A review by girgir81
Man and His Symbols, by Jolande Jacobi, Joseph L. Henderson, Marie-Louise von Franz, C.G. Jung, Aniela Jaffé
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…