Quantum Drummer

On his description of Coincidentia Oppositorum, Jung debates on the way that the relationship between opposites can be presented. He relates the unification of opposites to the Transcendent Function which is the key for the process of Individuation. First of all, it is important to clarify the meaning that Jung gave to the concept of Individuation.

Jung’s Individuation

The term Individuation, as defined by Jung’s psychology, is a prime example of the limitations of language. If we focus strictly on the meaning of the word, it is very easy to think that Individuation should mean a process in which the person achieves individual growth to differentiate him or herself from others, or a process in which fragmentation and self are nurtured over the collective.

However, it is important to analyze the meaning of the concept according to Jung’s intentions, which will describe to us the idea of combining a process of differentiation, but also a process of understanding the whole, and the relationship of the individual to the collective, therefore being an example of Complementarity, since is defining the dual nature of individual and collective elements (the relationship of the pair of opposites individual ~ collective).

The concept of Individuation and its meaning according to Jung is a key element in Jung’s psychology, and it appears many times through Jung’s writings. Sharp (1991) gives us a very detailed description of the concept as follows:

“Individuation. A process of psychological differentiation, having for its goal the development of the individual personality…. Individuation is a process informed by the archetypal ideal of wholeness, which in turn depends on a vital relationship between ego and unconscious. The aim is not to overcome one’s personal psychology, to become perfect, but to become familiar with it. Thus individuation involves an increasing awareness of one’s unique psychological reality, including personal strengths and limitations, and at the same time a deeper appreciation of humanity in general….In Jung’s view, no one is ever completely individuated. While the goal is wholeness and a healthy working relationship with the self, the true value of individuation lies in what happens along the way.” (pp. 67-69)

The description of Individuation defined by Jung as we can see, is not a simple description of individuality, but a complex set of relationships that define some of the key elements of being human. And if we pay attention to the definition, under the paradigm of Complementarity, we can observe not just a simple relationship between just one pair of opposites, but a group of relationships that define the path for humans to achieve growth. These relationships appear to imply several complementarities which all together form the individuated human, perhaps requiring a different description for Complementarity as something more like a Super-Complementarity or a Multiple-Complementarity, since we need to observe the relationships among complementary opposites and on a second level the relationship between several complementary “pairs” of opposites.

To unpack the definition, first we have the complementary pair: ego ~ unconscious, which is a pair of elements internal to the individual’s Psique; then we see a relationship between strengths ~ limitations again related to the individual, and as an additional relationship we have the pair whole ~ individual, that provides the connection of the person to the world. The description for Individuation determines an internal wholeness of the individual with him/herself, and an external wholeness of the individual with the world, such that the goal is to achieve a higher level of internal and external wholeness in order to achieve the Individuation, bringing even one more relation of opposites to the group: internal ~ external.

Therefore, the concept of Individuation gives us a complex complementary relationship between at least 4 sets of opposite pairs:

                        Ego ~ Unconscious —————————— Strength ~ Limitation

                        Whole ~ Individual —————————— Internal ~ External

Jung does not discuss Individuation this way, but mainly makes the point that individuation consists of both an internal/individual element and an external/collective element.

In his book: Psychological Types, Jung (1971) expands on this individual/collective need of Individuation as follows:

“…only a society that can preserve its internal cohesion and collective values, while at the same time granting the individual the greatest possible freedom, has any prospect of enduring vitality. As the individual is not just a single, separate being, but by his very existence presupposes a collective relationship, it follows that the process of individuation must lead to more intense and broader collective relationships and not to isolation.” (p. 448).

 While Jung describes several approaches that can be implemented to achieve the union of opposites, it appears that individuation is the main method. An important part of Individuation is the element of “compensation”, which achieves the balance and integration of the opposites. The key element of Individuation is that its process includes a complementarity between the conscious and the unconscious (Drob, 2017, p. 198). Regarding the element of compensation, Jung also mentions: “Unconscious compensation is only effective when it co-operates with an integral consciousness; assimilation is never a question of “this or that,” but always of “this and that.” (Jung, 1966, p.156). We can observe how here Jung is using directly the language of Complementarity indicating the need for and and not only or.

By itself, the process of Individuation as developed by Jung is not just a simple concept that describes a growth in maturity or the achievement of a higher level of knowledge, and even if Jung does not seem to ever provide a clear definition of Individuation, we can observe that the way the concept is presented provides with a complex set of relationships, once again, showing the relationships between several opposite individual elements and the relationships between several pairs of these opposites, all of this following Jung’s preference of using a symbolic language. Drob (2017) gives us a view of this:

“Jung’s message seems to be that as one assimilates the significance of symbolic personifications and situations, one-sided conscious attitudes are critiqued and compensated for, and the individual moves closer to assimilating the archetype of the self – an archetype that is a coincidentia oppositorum. The process of individuation involves an encounter with, and assimilation of, aspects of both the personal and collective unconscious, specifically the individual’s shadow (elements of one’s personality that the individual has hitherto ignored, rejected, and detested) and the anima or animus (the aspect of oneself that embodies characteristics opposite to those one and society associates with one’s gender). The assimilation of the shadow is illustrated in The Red Book as Jung painfully comes to “accept all,” including the most repulsive desires and tendencies within humanity and his own psyche.” (p. 199).

In this description, we can once again observe how the concept of Individuation is not just a simple relationship of two opposite elements, but a complex relationship among several elements and several pairs. At least the following pairs of opposites are defined:

Personal unconscious ~ Collective Unconscious

Self ~ Shadow

Anima ~ Animus

These pairs of elements (opposites) are engaged on a complementary relationship with each other, and then, the pairs are also engaged with each other to structure a “Complex Complementarity” of three complementary pairs of opposites in order to form the framework of individuality as defined by Jung.

One more important aspect of this structure is that Jung describes several different relationships among the opposites. First of all, a “union,” “coincidence,” “interdependence” and “harmony” of the opposites, but also a “confrontation,” or “tension.” It is not just a simple relationship of “union” that brings up the relationship of the opposites. Some additional details provided by Jung on the opposites are: “[the] identity of opposites is a characteristic feature of every psychic event in the unconscious state…there is no energy unless there is a tension of opposites and…the psyche as an “energetic system” is dependent on this very tension.” And also: “The idea here is that without the opposites (Jung cites as examples beginning and end, above and below, earlier and later, and cause and effect) nothing could be manifest.” And finally, to provide even clearer perspective on the importance of the relationship among opposites, Jung says: “Life itself is the oscillation between the tension and overcoming of opposites; when they have been completely overcome, a person (for example, the Buddha in his final reincarnation) has no further reason to live on earth.” (Drob, 2017, p. 201).

The relationships of the opposites reflected in Jung’s philosophy make us realize that this relationship is dynamic, complex and non-dualistic. It is dynamic because is ever-changing, and the oscillation between the opposites is modified with time. It is complex because is not only a relationship among a single pair of opposites, but, as we have seen, it generally involves more than one pair, and probably at any given time it might require a different number of pairs, and for the same reason, is non-dualistic, having more than just two elements to coordinate.

The dynamic characteristic of the pair of opposites behavior indicates that the whole relationship is an ongoing flow that changes with time, meaning that life in general is an ongoing flow of opposite elements organized in pairs that form complex relationships and are defining our status in life and in nature, both physically and psychically. We will continue analyzing this concept of flow, and how it can affect our psychical well-being and our growth.