This new analysis is a critique of the theories of C.G. Jung (1875-1961). Author Don McGowan begins with an impartial overview of Jungian analysis, detailing all of its various aspects from personality theory through the archetype of the self to the collective unconscious. Beginning with Jung's inconsistent analyses of various religions, McGowan then examines Jung's examples of the archetype. Both the general archetypes and the archetypes of the self, the cornerstone of Jung's theory of person, are proven to be Jung's misinterpretation of symbols combined with racism and sexism. Not all Jungian theory should be discarded, however; while admitting that Jung's theories are inadequate to explain the richness of symbolic expression, the book concludes with a theory of interpreting popular culture loosely based upon Jung's concepts.
Don McGowan (Montreal) is currently studying comparative legal ethics at McGill University.
219 pages ISBN 0-87975-859-7 Cloth