Grounded in the natural philosophy of the Middle Ages, alchemy formed a bridge: on the one hand into the past, to Gnosticism, and on the other into the future, to the modern psychology of the unconscious.
Carl JungRead
Everyone knows nowadays that people 'have complexes'. What is not so well known, though far more important theoretically, is that complexes can have us.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Complexes can influence and control our behaviors and thoughts, often without us realizing it.
Carl Jung's quote highlights the idea that while many are aware of psychological complexes that individuals may possess, it is even more crucial to understand that these complexes can dominate our actions and decisions. This suggests that we may not be as in control of our mental processes as we believe, emphasizing the importance of self-awareness and psychological insight in personal development.
Themes
ComplexesPsychologyAwarenessControlSelf-Discovery
In practice
Example use cases
In a psychology seminar, to initiate discussion on the influence of psychological factors on behavior.
More from Carl Jung
All quotes →The majority of my patients consisted not of believers but of those who had lost their faith.
Carl JungRead
Complexes are psychic contents which are outside the control of the conscious mind. They have been split off from consciousness and lead a separate existence in the unconscious, being at all times ready to hinder or to reinforce the conscious intentions.
Carl JungRead
We are in a far better position to observe instincts in animals or in primitives than in ourselves. This is due to the fact that we have grown accustomed to scrutinizing our own actions and to seeking rational explanations for them.
Carl JungRead
From the viewpoint of analytic psychology, the theatre, aside from any aesthetic value, may be considered as an institution for the treatment of the mass complex.
Carl JungRead
I have treated many hundreds of patients. Among those in the second half of life - that is to say, over 35 - there has not been one whose problem in the last resort was not that of finding a religious outlook on life.
Carl JungRead
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