raphaelsandingjr's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
conflagrationinthenight's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not huge on psychoanalysis, but this was pretty interesting. It made more sense to me than Freud ever did.
girgir81's review against another edition
3.5
A 3.5 from me for this book just because, in all honesty, I believe that I didn’t fully grasp it.
It has been on my TBR list for over a year and when I finally got it, it was not what I expected. It is complicated and complex. It kicked my butt! It probably didn’t help that I was having a few really tough, long days at the office after which my brain was not functioning at full capacity.
In general, I do agree with the main idea behind the book: that the unconscious mind is very powerful and affects our behavior heavily and the way it normally communicates with our consciousness is through dreams. I also agree that dreams cannot be interpreted in just one universal way where one size fits all. They are coded with deeply personal signals and meanings that only the dreamer can fully comprehend. Even then, the dreamer would need the help of a professional to decipher them.
Deciphering the dreams is where Jung lost me though. I am not sure if I misunderstood what he was explaining, but I feel that, to be fair to this book, I would definitely have to let it simmer a bit now and then get another reread perhaps in a year or so. Why, you might ask? Just because it feels unfinished to me and psychology is a field I really like getting into.
I owe this book a second chance and it will get it…
It has been on my TBR list for over a year and when I finally got it, it was not what I expected. It is complicated and complex. It kicked my butt! It probably didn’t help that I was having a few really tough, long days at the office after which my brain was not functioning at full capacity.
In general, I do agree with the main idea behind the book: that the unconscious mind is very powerful and affects our behavior heavily and the way it normally communicates with our consciousness is through dreams. I also agree that dreams cannot be interpreted in just one universal way where one size fits all. They are coded with deeply personal signals and meanings that only the dreamer can fully comprehend. Even then, the dreamer would need the help of a professional to decipher them.
Deciphering the dreams is where Jung lost me though. I am not sure if I misunderstood what he was explaining, but I feel that, to be fair to this book, I would definitely have to let it simmer a bit now and then get another reread perhaps in a year or so. Why, you might ask? Just because it feels unfinished to me and psychology is a field I really like getting into.
I owe this book a second chance and it will get it…
bo0kf4n2's review against another edition
A bit dense for what I was looking for at the time. Will come back to it though!
eyeseyed's review against another edition
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
jocelynw's review against another edition
4.0
Despite being back for a second round decades later with my Jungian Buddhist Favorite Therapist Ever, I had never actually directly read any Jung and I thought I should correct that.
david_rhee's review against another edition
4.0
Some authors produce such a prodigious amount of quality written work, it excites envy or amazement, or both. Bertrand Russell is one who comes to mind. Carl Jung is also in the same class.
Man and his Symbols was the object of Jung's tireless focus and dedication in his final days of illness. He acted as editor for the other chapters penned by his colleagues. Jung's essay which opens the book spans about a third of its total length and is every bit just another example of his clear, concise and well supported presentation. As one who has read several of Jung's works over quite a few years, I enjoyed very much the review of his archetypal theory and the new light shined upon its many aspects by Jung's wealth of examples taken from both antiquity and contemporary life.
I was grateful to the authors of the other essays for their alternate points of view and for their clarification of some of Jung's more unusual ideas, such as synchronicity. Applications to art interpretation, an extensive account of a case subject who was led to self realization by dream analysis, and possible links between psychology and the physical sciences are all put forth as examples of Jung's widely ranging reach. They wrote their essays in concert as if this effort was their tribute to the man whose work has touched so many.
Man and his Symbols was the object of Jung's tireless focus and dedication in his final days of illness. He acted as editor for the other chapters penned by his colleagues. Jung's essay which opens the book spans about a third of its total length and is every bit just another example of his clear, concise and well supported presentation. As one who has read several of Jung's works over quite a few years, I enjoyed very much the review of his archetypal theory and the new light shined upon its many aspects by Jung's wealth of examples taken from both antiquity and contemporary life.
I was grateful to the authors of the other essays for their alternate points of view and for their clarification of some of Jung's more unusual ideas, such as synchronicity. Applications to art interpretation, an extensive account of a case subject who was led to self realization by dream analysis, and possible links between psychology and the physical sciences are all put forth as examples of Jung's widely ranging reach. They wrote their essays in concert as if this effort was their tribute to the man whose work has touched so many.