated by the work of his colleagues, not least of those in the Freud-Jung group founded in London by Dr. William Kraemer in 1964." —From the Introduction by Rosemary Gordon
Jung, Irigaray, individuation by Frances Gray
Publication Date: 2007-11-23
"How do philosophy and analytical psychology contribute to the mal-figuring of the feminine and women? Does Luce Irigaray's work represent the possibility of individuation for women, an escape from masculine projection and an affirming re-figuring of women? And what would individuation for women entail? This work postulates a novel and unique relationship between Carl Jung and Luce Irigaray. Its central argument, that an ontologically different feminine identity situated in women's embodiment, women's genealogy and a women's divine is possible, develops and re-figures Jung's notion of individuation in terms of an Irigarayan woman-centred politics. Individuation is re-thought as a politically charged issue centred around sex-gendered difference focussed on a critique of Jung's conception of the feminine. The book outlines Plato's conception of the feminine as disorder and argues that this conception is found in Jung's notion of the anima feminine. It then argues that Luce Irigaray's work challenges the notion of the feminine as disorder. Her mimetic adoption of this figuring of the feminine is a direct assault on what can be understood as a culturally dominant Western understanding. Luce Irigaray argues for a feminine divine which will model an ideal feminine just as the masculine divine models a masculine ideal. In making her claims, Luce Irigaray, the book argues, is expanding and elaborating Jung's idea of individuation. Jung, Irigaray, Individuation brings together philosophy, analytical psychology and psychoanalysis in suggesting that Luce Irigaray's conception of the feminine is a critical re-visioning of the open-ended possibilities for human being expressed in Jung's idea of individuation. This fresh insight will intrigue academics and analysts alike in its exploration of the different traditionsnbsp;from whichnbsp;Carl Jung and Luce Irigaray speak."
Narratives of individuation by Raya A. Jones & Leslie Gardner (Eds.)
ISBN: 9780429511271
Publication Date: 2019
"In Narratives of Individuation, Raya A. Jones and Leslie Gardner present 12 cutting-edge essays that bridge Jungian and narrative approaches to self-understanding, and offer critical appraisal of both approaches. Exploring the Jungian concept of individuation and the related interest in dreams, as well as the premise of the narrative self and the related interest in life-stories, this innovative volume interprets the topic in unique and unprecedented ways. An outstanding selection of contributors cover several overarching themes to provide a comprehensive understanding of these two powerful narratives. The contributors explore historical and conceptual issues concerning the narrative self, as well as applying it, including to Jung's autobiography. Chapters also examine how Jung developed his theory of individuation, and engage with contemporary thinking in anthropology, psychology (including the dialogical self) and Jungian psychotherapy, towards refiguring how people arrive at self-understanding. Written by leaders in the field, Narratives of Individuation is a valuable interdisciplinary resource that illuminates a multitude of perspectives on individuation and self-realisation. Owing to its original ideas and breadth of scope, Narratives of Individuation will appeal to academics and students of Jungian and post-Jungian studies, anthropology, psychology, literary studies and anyone examining concepts of selfhood and the significance of narrativity. It will also be of great interest to Jungian analysts and psychotherapists, and analytical psychologists."
Understanding the Self-ego relationship In clinical practice by Margaret Clark
ISBN: 9781849405096
Publication Date: 2006
"Understanding the Self-Ego Relationship in Clinical Practice: Towards Individuation is a volume in the clinical practice monograph series from The Society of Analytical Psychology. This series is intended primarily for trainees on psychotherapy and psychodynamic counselling courses, and for those who are newly qualified. These compact editions will be invaluable to all who wish to learn the basics of major theories derived from the work of Freud and Jung, from an integrated viewpoint. The authors are Jungian analysts trained at the SAP, highly experienced in both theory and practice.Margaret Clark argues for the profound importance of trusting the unconscious psyche in therapeutic work with adults. She considers various analytical meanings of the term "the self", with reference to a wide range of theorists, and various ways of thinking about the development of the ego. She uses primarily a Jungian model of the psyche from a developmental perspective, based on the assumption that the ego evolves in infancy and childhood out of a primary psychosomatic self. The self remains always greater than the ego and has infinite resources on which the ego can draw. The ongoing process of including more of this self in consciousness is what Jung calls 'individuation'."
The vertical labyrinth by Aldo Carotenuto
Call Number: RC509.8 .C3713 1985
ISBN: 9780585121437
Publication Date: 1985
"Guided journey through the world of dreams and psychic reality, showing how individual psychological development parallels the historical evolution of consciousness. Special attention to artists and creativity in men."

Book Chapters:

"The Self and individuation: Universal and particular" in Jungian analysts working across cultures: From tradition to innovation by Ann Shearer
ISBN: 9781000432077
Publication Date: 2021
"The Self and individuation: what two concepts could be more central to the Jungian tradition? Anyone who picks up the standard handbook will discover that 'individuation is perhaps Jung's major psychological idea, a sort of backbone for the rest of the corpus'. And there is no individuation without the Self as both guide and goal, the ego-Self axis as orientation. Individuation's work of bringing together disparate psychic fragments is only in part an act of ego's will, says Jung: 'in another sense it is a spontaneous manifestation of the self, which was always there'. Yet perhaps just because these concepts are so central, they continue to generate questioning and debate. By exploring them in cultural contexts very different to that of their conception, this chapter brings another perspective again to questions about their nature and energy. Experiences of individuation and the Self must be intensely personal and even private, coloured by both individual and cultural experience. "
"Emergence of the Self: Individuation " In Jung's map of the soul by Murray Stein
Call Number: BF173 .S674 1998
Publication Date: 1998
"More than a mere overview, the book offers readers a strong grounding in the basic principles of Jung's analytical psychology in addition to illuminating insights."
"The individuation process: The story" In Jungian theory for storytellers by Bassil-Morozow, H
Publication Date: 2018
"Jungian Theory for Storytellers is a toolkit for anyone using Jungian archetypes to create stories in fiction, TV, film, video games, documentaries, poetry, and many other media. It contains a detailed classification of the archetypes, with relevant examples, and explains how they work in different types of narratives. Importantly, Bassil-Morozow explores archetypes and their significance in characterization, individuation, plot and story-building. Bassil-Morozow also presents an overview of Jung's thoughts on creativity and other Jungian concepts, including the unconscious, ego, persona and self and the individuation process, and shows how they are linked to conflict. The book provides an explanation of relevant Jungian terms for a non-Jungian audience and introduces the idea of the hero's journey, with examples included throughout. Accessibly written yet academic, both practical and engaging, and written with a non-Jungian audience in mind, Jungian Theory for Storytellers is an ideal source for writers and screenwriters of all backgrounds, including academics and teachers, who want to use Jungian theory in their work or are seeking to understand relevant Jungian ideas."
"Jungian depth psychology and individuation" In Integrative spirituality by Patrick J. Mahaffey
Publication Date: 2018
In Integrative Spirituality, Patrick J. Mahaffey elucidates spirituality as a developmental process that is enhanced by integrating the teachings and practices of multiple religious traditions, Jungian depth psychology, and contemplative yoga. In the postmodern world of religious pluralism, Mahaffey compellingly argues that each of us must fashion a unique path to wholeness which integrates aspects of life and of the self that have become disconnected and disowned. Integrative Spirituality uniquely conjoins four components: exemplary religious pluralists from three traditions, individuation, the forms of contemplative Hindu yoga that have been successfully transmitted to the West, and a presentation of two models for integrating psychological growth and spiritual awakening. The book presents pioneering practitioners in each field who exemplify how we may fashion our own approach to integrating both spiritual awakening and psychological development and delineates an array of spiritual practices that integrate the somatic, psychological, interpersonal, and spiritual aspects of life. Ultimately, Mahaffey contends that integrative spirituality is a mode of being that fully embraces the divinity inherent in each of us and in the world. Integrative Spirituality will be essential reading for academics and students of Jungian and post-Jungian studies, transpersonal and Jungian psychology, and religious studies and contemplative education. It will also be of interest to analytical and depth psychologists in practice and in training, and to anyone seeking a greater understanding of spirituality, psychological growth, religious traditions, individuation, and contemplative yoga."
"Some glimpses of the individuation process in Jung himself" in The inner journey by Barbara Hannah; Dean L. Frantz (Ed.)
Call Number: BF173.J85 H328 2000
ISBN: 9780919123892
Publication Date: 1999
"Each year on June 6. a memorial service in honor of Jung is held at the C.G. Jung Institute in Küsnacht, Switzerland. At this time the John Freeman BBC interview with Jung, "Face to Face," is shown, and there is a lecture on a topic related to Jungian psychology. The first lecturer in this series was Barbara Hannah, who spoke on June 6, 1967, six years after the death of Jung.
It is noteworthy that she was chosen to initiate this series, because she was one of those closest to Jung in his lifetime. Her subject was especially appropriate, since the individuation process was the summum bonum of Jung's approach to life."

Journal articles available from the library:

Bortz, M. (2011). Carrying the fire: Individuation toward the mature masculine and telos of cultural myth in Cormac McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men and The Road. Jung Journal: Culture & Psyche, 5(4), 28–42. https://doi.org/10.1525/jung.2011.5.4.28

Abstract: "This alchemical hermeneutical study analyzes Cormac McCarthy's novels No Country for Old Men and The Road as cultural dreams using Jungian and post-Jungian theory. McCarthy’s work elucidates the archetypal process of individuation toward the mature masculine in our time. Following McCarthy’s imagery and James Hillman's work, I focus on the split in the senex-puer archetype that structures the masculine psyche as the ultimate psychological site of our cultural dissociation. I also examine the teleological implications in the novel regarding the evolution of the God-image, which reflects man's understanding of the objective psyche, as well as the nature and psychological function of human evil. "

PsycINFO

Cambray, J. (2019). Enlightenment and individuation: Syncretism, synchronicity and beyond. Journal of Analytical Psychology, 64(1), 53–72. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-5922.12467

Abstract: "This paper opens with a personal introduction to the topic of syncretism within the context of a comparison of enlightenment associated with Eastern religious traditions and individuation as experienced through Jungian analysis. A brief exploration of the recent scholarly revival of interest in syncretism follows. Some close parallels with Jungian theory are highlighted, especially in the work of Timothy Light. Applications to the syncretic trends in Tang culture along the Silk Road(s) suggest deeper patterns of interconnectedness lie at the heart of these trends. A complex systems view highlights similarities between syncretic connections and non-local aspects of synchronistic field events. The final section attempts to extend this approach to innovation in general terms through the recently articulated concept of the 'adjacent possible' from the writing of Stuart Kauffman. From this, the notion of a collective pre-conscious dimension to the psyche is extrapolated. The unifying thread of acausal emergent forms provides a potential synthetic network for these phenomena."

PsycINFO

Cremen, S. N. (2019). Vocation as psyche’s call: A depth psychological perspective on the emergence of calling through symptoms at midlife. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, 19(1), 41–61. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-018-9367-4

Abstract: "Vocation, as distinct from career, is not something one chooses but something to which one is called. Bringing a depth psychological perspective to debates around calling, I argue that surrendering the ego or personal will into a relationship with the unconscious psyche allows one’s calling to emerge. Using a hybrid qualitative approach drawing on hermeneutics and incorporating interviews with midlife adults, the research shows how calling can arise through darkness, disruption and trouble, paralleling a process of initiation in traditional cultures. Applications of Jungian concepts including psyche, shadow, persona and individuation are discussed. Vocational research and practice implications are raised."

PsycINFO

Hoffman, D. (2014). Becoming beautiful: The aesthetics of individuation. Psychological Perspectives, 57(1), 50–64.

Abstract: "How does beauty contribute to the process of individuation? C. G. Jung's articulation of the value of aesthetic expression for psychological development emerged from his personal engagement with the psychological turmoil he suffered when his intimate friendship with Sigmund Freud was severed. He learned to work with and integrate his experiences by giving them creative form. But for Jung, in the progression toward wholeness, beauty is only beneficial to the extent that it aptly captures an inner experience, so that its meaning can then be discerned and morally engaged. Such meaning and moral engagement subordinate and supersede concerns for beauty. In contrast, this article proposes that beauty is essential to the entire process of individuation. By returning to the origins of Western conceptions of truth, goodness, and beauty in the thought of Plato, concerns for truth (meaning) and goodness (morality) are shown to engage the intellect and will respectively, but only beauty moves the heart by awakening love. When beauty is relegated away, so is love. Wholeness then lacks heart and is left incomplete. Beauty completes wholeness. And ultimately, from Plato's perspective, wholeness itself is a form of beauty. So when coupled with Jung's conception of individuation as a process of becoming whole, psychological development can be seen as a process of becoming beautiful. In the end, based on factors related to his estrangement from Freud, Jung may have resisted giving greater prominence to beauty as a way to keep their perspectives distinct."

PsycINFO

Katsky, P. (2021). Enlightenment, individuation, and nonduality: Reflections on a dream. Jung Journal: Culture & Psyche, 15(1), 104–128. https://doi-org.pgi.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/19342039.2021.1862601

Abstract: "This paper explores the connections between the concepts of enlightenment and individuation, focusing in particular on individuals with significant experience in both traditions. Nondual or mystical experiences are contextualized as aspects of the religious function of the psyche. Experiences occurring in late-stage individuation are examined and compared to aspects of the Zen Ox-Herding Pictures, and mind states characteristic of the practice of depth psychotherapy and meditation are reviewed. The paper concludes with a dream image drawing together Eastern and Western descriptions of the levels of the psyche."

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