C.G. Jung believed that the Self is an expression of the divine within the personality. He refers to it as the “God within,” or imago dei. In this series of lectures, Dr. Corbett will describe some of the ways in which the Self manifests itself symbolically, comparing the idea of the Self with a number of classical theistic images of God in Western religious traditions. In particular, Dr. Corbett will show how Jung’s idea of the “dark side of the Self” contrasts with traditional Christian attempts to maintain an image of God that is entirely loving and benevolent. He will show how the idea of the Self may be projected onto external savior figures, and how the idea of the Self avoids some of the philosophical problems associated with traditional images of God, such as anthropomorphic descriptions of God. Dr. Corbett will unpack Jung’s arguments with theologians such as Martin Buber and Victor White, as well as discuss overlapping themes between the notion of the Self and the work of the quantum physicist David Bohm. Using clinical examples, Dr. Corbett will describe what Jung meant by the transformation of our God-images that may occur as we explore the unconscious. Finally, he will explore the possible relationships between the Ātman of the Upanishads and Jung’s notion of the Self.

Recommended reading: God-Images: From Antiquity to Jung (Chiron Publications) by Lionel Corbett

Each session will include a live presentation including time for audience discussion and Q&A.

Overview of Weekly Topics

Week 1:  

What does Jung mean by “the Self”? In what ways is it an expression of the divine, as Jung claims? Does Jung’s notion of the Self correspond to the God of the theistic traditions? Why does Jung stress personal experience of the Self rather than belief in God?

 Week 2:  

What is the relationship between the ego and the Self? How does the personality emerge from the Self during development? Does the Self effect the destiny of the individual? How is the Self related to the individuation process? What does Jung mean by the incarnation of the Self? What did Edinger mean by saying that we are entering into a “new dispensation”? Is Jung’s approach a new mythic image of the divine?

Week 3:  

Why was Jung’s Answer to Job controversial? Is there a dark side of the Self?  What are the symbolic manifestations of the Self? How does the Self relate to moments of synchronicity? Critiques of the concept of the Self.

Week 4:  

The transformation of the God-image and Jung’s controversy with Martin Buber and Victor White. The Self as the unus mundus: a comparison to the implicate order of the physicist David Bohm. Post-modern approaches to the Self. The relationship between Jung’s notion of the Self and his personal psychology. The Self and the Ātman of the Upanishads

Learning Objectives 

As a result of attending this program, participants will:

• Learn to recognize the symbolic manifestations of the Self.
• Analyze the differences between theistic notions of God and Jung’s concept of the Self.
• Recognize the projective mechanisms involved in theistic attachment to savior figures.
• Understand the transformation of God-images that may occur through the exploration of the unconscious through use of a clinical case study.