ABSTRACT
These two papers place Jungian depth psychology in a social and political context. They explore ways in which this context has affected, and is affecting, the individual and the process of individuation through the interplay of an activated personal and collective unconscious with contemporary socio-cultural expectations and ideals. Jean Thomson demonstrates how the impact of monetarism-with its advocacy of efficiency as a priority and the consequent demands to ‘slim down’ the work force-was first generated through the media. She sees the more profound effect of these economic ideas as stemming from the activation of the archetypes of the collective unconscious, where our deepest human fears about dependency and the failure to survive in a hostile environment reside. Bion’s Basic Assumption Theory is discussed and compared with Jung’s notion of the collective unconscious. Rosemary Gordon reflects on the process of individuation in an ever-changing world. Advances in the sciences and in technology have triggered enormous social and ideological changes, giving rise not only to extended personal freedom of choice, but also to great uncertainty, insecurity and even depersonalisation. Gordon demonstrates that the process of individuation-a concept of central importance to Jung’s metapsychology-is an absolute necessity for the survival of the planet and ourselves. She suggests that we are already witnessing actual, and potential, psychological consequences of not attending to these processes.
