ABSTRACT
C. G. Jung’s essay on “The Transcendent Function” was originally written in 1916 and it remained in Jung’s files until 1953. To understand the transcendent function, one must first understand Jung’s concept of the opposites in relation to the psyche. Jung himself describes the transcendent function as an ongoing dialogue between the conscious and unconscious that involves a “shuttling to and fro of arguments and affects” The goal of the transcendent function is the transformation of consciousness, at both the personal and collective levels, and the arrival at the realisation of the personality having integrated all of its aspects. The transcendent function can also be considered as a purely natural process that, in Jung’s later writings, became subsumed as an integral part of the individuation process. The problem Jung seeks to address in identifying and naming “The Transcendent Function” is what he considered the perennial and universal question of how one comes to terms with the unconscious.
