Shirley Yanez / 24 July 2016 / Categories: Books, Non-fiction

Modern day man in search of a soul

Modern Man in Search of a Soul is the perfect introduction to the theories and concepts of one of the most original and influential religious thinkers of the of the twentieth century, Swedish psychologist Carl Jung. I wanted to read this books when I was quite young but never had the true urge to pick it up because I think this book is for when you are ready to face yourself. It is not the easiest of books to read and probably not a book to take on a holiday to escape but it is, once you get into it, a really insightful introduction to the theories and concepts of a great thinker.

A provocative and enlightening look at spiritual unease, dreams and why we have them. It helps us understand how we fill this empty void we often feel when religion and God become the unrealistic crutches that no longer have any meaning. The first essay on dream-analysis hits on the idea that dreams are very hard to interpret and I found this chapter really interesting because dreaming is something I want to understand, so Jung helped me do this.

The healthy Man does not torture, generally it is the tortured who turn to torture, is my most remembered line in this book, as it is so true. Jung explains the purpose of psychotherapy. Psychotherapy's goal is to help people accept their deepest desires and help them manifest those needs in ways that are constructive, not to force them to adhere to any psychological theory-based ideal. However, every patient is different, and no single hypothesis can fully explain them all. Rather, Jung assists patients in deciphering the significance of their fantasies and dreams. Patients use conscious free association to generate thoughts. Some use those ideas to paint or sketch pictures. They often create visuals that match recurrent symbols in art and history.

A really great book to read but not easy. I highly recommend it.