Modern Man In Search Of A Soul (Harvest Book)

By C.G. Jung

Book Overview

A provocative and enlightening look at spiritual unease and its contribution to the void of modern civilization--one of the most influential books in the field of psychology. Modern Man in Search of a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0156612062
• ISBN13: 9780156612067
• Release Date: August 1955
• Publisher: Mariner Books Classics
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.9" x 0.6" x 5.3"

Customer Reviews

The best place to start reading Jung

_Modern Man in Search of a Soul_ is the first book you should read by Jung. That is not to say that it is particularly easy; it is by no means a watered-down layman's version of Jung. This is Jung at full intensity. It is an ideal introduction simply because it deals with his more accessable concepts, such as the actual practice of psychotherapy, the doctor-patient relationship, the types of things a doctor should say to his patients, ect. It also deals with broader sociological issues and does not get bogged down with esoteric concepts such as alchemy and ancient mythology. Overall, I would say this is a perfectly crafted philosophical/psychological work. It is potent, miserly, well-written, well-translated, and never gets bogged down with unreadable, esoteric sections. It is not as far-reaching and revolutionary as some of Jung's works, but it is a magnificent work of art pared down to the absolute essentials. Overall it is one of the top five books ever written, by any author, from any genre or time period. Also, as a side note, I would recomend _Psychotherapy East and West_ by the American author Alan Watts as a companion piece to Jung's _Modern Man in Search of a Soul_.

Modern Man Review

This book is page after page of intelligent insight into the psyche of man. He oscillates back an forth between practical understanding of self and others, and therapy scenarios between doctor and patient. This book exemplifies the kind of thought that will elevate and evolve the common man beyond what we are and have been. He illuminates the logical next steps forward in personal evolution by sharing what amounts to his intimate knowledge of the human condition. Jung gives credit to his audience in that he trusts us to follow his thought with understanding and one feels growing responsiblity with every newly illuminated concept. Please enjoy this book. Let this man's work reach you.

Soul searcing

I have always been deeply suspicious of the field of psychology. While I may not go so far as Richard Feynman did when he referred to them as the "modern day counterparts to witchdoctors," the discipline does make me rather nervous (if pushed to extremes).That said, I have always respected Jung as an intellectually honest scientist. I may not agree with all his views, but I appreciate that fact that he is not the usual run-of-the-mill sterotyping pigeon-holer (as most psychologists are). His concept of the collective unconscious (whether it is correct or not) is rather fascinating. I do believe there is something to it, as these common archetypal images incessantly end up in our dreams and mythologies. It is not by chance that Joseph Campbell was so influenced by Jung's ideas as to incorporate many of them into his exegesis of mythology.The present book is my all-time favorite book that is written in the psychology field. The book covers a diverse set of topics which Jung engages with his remarkable acumen. Some of the issues raised are the problems with psychotherapy, the contrasts between his views and those of Freud's (which led to their falling out), psychology and literature, and the spiritual problems of modern man.One of the most interesting chapters of the book is entitled "Archaic Man." Jung details the psyche of tribes in such places as sub-Saharan Africa and New Guinea. Many of these cultures live the same way today that their ancestors lived thousands of years ago. Their psychological state, like their way of life, has been frozen in time. In essence, they are much the same as primitive man; the same as our own forefathers. Jung dicusses how they tend to explain everything via supernatural happenings. Much of the "reasoning" is anti-logic and extremely ad-hoc. However, Jung points out how such a dangerous and volatile envioronment as the jungle may coerce most anyone into thinking in ways which we "civilized" people would interpret as superstitous.One of the underlying themes of the book is how we as a human race have become overly-logical today. It may be that primitive tribes may have something to teach us, after all. Somehow, we have descended into apathy after existing for thousands of years as a race that explained everything via the supernatural. This book is a wonderful dissection of the post-modern current state. It is highly recommend for any modern man in search of a soul.