Collective-unconscious (sometimes collective subconscious ) is a term that the nature of the psychologist Carl Jung meaning the level of the unconscious in common, so to speak, for all people. Jung's ideas on the subject incorporate clear mystical foundations . Due to this there are disagreements, whether they should be considered pseudo-science , mystical theory or scientific idea.
In contrast to Sigmund Freud, who argued that the unconscious includes only content and memories that were actively accessible to man and actively repressed by him, Jung believed that the unconscious includes, in addition to Freud's perception, mental contents that never reached the threshold of human consciousness, and are not necessarily perceived. As negative. Jung's collective unconscious includes archetypes , which are forms or symbols that exist in all human beings in all cultures. These archetypes are the cornerstones of the collective unconscious. Among the archetypes that Jung classified are father , mother , child , God , rebirth , death , shadow , persona and more. According to Jung, as much as his personality Of man is evolving, the contents of the unconscious are being revealed to the conscious and enriching the life of man.
The Source of Collective Unconscious
According to Jung, the collective unconscious is the structure that has the most impact on personality, it includes all the treasure trove of experiences that have accumulated over generations of human race existence, and have remained as traces of memory in the human brain. These traces of memory from the ancient past are inherited , and are ingrained in man as innate tendencies to respond or behave in a certain way, depending on the culture and heritage in which he was born. Jung believed that just as physical traits are inherited, so certain structures in the human brain are inherited, and these structures are a prerequisite for guiding thoughts, images, and ways of coping with life experiences. Thus it can be said, for example, that experiences related to the sight of the sun as a source of life and growth created in man the archetype of a higher being, and experiences that were related to enormous forces of nature such as volcanic activity, earthquakes and water waves created in humanity an archetype of energy. Jung cited as a proof of his conception the trait of motherhood, According to which women are programmed for typical maternal behavior toward their children such as breastfeeding and breastfeeding , without having learned it. Another example he gives is the equal images in all the religions that exist, in all parts of the world, of a universal magical power on which everything revolves.
Additional reading: Carl Jung – The Archetypes of the Collective Unconscious – summary