ABSTRACT
C. G. Jung formulated much of his theory in an unconventional manner. Contemporary Jungians often forget that collective theories about the existence of a transpersonal unconscious were common currency in the nineteenth century, so the perception that the collective unconscious was unique to Jung is an unfortunate misperception. Many of his ideas were derived from his introspective work on himself which he formulated into hypotheses and then applied to others. Jung started as a clinician treating the personal problems and complexes of individuals. Gradually Jung came to see some of the types of problems he encountered as afflicting large numbers of people. In his writings he was drawing on his voyage of discovery and the colourful material he found in the unconscious. For Jung the collective unconscious had both an unconscious hereditary aspect and an unconscious contemporary collective aspect.
