This book was a catalyst in my development as an individual at 17 years of age. To this day many years later, it has provided me with so much insight about myself and humanity. The realizations of self ultimately give an understanding of others and their tribulations.

I have purchased another copy (because mine was not returned by friends twice) and a Carl Jung "action figure" for my five-year-old son. While I understand he will not be able to read and comprehend it now, I know it will provide a great outline regarding the inner world that so many are lacking in this day and age.

For anyone who is cerebral, this book stands the test of time. The concepts and images will make a direct correlation with your personal life.

This is a classic must read for any counselor, psychologist, therapist, Etc. or someone just interested in interesting thought. Some truth some fantasy some bewildering mind scapes. C'mon why just read about how the original masters thought, why not read their own words!

This is a book that everybody should own, in my opinion. Karl Jung is a must have.

I purchased this in a batch of books which I had wanted to read for a while, including Richard Dawkin's The Selfish Gene.

To be honest, this book is quite a disappointment to me. As noted in other reviews, Jung actually wrote only 1/5th of this book, serving as editor for the rest of the pieces. And it is exactly Jung's own writing which I find disappointing.

Jung's style is sloppy and unfocussed, possibly because this is evidently the first time he writes 'for the layman'. Compared to Dawkins' The Selfish Gene, which I read alternatingly with this book, Man and his Symbols reads like a sloppy collection of personal opinion. It's hard to see from this introduction how Jung is considered to be such an important thinker.

I picked up a copy of this book in Mendocino, CA just after I graduated from college and was trying to figure out what to do with my life. For those of you who are somewhat introverted, academic, or artistic, you may find that his book changes your view and helps begin the process of what Jung (and now other therapists) call the "individuation" process, or normal unfolding of human life. I ended following my bliss and doing all kinds of things that have made me a very happy, very satisfied and yet unendingly curious person. I am now studying to be a therapist, and whether or not I graduate is not the point. The journey and the dream images and meaning we assign to them are the whole point. Life became a meaningful joy for me and (no kidding) this book was the ONLY source of that inspiration.

I have the coffetable version of this book, which is much larger and in color, but the smaller paperback will also do...I'm sure the pictures are good enough. It is the words, not the pictures, that change your life. Who knew that western individualistic humanism was such a powerful and compelling force of psychology?

This book changed my life for the better permanently. Read it.

The content is classic and deserves better quality presentation. How about a hardcover? The paper is cheap and already turning brown. The print is miniscule and could be a font size or two larger. I want to buy books to continue building a quality library, not a cheap throw-away.

This anthology of essays by Jung and his colleagues yields great insights into Jung's school of depth psychology and the psychology of archetypes. This is a must read for any magician and other workers of the mind. One of the later essays reports the revelation that the visions of certain attuned minds answer to some of the images of the quantum realm drawn from experiments in quantum physics. Consciousness is a quantum phenomenon expanded to the human scale of size by the central nervous system.

This book was originally conceived of and designed in the manner of an illuminated manuscript. The images are combined with the text to convey meaning. In the paperback most of the images are gone and the ones remaining are converted to black and white and shoved into the middle of the book where they lose their context.

MAN AND HIS SYMBOLS if the most important book written, from the wisdom of a wise man's life time of study of imagery, the symbolic energetics of human experience and dreams. There is no other book that has stayed in print for over 40 years that can clearly and informatively deliver the depth and breadth of Jung's lifetime of wisdom,combined with those others who applied and continued to develop his work, as described in the later chapters. Jung man is the greatest mind and heart, and healer of the 20th century. Prepare to read a book that might change your life, for the better....Do NOT buy the paperback; the hardback of 310 pps. is well and carefully illustrated, with pictures from a variety of cultures and periods of history, sciences and the arts, not available in the smaller edition. Prepare to learn more than you ever imagined about human nature, the human condition and human potential.

Marina Kushner
Author
The Truth About Caffeine: How Companies That Promote It Deceive Us and What We Can Do about It

A lot of research has been done concerning the work of Dr. Carl Jung. Carl Gustav Jung (July 26, 1875 - June 6, 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist and founder of analytical psychology. Dr. Carl Jung helped to start the "Roman salute" myth that was later refuted by Dr. Rex Curry. Jung popularized the salute myth.

In 1938, Dr. Jung made a reference to a "Roman salute" (see below for more details) in "The Archetypes and The Collective Unconscious" in the "The Collected Works of C.G. Jung," Volume 9, Part 1 (1934-1954). Jung said: "If thirty years ago anyone had dared to predict that our psychological development was tending towards a revival of the medieval persecutions of the Jews, that Europe would again tremble before the Roman fasces and the tramp of legions, that people would once more give the Roman salute, as two thousand years ago, and that instead of the Christian Cross an archaic swastika would lure onward millions of warriors ready for death -- why, that man would have been hooted at as a mystical fool."

Dr. Curry showed that the "Roman salute" is a myth and that the salute originated in the USA with the Pledge of Allegiance (to the flag). Dr. Curry showed that the USA's early pledge used a straight-arm salute and it was the origin of the salute of the National Socialist German Workers' Party. The Oxford English Dictionary supports Dr. Curry's work.

The myth is still repeated in modern efforts to cover-up Dr. Curry's discoveries about the pledge's poisonous pedigree.

Dr. Curry also exposed another inaccuracy in Dr. Jung's comment "...that instead of the Christian Cross an archaic swastika would lure onward millions of warriors ready for death..." Dr. Jung seems unaware of the fact that the swastika, although an ancient symbol, was used sometimes by the National Socialist German Workers Party to represent overlapping "S" letters for its "socialism," a discovery made by Dr. Rex Curry.

Similar alphabetic symbolism was used for other political purposes under German National Socialism during that time. The same symbolism is shown in the bizarre signature of the National Socialist leader, which he altered to use the same stylized S letter for socialist; he turned the symbol 45 degrees to the horizontal and oriented it in the S direction; and similar alphabetic symbolism was used for the SS Division and similar alphabetic symbolism still shows on Volkswagens.

Dr. Jung probably was aware that German National Socialists did not use the term "swastika" and used the word "Hakenkreuz." Jung probably used the German word in Jung's original composition, and the quote in English is probably a poor translation to the word "swastika."

Most people do not know that a cross was worshiped as the notorious symbol of the National Socialist German Workers' Party. Hakenkreuz means "hooked cross." With a 45 degree turn of his Hakenkreuz, the leader of German National Socialists combined the cross with collectivism, merged church and state, meshed religion and socialism, and mandated the worship of government.

Dr. Jung's quote is more thought-provoking if rewritten to state: "...that instead of the Christian Cross an archaic hooked cross would lure onward millions of warriors ready for death..."

The term "swastika" was a bad translation for "Hakenkreuz." Even the UK and the USA also used the term "crooked cross" (and hooked cross, armed cross, twisted cross, lucky cross) before "swastika" became dominant. The eventual dominance of the term "swastika" might have occurred in part as an effort to slander a foreign symbol, in an effort to distance the cross from its association with German Christian Socialism.

A book by Charles Allen, The Search for Shangri-La: A Journey into Tibetan History, states, "To the Swiss shaman-cum-psychophilosopher Carl Jung the swastika was an archetypal symbol, a rotating mandala that signified a `projection of an unconscious collective attempt at the formation of a compensatory unified personality'. A conscious attempt by the National Socialist Party to use the swastika to form the 'compensatory unified personality' of Germany in the 1920s has made this a hateful symbol in many eyes."

The straight-arm salute originated in the USA's Pledge of Allegiance, which was written by Francis Bellamy to promote Christian Socialism. Francis Bellamy (author of the "Pledge of Allegiance") and Edward Bellamy (author of the novel "Looking Backward") and Charles Bellamy (author of "A Moment of Madness") and Frederick Bellamy (who introduced Edward to socialistic "Fourierism") were socialists. Edward, Charles and Frederick were brothers, and Francis was their cousin. Francis and Edward were both self-proclaimed Christian Socialists and National Socialists and they supported the "Nationalism" movement in the USA, the "Nationalist" magazine, and the "Nationalist Educational Association." They wanted all of society to ape the military and they touted "military socialism" and the "industrial army." Edward inspired the "Nationalist Party" (in the USA) and their dogma influenced socialists worldwide (including Germany) via "Nationalist Clubs."

The Bellamys descended from a long line of ancestors who touted similar dogma for generations.

Edward Bellamy was the author of "Looking Backward 2000-1887" an international bestseller that was called the "Bible of National Socialism." Edward also authored "The Religion of Solidarity" and other articles and books with similar ideas.

"Looking Backward" was so popular that it was translated into every major language, including German, Russian, and Chinese. It immediately inspired a supportive political movement with "Nationalism Clubs" worldwide.

The Bellamy dogma inspired socialists everywhere, including in the countries of the socialist Wholecaust (of which the Holocaust was a part): 65 million slaughtered under the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; 49 million slaughtered under the Peoples' Republic of China; 21 million slaughtered under the National Socialist German Workers' Party.

The dogma and the pledge also inspired violence in the USA against people who would not join in the worshipful chanting. Some perceptive people back then were not ignoramuses and had not been taught propaganda in government schools all of their lives. Religious children saw through the socialist's pledge and they refused robotic chanting because it was the worship of government, socialism, and a graven image. The government schools persecuted and expelled children who would not comply, arrested parents, and even took children from parents on allegations of "unfit parenting." There were acts of grotesque violence inspired by the pledge against people who would not join in the robotic chanting.

As other reviewers have pointed out, the editor did not make it sufficiently clear that Dr. Jung only wrote one chapter of this book and that his role was largely in editing it. Nevertheless, the authors that were chosen did a wonderful job of presenting his ideas, and they're as fresh today as they were in the early 60s when the book was written. One cannot help but reflect on the Jungian notions of balance between the collective consciousness and unconscious as we reflect on some of the world events taking place today. The rise of raw fundamental Islam as shadow juxtaposed with the sterile West frequently came to mind. The role of dreams and symbols in processing our ongoing issues was also well developed.

As with all things related to Jung this is not the kind of book that is easily read. However, if you want to become aware of Jungian thought as it pertains to the universality of symbols, the dynamics of dreams and the collective unconscious, this is your book. For a more complete look at Jungian psychology as a whole I would also recommend The Portable Jung.

In Man and His Symbols, Carl G. Jung says he is not denying that great gains have resulted from the evolution of civilized society, but these gains have been made at the price of enormous losses, whose extent we have scarcely begun to estimate. The gains are not hard to visualize, but the worthy of note discussion in Man and His Symbols indeed makes one feel more bothered about the losses side of civilization. Only the first of the five parts in the book is written by Jung himself, and I must admit that it is the one I enjoyed the most after all.

In "Man and His Symbols" Carl G. Jung says he is not denying that great gains have resulted from the evolution of civilized society, but these gains have been made at the price of enormous losses, whose extent we have scarcely begun to estimate. Even without making an effort we all can realize the gains, but this interesting book indeed accomplished to make me feel worried about the losses.

I am enjoying this book so far and I know that it will continue to hold a five star rating. It has been very helpful in explaining how to interpret dreams through symbols. I am currently taking a course in Sacraments and we are interpreting our dreams in order to understand the meaning of symbols. This is preparing us for an in depth study of the 7 Sacraments. I will add more once I am finished with the book.

I am enjoying this book so far and I know that it will continue to hold a five star rating. It has been very helpful in explaining how to interpret dreams through symbols. I am currently taking a course in Sacraments and we are interpreting our dreams in order to understand the meaning of symbols. This is preparing us for an in depth study of the 7 Sacraments. I will add more once I am finished with the book.

If one is not acquainted with the foundational tenets of analytical psychology, reading Carl Jung can be a daunting task. Similar to any school of thought, Jung's depth psychology has its own unique language, and understanding these specialized terms is essential to grasping even a small portion of the subject. In Jung's later years, he dreamed of speaking to a multitude of people about the collective unconscious and its symbols. This dream proved to be very important to the old doctor because he sincerely believed that modern civilization was coming to an end and thought it a dire necessity that his work be understood by the wider public in order for a kind of "collective-psychic-healing" to begin. In the end, he at least wanted the "educated layman" to have a fundamental understanding of the mind. Man and his Symbols is a successful attempt towards this goal.

Dr. Jung dictated part one of this book, "Approaching the Unconscious". For the most part, however, this is a collaboration of Jungians writing on the subject's most basic tenets, such as the nature of the unconscious, the collective unconscious and its dreams and symbols.

In part two, "Ancient Myths and Modern Man", Dr. Joseph L. Henderson elaborates on historical symbols as archetypes, including the Hero myth and the Archetype as Initiation that has been seen and experienced throughout the ages.

In part three, the famed Jungian, M. L. von Franz, explores `The Process of Individuation", explaining the psyche's natural evolution towards a state of uniting its opposites and becoming whole. Franz details this abstract process in very simple terms, revealing the ultimate goal of all therapies: balance, wholeness and responsibility.

Aniela Jaffe, another one of the original Jungian's, in part four, expounds on the nature of the symbol in the visual arts. This is a revealing chapter as it illustrates how so many similar symbols have appeared in art throughout the world over thousands of years.

Jolande Jacobi, the famed Jungian analyst, in part five, relates the methods of Jungian analysis in terms of the importance of dreams and symbols.

Lastly, von Franz concludes with a brilliant essay on "Science and the Unconscious", summarizing the entire book, and emphasising the importance of symbols and the unconscious and their on-going interpretation in the effort to understanding ourselves.

As was the old doctor's wish, Man and his Symbols opened Jung's work to a wider public. It is an ideal text for anyone interested in analytical psychology, as it explains the subjects at times abstract notions of the mind and the psyche's relation to the world in highly accessible terms. It provides the necessary basics for a general understanding and is a perfect springboard for further study.

As previous reviews have noted, this is not a comprehensive overview of Jung's work. But it is a perfect introduction to some of his most important concepts, with an initial essay by Jung himself & several more by key figures of Jungian thought & work. By directing their focus to very specific points, these essays illuminate Jung's ideas in a clear & accessible way, particularly for the lay reader, for whom this volume was intended.

If there's any one theme, it's that of the Symbol: its power, its manifestations, its meaning to the individual. I especially like Aniela Jaffe's "Symbolism in the Visual Arts," which looks at the appearances & continual re-appearances of powerful spiritual symbols through the history of art, illustrated by the work of many fine artists; and also Joseph Henderson's "Ancient Myths and Modern man," which demonstrates how primal symbols, far from being part of humanity's past, are still quite present & working within the psyche of contemporary culture. But every essay is well worth reading & re-reading.

Jung's goal with this volume was to provide a primer of sorts, a beginner's guide to the riches & mysteries of the human psyche. In this he succeeded -- I can't imagine anyone reading this book & not coming away with a deeper appreciation & better understanding of the inner universe. Highly recommended!

The last shall be first is demonstrated in this book-Jung's last book is his first attempt at communicating with the general public. It includes an essay on symbolism-a key element in Jungian psychology and a main reason for his break with Freud. Symbols are necessary to Individuation (the goal of Jungian analysis) per page 99: "Symbols are natural attempts to reconcile and unite opposites within the psyche." And, as Marie-Louise von Franz puts it on page 205: "Only by accepting earthly contact and suffering can the human soul be transformed into a mirror in which the divine powers can perceive themselves."

This book is easier to read than the symbolism books in Jung's Collected Works. On the other hand, it really isn't a good survey of Jungian psychology because it doesn't directly address many of his most important topics, but then it wasn't designed to do so. But, following Jung's essay are essays of many of his immediate disciples who provide pithy commentaries on various Jungian topics-and provide me with more quotes for my collection!

Jung does point out a significant practical difference between his psychological process and those of others-he takes the client/patient's intuitions etc. into consideration and that part of his process is to teach psychology to the patient:
p. 61 "The patients resistance to the analyst's interpretation is not necessarily wrong; it is rather a sure sign that something does not `click.' Either the patient has not yet reached the point where he understands, or the interpretation does not fit."

This book may not be appreciated by left brain Thinker types or adherents to other, rationally-oriented types of psychology. As Jolande Jacobi says (page 290): "People who rely totally on their rational thinking and dismiss or repress every manifestation of their psychic life often have an almost inexplicable inclination to superstition. They listen to oracles and prophecies and can be easily hoodwinked or influenced by magicians and conjurors."

While working as a scientist/engineer for about 39 years, I have interacted with many "rational" people similarly employed who will cling to (what seems to me) irrational myths of religion, politics, etc. while rejecting any evidence of the existence of the unconscious, the value of dreams, etc. Me thinks they doth protest too much.

The first thing that struck me when I first leafed through this book was that the photos, illustrations, etc. have a little bit of a dated feel. Once I began reading it, however, I was impressed by how relevant it continues to be more than 4 decades after it was written. Jung influenced a bunch of his contemporary artists, writers, and musicians, and continues to do so today. Ask Sting about where he got the concept of synchronicity, David Byrne about where he gets his ideas from, Delmore Schwartz how he came up with the quote "In dreams begin responsibilities", or Lou Reed how he came up with his quote "Between thought and expression lies a lifetime". The latter are just the tip of the iceberg upon whom Jung cast his gigantic shadow. Setting aside Jung's incredible influence on artists who are influential in their own right, this book is better than any of the so called "self help" books out there, bar none. In reading this book, you don't feel like you're being lectured to, but instead, you realize that in stressing the importance of dreams, Jung tapped into something people tend to ignore or discard, when in fact, dreams are a (not so)hidden energy and power waiting right before your very eyes (pun intended?)ready to harness and use to live a more balanced life.

This is a fascinating book, not just in that it tries to explain the workings of the mind and what seems to be encoded symbolism within it, but also that it was written at a time when the new quantum physics was breaching into the public domain. It was interesting to read some of the authors trying integrate this into their model of the mind.

The work is somewhat dated (published in 1964) in that none of the latest findings in neurobiochemistry and strutural neurology are discussed. I found the chapter on symbolism in the visual arts by Jaffe stretched its arguments a bit too thin for my liking, but was captivated by Jacobi's chapter which describes an analysis.

This is a very good primer to Jung and a worthwile read.

As other reviewers have stated, this book is one of two that Jung meant for public consumption. It makes for an excellent introduction to dream interpretation and symbolism, but isn't meant to help you interpret your own dreams by providing a list of symbolic meanings as some texts do. Rather, Jung (who wrote the initial essay) and the other authors provide the basic framework for understanding the mechanics of dream interpretation. The concluding piece on Science and the Unconscious, although the shortest essay, is very interesting and provides tantalizing insights into the relationship between physics and psychology. The book was still a challenging work to read and took me quite some time to finish. It was worth the effort.

I'd suggest this book for anyone who wishes to obtain a general understanding of Carl Jung's theories. Man and his symbols provides a general outline of predominant themes that exist in various cultures. Almost every culture shares certain common archtypes. We can trace commonalities in various fertility gods, the belief in angels, demons, etc...

His theories allude to a common origin in these beliefs as well as certain experiences that appear universal to the human condition. This book was helpful but I'd recommend his later work; Archtypes and The Collective Unconscious for a more detailed understanding...

Two names are synonomous with the field of psychology/psychoanalysis, Freud and Jung. This is reputedly Jung's last project/publication before his death in 1961 and is an excellent primer and synopsis of his work in the field. Jung edited this book and wrote the first chapter on the importance of symbols before unleashing writings from his students/protegees.
As a whole this book covers an incredible array of subjects, relating in layperson's terms the importance of symbols in the unconscious, the role of the unconscious through dreams in communicating these symbols to the analsand and analyst. I believe Jaffe, though could stand corrected examines various motifs and symbols synthesising the previous works into an observation of Jung's theories on the collective unconscious and its influence on individuals and the process of individuation.
This is as I said an excellent primer because although it is a good text for those taking psych 101(I am excluded from this group so don't know if it is text, but could/should be), it is written with a clarity that carries a universal appeal, making it recommended reading for anyone who wishes to understand psychology better and more important perhaps anyone who wishes to understand themselves better without resorting to new agey dream dictionaries.

The Swiss Carl Jung and the Austrian Sigmund Freud are the annointed fathers of Psychanalisys, with due precedence to be ascribed to Freud, some 25 years Jung�s senior and who broke loose with early tradition who saw the manifestation of the unconscious as unmeaningful. Both were men of the XIX century but their achievements changed the face of earth in the XX century . The excelent book "Man and his Symbols" is in all respects emblematic of many important facets of Jung�s thoughts and ideas on the unconscious, being one of the last books he wrote and/or supervised before his death in old age, which ocurred many years after Freud�s passed away in 1939 in London. In fact, the deaths of the two most important figures in Psychanalisys are emblematic of their lives, Freud dying an agonizing death to throat cancer and asking for the final shot which would take him to the depths of eternity (whatever this may be in Freud�s mind) whilst Jung died naturally of old age and wholy mystical, almost religious. "Man and His Symbols" is quintessential Jung, with plenty of his vigor and energy, even if he did not write himself all the six essays of the book, but only a very important one concerning the fundamental role Dreams play in our life as a whole. It is in fact the only book by Carl Jung originally targeted to the non-professional reader and devoid of almost all psychanalytic jargon, thus making the reading of the book a pleasant experience to the non-professional reader like myself; all the five essaysts are bona fide Jung followers or adherents to his ideas. The idea of having a book targeted to the layman drew a lot of personal energy from Jung, always keen on having the right word for the right psychical situation (the same could be said of Freud). But, in the end, he gave in and agreed on the project�s idea which was to popularize Jung�s ideas throughout the world.

The book is an important document of Jung�s thought in the final days of his long and prolific life and stresses the many differences in important points of view he had vis-'a-vis Sigmund Freud, who, in the beginning of their relationship in 1906, was almost a father figure to the younger Jung and to whom Jung was supposed to be the heir apparent in the field of Psychanalisys. But Jung and Freud splitted apart their relationship on very personnal matters, due to Freud�s lack of confidence in anyone but himself. The acerbic and bitter feud between the two, is documented in the many letters they exchanged for almost a decade and, in my opinion, Freud is the only one to blame, being a man of extremely bad temper and all too skitishy, with an overpowering ego with no admission of any wrinkle in the front of his followers scouts . There is a pretty much good medium sized book who documents the increasingly acerbic correspondence between the two, called "The Freud-Jung Letters" and which is also a good read, even in the available abridged version. In the same vein, see the quasi autobiographic essay by Jung and Anne Jafet, "Memories, Dreams and Reflections", where Jung (hesitatingly) talks about having reached in his last days the equilibrium between conscious and unconscious life, something he said to be one of the most important achievements of his.

In Jung�s view, symbols are important archetypal manifestations of man�s powerfull unconscious and occur in each and every human society, primitive or advanced, and could not be simply dismissed or ruled out, as always civilized societies do, as only belonging to ancient backward peoples. According to Jung, symbols are archetypal manifestations of our innermost unconscious mental life and have an important role in balancing our waking life as long as we let them play unscathed and don�t see them as something that we must be scared of. But, exactly from where symbols come? How do they get formed? In Jung�s view, nobody will never know a precise answer for that question, which is to be placed in the dominion of the perpetually Unkown, and all societies seem to think that they were formed many aeons ago in the time of their ancestors, an always wrong assumption when we know that even ancient Greeks and Egyptians thought this way. Symbols, as many other things, simply do Exist and Are and play an important function in helping men by balancing their acts and lives, having although a disruptive influence whenever not correctly interpreted and unduly repressed. As Jung remembers, Goethe said in Faust: In the beginning there was the ACT. Symbols may be a timeless representation of things to be done and not to be thought out. But what are they? Couldn�t they be messages from God? Different from Freud, a very irreligious man and who bashed even Jewish religion in his magistral books "Moses and Monotheism" and "Totem and Taboo", the open-minded and mystical Jung thinks that symbols can even be messages from an upper entity. Civilized men, betting all their chips in Reason as supreme, that is, in the primacy of a conscious (rational) attitude towards life, have increasingly attached an "off-limits" tag to the unconscious, thus spliting the psyche into two entities apart, not benefiting from the positive influence the unconscious may and should have on our being as a whole.

The many black and white pictures and images profusely portrayed in the book help the reader a lot in understanding the jungian message about the significance of symbols and this paperback amazingly lightweight edition is agreeable to handle and flip and to carry along with one self. "Man and his Symbols" is a pretty much good book and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

The Swiss Carl Jung and the Austrian Sigmund Freud are the annointed fathers of Psychanalisys, with due precedence to be ascribed to Freud, some 25 years Jung's senior and who broke loose with early tradition who saw the manifestation of the unconscious as unmeaningful. Both were men of the XIX century but their achievements changed the face of earth in the XX century . The excelent book "Man and his Symbols" is in all respects emblematic of many important facets of Jung's thoughts and ideas on the unconscious, being one of the last books he wrote and/or supervised before his death in old age, which ocurred many years after Freud's passed away in 1939 in London. In fact, the deaths of the two most important figures in Psychanalisys are emblematic of their lives, Freud dying an agonizing death to throat cancer and asking for the final shot which would take him to the depths of eternity (whatever this may be in Freud's mind) whilst Jung died naturally of old age and wholy mystical, almost religious. "Man and His Symbols" is quintessential Jung, with plenty of his vigor and energy, even if he did not write himself all the six essays of the book, but only a very important one concerning the fundamental role Dreams play in our life as a whole. It is in fact the only book by Carl Jung originally targeted to the non-professional reader and devoid of almost all psychanalytic jargon, thus making the reading of the book a pleasant experience to the non-professional reader like myself; all the five essaysts are bona fide Jung followers or adherents to his ideas. The idea of having a book targeted to the layman drew a lot of personal energy from Jung, always keen on having the right word for the right psychical situation (the same could be said of Freud). But, in the end, he gave in and agreed on the project's idea which was to popularize Jung's ideas throughout the world.

The book is an important document of Jung's thought in the final days of his long and prolific life and stresses the many differences in important points of view he had vis-'a-vis Sigmund Freud, who, in the beginning of their relationship in 1906, was almost a father figure to the younger Jung and to whom Jung was supposed to be the heir apparent in the field of Psychanalisys. But Jung and Freud splitted apart their relationship on very personnal matters, due to Freud's lack of confidence in anyone but himself. The acerbic and bitter feud between the two, is documented in the many letters they exchanged for almost a decade and, in my opinion, Freud is the only one to blame, being a man of extremely bad temper and all too skitishy, with an overpowering ego with no admission of any wrinkle in the front of his followers scouts . There is a pretty much good medium sized book who documents the increasingly acerbic correspondence between the two, called "The Freud-Jung Letters" and which is also a good read, even in the available abridged version. In the same vein, see the quasi autobiographic essay by Jung and Anne Jafet, "Memories, Dreams and Reflections", where Jung (hesitatingly) talks about having reached in his last days the equilibrium between conscious and unconscious life, something he said to be one of the most important achievements of his.

In Jung's view, symbols are important archetypal manifestations of man's powerfull unconscious and occur in each and every human society, primitive or advanced, and could not be simply dismissed or ruled out, as always civilized societies do, as only belonging to ancient backward peoples. According to Jung, symbols are archetypal manifestations of our innermost unconscious mental life and have an important role in balancing our waking life as long as we let them play unscathed and don't see them as something that we must be scared of. But, exactly from where symbols come? How do they get formed? In Jung's view, nobody will never know a precise answer for that question, which is to be placed in the dominion of the perpetually Unkown, and all societies seem to think that they were formed many aeons ago in the time of their ancestors, an always wrong assumption when we know that even ancient Greeks and Egyptians thought this way. Symbols, as many other things, simply do Exist and Are and play an important function in helping men by balancing their acts and lives, having although a disruptive influence whenever not correctly interpreted and unduly repressed. As Jung remembers, Goethe said in Faust: In the beginning there was the ACT. Symbols may be a timeless representation of things to be done and not to be thought out. But what are they? Couldn't they be messages from God? Different from Freud, a very irreligious man and who bashed even Jewish religion in his magistral books "Moses and Monotheism" and "Totem and Taboo", the open-minded and mystical Jung thinks that symbols can even be messages from an upper entity. Civilized men, betting all their chips in Reason as supreme, that is, in the primacy of a conscious (rational) attitude towards life, have increasingly attached an "off-limits" tag to the unconscious, thus spliting the psyche into two entities apart, not benefiting from the positive influence the unconscious may and should have on our being as a whole.

The many black and white pictures and images profusely portrayed in the book help the reader a lot in understanding the jungian message about the significance of symbols and this paperback amazingly lightweight edition is agreeable to handle and flip and to carry along with one self. "Man and his Symbols" is a pretty much good book and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

There are hundreds of images in this book. I appreciate that the author doesnt just talk about the images, but allows you to experience them as he discusses them. While this is a scholarly discussion the images allow you to react emotionally to the content as well as intellectually to the words.

This book provides a good summary of Jungian dream analysis. Instead of bogging down with highly detailed and esoteric references, it gives the reader easy to follow explanations. But it is not overly dumbed down. You still feel like you are learning useful and relatively advanced information.

The main body of the book is comprised of several essays, written by a select group of Jung's peers, which carefully explain his work. And Jung himself edited the essays, in order to assure that his messages were crystal clear. Jung provides an excellent introduction chapter as well.

If you are looking for an easy to digest book that covers Jung's amazing dream analysis techniques, Man and His Symbols is made for you.

I bought this book on a whim in college and devoured it in four days. It's simply fascinating, at once a very accessible introduction to Jung's theories, written for the layman, and a culmination of his life's work. Few books will change the way that you look at so much in life, but I can attest, from my own experience, that this will be one of them. Jung is our guide, in this modern and post-modern world, through the hallways of the subconscious, and our interpreter for those broken, distorted messages received via dreams, waking fantasies and the tug of images from our aboriginal self. If you have no familiarity with Jung or his ideas, as I didn't, then reading this book will make you aware of previously hidden portions of yourself whose input is necessary for good living. Just as importantly, it will also help you to understand humanity as a whole, its ideologies and literature... For example, Christianity and Socialism may, speaking practically, appear to be mutually exclusive worldviews, but who knew that they were in fact different manifestations of the same Golden Age archetype? This book is the key, the Rossetta Stone, to understanding so much of our species' mystery.

My wife used this book in her honors high school English class. This book provides an excellent introduction to several of Jung's important ideas by Jung and four of his followers: M. L. von Franz, Joseph L. Henderson, Jolande Jacobi, and Aniela Jaffe. This book provides a very accessible introduction to Jungian psychology. It is written to the non-expert and contains facsicinting examples. The pictures and illustrations that accompany the text are particularly interesting. After reading *Man and His Symbols*, I saw our symbolic world in a whole new way.

In Man and his Symbols (1961), Jung's last book, Jung and four of his disciples (Von Franz, Henderson, Jaffé, and Jacobi) team up to introduce the world to the collective unconscious and its manifestations in mythology, art, dreams, and even science.

Jung suggests that man's greatest adventure lies in the exploration of the inner world of the psyche. By getting in touch with the unconscious (especially through dreams), one is supposedly able to activate latent guiding powers that will help him become a stronger individual. Jaffé's essay details a case where a Jungian anaylsis is successful, and it convinced me.

For a basic grasp of the collective unconscious and the archetypal symbols and how they relate to you, this book serves. It's very easy to understand, and its simple language and many illustrations make it easy to work through.

The only disappointment is that the book is too simple. Given only a taste of the basic concepts, you are left wanting more depth and a wider discussion of Jung's ideas. As Ms. Von Franz says in the closing essay, "This book sketches only an infinitesimal part of his [Jung's] vast contribution to this new field of psychological discovery."

This is the last and perhaps the most important book written by Dr. Carl Gustav Jung. He was among the first to interpret dreams and amazingly this book came about *because* of a dream. Jung dreamt he was talking about this topic to a large audience who were *not* psychiatrists and psychologists - evidently *his* unconcsious put it's stamp of approval on this project! This book is a great introduction to the "hidden" meaning of the symbols used in legends, medieval archetecture, classic books, and ancient myths as well as dreams. Patterns of psychic growth and development, individuation and transcendence are explained along with other psychological terms with real life examples at times. It is not about depth psychology or sociopathic problems.

One chapter was written by C.G. Jung, the others were written by his eminent followers, among whom are: M.L. von Frantz, Joseph L. Henderson, Angela Jaffe, and Jolande Jacobi. This book is a "must have" for anyone who is interested in learning more about human behavior from the "inside out".
Erika Borsos (erikab93)

In the introduction to the book, John Freeman tells the story of how Jung came to get involved with the project. Apparently, the managing director of Aldus books had seen Jung on the BBC and was so struck by his warmth and personableness that he tried to persuade Jung to apply those same qualities to a book written for the general masses, rather than for psychologists themselves. While at first refusing, Jung was swayed by one of his own dreams into changing his mind and agreeing to take on the project. Given that the book to a large degree dwells on dreams and what can be learned from them, it is an appropriate anecdote.

The publisher does not get any praise for designing the cover in such a way that it implies Jung was the author of the entire book. He was the editor and wrote one of the chapters. Neither is the book an integral whole-- the chapters treat different aspects of symbolism and the unconscious, each with their own viewpoint and flavor.

The essays in the book are as follows:

"Approaching the Unconscious" (Carl Jung)-- for those who dont know his work, this is a very nice introduction to most of the basic points.

"Ancient Myths and Modern Man" (Joseph L. Henderson)-- examines symbols as they appear in both myth and modern day culture.

"The Process of Individuation" (M.-L. von Franz)-- treats patterns of dreams over the lifetime of the individual. A good look at the concept of Animus and Anima.

"Symbolism in the Visual Arts" (Aniele Jaffe)-- IMO the weakest chapter, looks at the progression of sacred symbol to art.

"Symbols in an Individual Analysis" (Jolande Jacobi)-- Describes the treatment through dream analysis of a young Swiss man.

While the book felt uneven in places (and even contradictory), it serves well in the purpose for which it was intended. Someone reading the book will get the basic concepts of symbols and the unconscious, and some decent pointers to further readings in the notes if they wanted to find out more.

In the introduction to the book, John Freeman tells the story of how Jung came to get involved with the project. Apparently, the managing director of Aldus books had seen Jung on the BBC and was so struck by his warmth and personableness that he tried to persuade Jung to apply those same qualities to a book written for the general masses, rather than for psychologists themselves. While at first refusing, Jung was swayed by one of his own dreams into changing his mind and agreeing to take on the project. Given that the book to a large degree dwells on dreams and what can be learned from them, it is an appropriate anecdote.

The publisher doesn�t get any praise for designing the cover in such a way that it implies Jung was the author of the book. He isn�t. He was the editor and wrote one of the chapters. Neither is the book an integral whole-- the chapters treat different aspects of symbolism and the unconscious, each with their own viewpoint and flavor.

The essays in the book are as follows:

"Approaching the Unconscious" (Carl Jung)-- for those who don�t know his work, this is a very nice introduction to most of the basic points.

"Ancient Myths and Modern Man" (Joseph L. Henderson)-- examines symbols as they appear in both myth and modern day culture.

"The Process of Individuation" (M.-L. von Franz)-- treats patterns of dreams over the lifetime of the individual. A good look at the concept of Animus and Anima.

"Symbolism in the Visual Arts" (Aniele Jaffe)-- IMO the weakest chapter, looks at the progression of sacred symbol to art.

"Symbols in an Individual Analysis" (Jolande Jacobi)-- Describes the treatment through dream analysis of a young Swiss man.

While the book felt uneven in places (and even contradictory), it serves well in the purpose for which it was intended. Someone reading the book will get the basic concepts of symbols and the unconscious, and some decent pointers to further readings in the notes if they wanted to find out more.

the first part of the book(jung's part)is really nice explained of what psychology actually is(but it's only 72 pages).and then very surprising ,the other authers start explaining in depth fragments of importent parts of psychology with examples!!!I didn't like that approach.I had a feeling their was much more to say about it in general.it's more like "a built yourself machine" where every part of the machine is named ,but how you put it together is your problem.Sooo after a while the book became really anoying.
Hope this helps

Definitely not an easy read, but a very rewarding book to read if you are interested in understanding Jung's concept of the unconscious mind.

There are only two titles of Jung's I know of that were meant for general consumption: _Man and His Symbols_ and _Memories, Dreams, Reflections_. The rest, most of which are part of the 20-volume Bollingen series, are too involved and technical.

Lest the reader be misled _Man and His Symbols_ is an anthology of essays by several authors, namely and in their order of appearance, Carl Jung, Joseph Hendersen, Marie-Louise von Franz, Aniela Jaffe, and Jolande Jacobi. All the co-contributors are Jungian analysts themselves and so are versed in the subjects they cover. Jung picked them himself and supervised the work until his death in 1961, after which von Franz took over. Perhaps not by accident Jung finished his own essay just 10 days before his demise. His essay (just over 90 pages out of the 400 or so pages) touches, naturally, on the unconscious, the very crucial subject of dreams, the archetypes, extraversion/introversion, religion, good and evil, among other topics. Given the scope, this essay of his offers a sort of synopsis of his worldview and life's work, perhaps one of the best summaries since it was his last published piece.

Amongst Jung's books that I've read, his essay in this anthology is by far one of the most engrossing. Unfortunately I have to eke out a living like most of you so I can only savor it in installments. Of course I highly recommend this volume if only to whet your appetite for Jung's psychology, a psychology that has not only served me well, but continues to fascinate me, a psychology that is faithful to its roots--a true logos of the psyche.

There are only two titles of Jung's I know of that were meant for general consumption: _Man and His Symbols_ and _Memories, Dreams, Reflections_. The rest, most of which are part of the 20-volume Bollingen series, are too involved and technical.

Lest the reader be misled _Man and His Symbols_ is an anthology of essays by several authors, namely and in their order of appearance, Carl Jung, Joseph Hendersen, Marie-Louise von Franz, Aniela Jaffe, and Jolande Jacobi. All the co-contributors are Jungian analysts themselves and so are versed in the subjects they cover. Jung picked them himself and supervised the work until his death in 1961, after which von Franz took over. Perhaps not by accident Jung finished his own essay just 10 days before his demise. His essay (just over 90 pages out of the 400 or so pages) touches, naturally, on the unconscious, the very crucial subject of dreams, the archetypes, extraversion/introversion, religion, good and evil, among other topics. Given the scope, this essay of his offers a sort of synopsis of his worldview and life's work, perhaps one of the best summaries since it was his last published piece.

Amongst Jung's books that I've read, his essay in this anthology is by far one of the most engrossing. Unfortunately I have to eke out a living like most of you so I can only savor it in installments. Of course I highly recommend this volume if only to whet your appetite for Jung's psychology, a psychology that has not only served me well, but continues to fascinate me, a psychology that is faithful to its roots--a true logos of the psyche.

Jung's work deals extensively with symbolism. Aside from being written for the layperson, one of the great benefits of this book is that it is profusely illustrated. If possible, get the hard cover version. It is larger and better illustrated. The illustrations aren't just gravy, they're an important part of the book.

I'd highly recommend this book as essential reading for all psych students.

I remember reading this back in high school and I re-ordered it for my current psych class. It is a timeless book.

Man and His Symbols-makes you believe in mysterys of the mind for everyone. You get a whirlwind tour through the ages. You peak into cultures without being torn by their exposure. And then the learning starts. i can barely put the book down until having reached the end every time i read it. The meaning of the goddess of willendorf-with her generous body proportions, her curls in her hair, and no face features-from 30,000 years ago stays with me. How the circle is reinvented so to speak, renewing each century for many centurys, is a simple observation Carl Jung brings out. Finally, this book prepares you for Jung's other works on archtypes, dreams, and structures of the mind as he saw them: for example, the Portable Jung.

Jung's concepts interested me so I purchased this book. I am far from educated in psychology, but I am intrigued by it. Although advertised as a book for the layman, I would disagree. Not simple enough to help build the foundation upon which I would like to build. Better as a third or fourth book after a base of knowledge has been laid.

I read this book about 4 years ago when I was doing a short introduction for myself into Carl Jung. This is a book that substantially affected my thinking at that time. Reading it was almost a mystical experience if that makes any sense, although I am not usually given to statements of that sort. I still vividly remember the feelings. Some might only be able to grasp it at a very basic level. However, after 40+ years I found that I had enough life experience-intelligence to immediately understand and experiencially agree with much of this information. Skim through it and then decide whether to read it or not.

If you are a layman like myself and feel that Jung may be a bit difficult to read you should start with this. Although this book does not systematically present his theories, it touches on all of Jung's important contributions to psychology. While reading this book, it was easily understood why Jung was so intrigued by mysticism. The illustrations in this book are amazing, and sometimes spellbinding, and to me they had the effect I think the authors intended -- to understand The archetypes. Read this book. It will take you places you never been or thought you could go.

This is one book everyone should read and be acquainted with. There aren't many books that can make this kind of claim. First, it is written so that the average person can understand it on first reading without intensive study. This isn't a grandiose claim, given that so much of early psychology is now an integral feature of social institutions.

Secondly, it is largely purged of some of Jung's more outrageous and nonsensical ideas, like his "collective unconscious." The scope of the book is limited primarily to the effect and use of symbols in everyday life, particularly as it affects dreams.

Third, everyone dreams, and after reading this book, the reader will have a great tool by which to analyze many of these dreams. Those who try to interpret their dreams literally (like reading the Bible literally) discover they have missed the point. The dreams of the subsconscious are symbolic images that need to be thoroughly interpreted in light of specific symbols and the meaning of these symbols -- and not the dream narrative itself.

Finally, mankind is defined by its being a rational animal with linguistic capacity. Language itself is both audible and visual signs and symbols of the mind. The very words we use to describe life's events are often chosen for their symbolic capacity, which can lead to an imprisonment of the mind or its liberation from man and his symbols.

This is one of the most informative books that I have ever read. In the introduction John Freeman writes:"Jung's arguments (and those of his colleages) spiral upward over his subject like a bird circling a tree. At first, near the ground, it sees only a confusion of leaves and branches. Gradually, as it cirles higher and higher the recurring aspects of the tree form a wholeness and relate to their surroundings. Some readers may find this 'spiralling' method of argument obscure or confusing for a few pages-but not, I think, for long. It is characteristic of Jung's method, and very soon the reader will find it carrying him with it on a persuasive and profoundly absorbing journey." The book is written from the laymen and very easy to understand. When one first picks it up and begins reading it one is in the dark about many of the ideas the book is expressing but after a number of pages one begins to get an excellent idea of what the authors are trying to convey. It is a truly enlightening book. I recommend this book to anyone who truly wants to learn more about psychology and the human condition. For readers who are reading the book for the first time I recommend the hard cover edition as this contains more illustrations thus helping the first time reader understand many of the ideas the authors are trying to express.

The works of Jung have been, in my opinion, under-rated. The 'discovery' of the 'unconscious' in the 1900s has been said by some to be discredited. Nothing could be further from the truth. Rather, certain interpretations/'meanings'/aspects etc of the'unconscious ' have been quite rightly discredited, much as occurs in any major discovery/field of science. Much of what Sigmund Freud has said, to some, has been discredited. But in my view, the works of Jung are far better and more accurate, for example, than those of his more famous colleague (Freud), and the progress of science seems to be bearing this out. Freud placed far too much emphasis on the sexual side of our natures, in which findings in psychology and other fields has proved time and again. However, just because some have misintepreted various aspects of the 'unconscious' doesn't of course mean that the theory of the 'unconscious', however you want to define it, is discredited.

Jung has contributed much to our understanding of ourselves and our inherited 'instincts', if you prefer, in the 20th century. His discourses are providing some input, for example, to the growing field of evolutionary pychology; that is, much of our behaviour is inherited from evolutionary processes. This is also the very same view, as I understand it, of Jung.

The theory of the unconscious is by no means dead, and this book explains in a clear and meaningful way many of Jungs and others findings in this fascinating field. Much that goes on in religion and myth and superstition, for example, is not well understood by science; much of this book seeks to explain it. In my opinion , for what it is worth, there is much to be learned here.

Jungs contributions will continue to provide input to various fields of human study for years to come. This book proivides a very good overview of many of his ideas, and was one in which he intended to write for the general public.

Recommended for those who wish to obtain a deeper understanding of their natures, and the nature of that of mankind in general.

....for although he edited this collection and made some contributions, most of it was provided by friends and students who knew how to explain his ideas. Good introduction to the psychology of symbol, myth, and things Jungian.

When I picked up this book all I knew about Jung was that he was a close associate and friend of Freud. I put it down wanting to read every thing else this man ever wrote. "Man and His Symbols" outlines the Jungian ideas on the unconscious and the symbols it houses that manifest themselves on our dreams. It gives you a wider scope of humanity that proves to be enlightening and comforting in a crazed world. I was quite surprised at how easy this book proved to read in comparison to other psychology books I have read. It provides a clear overview of Jung's life work and a good introduction to his take on psychology as well as the world. Some parts were written in a curiously personal manor that enhanced a spiritual aura this work seemed to take on. This book really struck a deep cord in me and many of the people I have recommended it to.

This is Jung's last work before he died in 1961, and the first time he ever tried present his life's work to the layperson. If you're interested in Jung, or human symbols, this is a great start.

I recommend three books to everyone I know. Dr. Northrup's "Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom", Gavin DeBecker's "The Gift of Fear" and this one. I have convinced many to read it, including a net buddy from Cuba.

This book is a primer in listening to our unconsicous. If we all learned to do that, the world would be a much better place. I find it hard to have serious discussions on such topics as reality, religion, culture or anything else with people who haven't read this book. I end up spending all my time explaining what is in the book before I can even present my own ideas.

The book isn't "easy" reading, but if the reader sticks with it, he/she will get a lot out of it. Dr. Jung writes to our unconscious as much as our conscious. There have been times when something didn't seem important when I read it, but later bells went off. I love those bells.

Dr. Jung and his colleagues words are so inspiring, that I have decided to follow in their footsteps. I can say that this book truly changed my life