Reddit reviews A Primer of Jungian Psychology

I should add that Jung's writing is notoriously challenging to interpret, even for those with PhDs in psychology. If you're not familiar with reading philosophy, then you'll probably struggle a bit with Jung. Jung was my introduction to dense philosophical reading, and it was definitely challenging to decipher, requiring multiple reads to "fully" understand. Almost every sentence is packed with meaning, and it can take years of reflection to fully understand what he’s trying to say. I felt like I understood him completely the first time through, but realized that there was so much more to his work after subsequent examinations.

I was 15 or so when I discovered him, and at the time I thought his ideas where flawless. 11 years later, I’ve uncovered some questionable aspects of his theories (particularly pertaining to archetypes), but I still think he’s absolutely brilliant, perhaps the Einstein of psychology.

Depending on what we discover about the universe in the coming years, his theories will either prove to be a century ahead of his time, or to be pseudoscientific nonsense. The collective unconscious and synchronicity have profound implications about the nature of consciousness and the universe. Jung is controversial because many of his theories are rooted in deeply spiritual concepts.

Before you dive into his original writings, I recommend doing some research on his key concepts first. There are several primers on Jungian psychology that are far more accessible than his direct work. I recommend this one: https://www.amazon.com/Primer-Jungian-Psychology-Calvin-Hall/dp/0452011868/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=primer+jungian+psychology&qid=1562269705&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Here's a few Jungian concepts worth checking out. Keep in mind that Jung's work has been interpreted in several different ways, so these descriptions are just my own interpretations, and are not necessarily correct. I'd recommend checking out with the wiki for each concept as a starting point, and then reading his autobiography.

1. The Anima and Animus (of course) - the feminine and masculine dimensions of the human psyche (respectively) occurrent in every person.
   
2. The Collective Unconscious - the shared, unconscious, psychological framework of humanity. Can be interpreted genetically or in a more spiritual way.
   
3. Synchronicity - definitely one of Jung's most controversial ideas, but also one of his most interesting. Essentially it's "meaningful coincidence"
   
4. Typology - Jung's theory of personality, which is the basis of the Myers-Briggs personality test. Includes the concepts of introversion and extroversion, which Jung originated.
   
5. The Shadow - this is the dark, animalistic side of the human psyche present in all of us. It's our base, mostly unconscious animalistic tendencies, and the source of all "evil". According to Jung, we all have the capacity to do horrible things, and controlling those impulses requires a recognition and awareness of one's shadow. In order to fight your inner demons, you must first be aware of them.
   
6. Individuation - one could say this is Jung's concept of "enlightenment". It refers to the process of becoming fully aware of your unconscious, and integrating it into your personality.
   
7. Archetypes - this concept is interwoven with the Shadow, Anima, Animus, and the collective unconscious. I interpret it as shared psychological constructs and dispositions. I think Jung takes the idea of archetypes too far, but I still believe that it has merit when considered moderately.
   
   As for original works, I started with his autobiography "Memories, Dreams, Reflections". I think it's an excellent introduction to his mind.

This is the short summary I read to get acquainted with Jungian psychology at large. There's a few different ones out there. It's super enriching.

For type specifically, there's no substitute for "Psychological Types". I recommend chapters 2, 10, and any relevant definitions from chapter 11. I also recommend getting the revised translation, since it's a much easier read (the one available online is an older edition), but that costs $$$ :(

A Primer of Jungian Psychology is what they taught in my history of psychology course about 10 years back. I still remember the title because it was actually a really interesting read

The Power of Myth is probably how most people become familiar with Joseph Campbell but he also has plenty of books and videos. There is also a series of some of his lecture called Mythos that is more detailed. I think it is 6 discs. I just checked the series out from my library so can't speak yet as to how good it is.

I'm not really in to mythologies and stuff and never had any interest in them even though I have a degree in psychology, but, when I saw The Power of Myth it really made me think about a lot of stuff including archetypes in a different way. His discussions with Bill Moyers really enlightened me.

As somebody else mentioned, you can also look into Carl Jung. Jung can be difficult to understand, especially for people with no foundation in early, turn of the 20th Century psychology. A book that I recommend as a primer into his basic ideas that I really like is A Primer of Jungian Psychology. Unfortunately, no ebook version, but the book is fairly thin and written well, covering a lot of Jung's beliefs without getting too complex.

You can start with this.
https://www.amazon.com/Primer-Jungian-Psychology-Calvin-Hall/dp/0452011868/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1550253128&sr=8-1