Carl Gustav Jung - Four Archetypes: Mother/Rebirth/Spirit/Trickster

Carl Gustav Jung - Four Archetypes: Mother / Rebirth / Spirit / Trickster (Routledge, 2003). Translated by R.F.C. Hull.

ISBN: 9780415304412 | 216 pages | PDF & EPUB


The concept of the archetype is crucial to Carl Gustav Jung's radical interpretation of the human mind. Jung believed that every person partakes of a universal or collective unconscious that persists through generations. The origins of the concept can be traced to his very first publication in 1902 and it remained central to his thought throughout his life.

The essays in this volume (extracted from Vol. 9.I of Jung's Collected Works) gather together his most important statements on the archetypes, including "Psychological Aspects of the Mother Archetype," "Concerning Rebirth," "The Phenomenology of the Spirit in Fairytales," and "On the Psychology of the Trickster-Figure."

As well as explaining the theoretical background behind the idea, Jung describes the four archetypes that he considers fundamental to the psychological make-up of every individual: mother, rebirth, spirit and trickster. Exploring their role in myth, fairytale and scripture, Jung engages the reader in discoveries that challenge and enlighten the ways we perceive ourselves and others.

NOTE: The EPUB edition included here, released in 2010, features a new foreword by Sonu Shamdasani, Philemon Professor of Jung History at University College London and editor of Jung's "Red Book".