Introduction

Jungian psychology gets to contribute with its unique interpretative paradigm, wherein intuition paves the way to insights. As Andrew Samuels offers, “has the capacity to weave empathy, compassion, and imagination into social theorizing.” Carl Jung once claimed that “America has probably the most complicated psychology of all nations.” The American psyche is indeed as vast and complicated as it gets; think of all the races and religions, all the people coming together under this one roof, one flag, forming a dynamic, ever-changing collective. As professor of analytical psychology Andrew Samuels warns, psychological reductionism—such as individualistic infantilization or pathologizing—not only proves insufficient in explaining complex social and political phenomena but also is alienating from the point of view of other disciplines. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.