Dangers of the Persona - Carl Jung

Описание: Dangers of the Persona - Carl Jung

In this video, I talk about Carl Jung's ideas surrounding the dangers of the persona. Carl Jung sees the persona as a narrowing of the personality of the ego in order to perform a social role within society. The persona can be dangerous if the person identifies too strongly with it as the rest of their personality is at risk of being lost to the influence of the 'collective consciousness'.

For anyone who thinks Carl Jung did not mention anything about a 'collective consciousness' I should put your doubts to rest by referencing Jung himself:

"Once more we meet with the theme of “exchange” (cf. dream 1): one thing is put in the place of another. The “father” has been dealt with; now begins the action of the “mother.” Just as the father represents collective consciousness, the traditional spirit, so the mother stands for the collective unconscious, the source of the water of life." - C. G. Jung, Collected Works Vol. 12, Psychology and Alchemy, Paragraph 92.

That is just one example, but Jung talks about it also in reference to the persona. We all share in society with our persona and that too is a collective consciousness. The 'collective' nature of such a psychological phenomena and influence is what is dangerous, as the individual is lost to the collective influences.

I think Jung also kind of saw the collective consciousness as kind of self-evident. So he didn't overly harbor on it. And I think Freud's super-ego could be something of a similar nature.

"The aim of individuation is nothing less than to divest the self of the false wrappings of the persona on the one hand, and of the suggestive power of primordial images on the other. From what has been said in the previous chapters it should be sufficiently clear what the persona means psychologically. But when we turn to the other side, namely to the influence of the collective unconscious, we find we are moving in a dark interior world that is vastly more difficult to understand than the psychology of the persona, which is accessible to everyone. Everyone knows what is meant by “putting on official airs” or “playing a social role.” Through the persona a man tries to appear as this or that, or he hides behind a mask, or he may even build up a definite persona as a barricade. So the problem of the persona should present no great intellectual difficulties." - C. G. Jung, Collected Works Vol. 7, Two Essays on Analytical Psychology, Paragraph 269

The following quote also reveals Jung referring to the persona and 'external role' as related to a 'collective' just as the 'primordial images' make up the collective unconscious.

"The possibilities of development discussed in the preceding chapters were, at bottom, alienations of the self, ways of divesting the self of its reality in favour of an external role or in favour of an imagined meaning. In the former case the self retires into the background and gives place to social recognition; in the latter, to the auto-suggestive meaning of a primordial image. In both cases the collective has the upper hand. Self-alienation in favour of the collective corresponds to a social ideal; it even passes for social duty and virtue, although it can also be misused for egotistical purposes." - C. G. Jung, Collected Works Vol. 7, Two Essays on Analytical Psychology, Paragraph 267

Also a search for the term 'Collective Consciousness' in Jung's collected works reveals multiple references:

From the CW, Vol. 20 "General Index:"
Consciousness, collective, Vol. 7 p. 229, Vol. 8 p. 405, p. 423-4, Vol. 9i p. 2n, Vol. 12 p. 92, Vol. 13 p 463, Vol. 18 p. 5.

This poses somewhat of a problematical situation for the current world which is focused very much upon a persona lead life. With most our lives focused on external societal roles, and very little attention paid towards cultivating the deeper inner parts of our personality. We neglect human psychology at our peril, we treat it as common and as if we know all about it because we all share something of a psychological nature, yet in reality we know nothing about it and are often too wrapped up in the schema of our culture, diminishing our personality in favour of the strength and status the persona gives us within society.

Carl Jung did think that it was necessary to have a persona, as it is a necessity to function in our world, but it must be checked and the personality set at a balance between influences from the persona and influences from the collective unconscious. This middle ground so to speak is where the individual emerges and the process of individuation takes place.

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