ABSTRACT
Analytical psychologists are familiar with Jung’s blending of psychology and religion, but other psychologists have found it problematic. Jung has been criticised on the grounds that his writing is arcane and diffi cult to follow (Schultz, 1976; 2001). This perception may be a consequence of the way he interweaves religion, mythology, and alchemy with psychology. Some empirical psychologists, for example Eysenck (1953: 226-235), disliked Jung’s attempt to reinsert religion into psychology, seeing his ideas as subjective, mystical, and unscientifi c. Others, such as Allport (1937), Murphy (1947), and Ryckman (1993), have been inspired by the breadth of scope in Jung’s theory. Some have considered Jung’s scope unparalleled (for example, Hall & Lindzey, 1978: 149). This chapter explains why Jung’s radical religious ideas are inseparable from his general theory of personality and why understanding this aspect of his work is the key to understanding his personality theory. I focus particularly on the religious meaning of Jung’s key concept of individuation.
