PSYCHE and SYMBOL: HEALING and MEANING
In discussing the human mind, in all its layers and dimensions, aka 'psyche', it is helpful to be able to use the terminology and concepts of Jungian psychology.
The human psyche is a unity, that for convenience' sake is talked about as if it were divided into three seqments: the ego or conscious mind of ' I '-awareness the personal unconscious, which includes the diverse aspects known as the shadow. the anima-animus syzygy , and the Self; and the collective unconscious, which contains the archetypes. (25) In brief, the ego complex is the conscious perspective of the individual, the personal unconscious contains the unconscious and repressed contents of the individual, and the collective unconscious functions for the collective society in much the same way that the personal unconscious functions for the individual.
The collective unconscious is available to each individual psyche as well, and contains the "definite forms in the psyche which seem to be present always and everywhere,” (26) and which manifest themselves in imagery as 'motifs', called archetypes.
All three segments, taken together, were termed the 'objective psyche' by Jung in his later writings. (28) The objective psyche produces spontaneous images in dreams and fantasies, which when brought to consciousness in psychoanalysis are found to relate to instincts, emotions and drive impulses (29) , with which the patient has been out of touch, and unable to experience in daily life. (30) Jungian psychologist Edward C. Whitmont writes that the manifold expressions of the libido, or energy, of the objective psyche, as a whole, include all aspects of human life, •"including the urge toward a spiritual or religious search for meaningful existence" (31) - that is, the search for God, for transcendence, for ultimate meaning. This statement indicates that the goals of Jungian psychology are not incompatible with the goals of religion.
In brief, the structure and dynamics of the objective psyche are as follows;
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