INDIVIDUATION: CHARACTERISTICS, DISCOVERY OF THE SELF - PSYCHOLOGY - 2025

The individuation, according to Carl Jung, is the process by which every living being able to become what is really meant to be. For this psychologist, it is the fundamental way in which people should focus our personal development.

The purpose of this individuation process is to increase the individual's self-awareness. With a greater understanding of the mental processes themselves, people may be able to reconcile the differences between their conscious and unconscious. In this way, they would get a healthier psyche.

According to Jung, in the early part of our life we ​​are too busy relating to the world and developing our ego to worry about individuation.

It would only be in the second part of our existence, when we began to worry about ourselves, that this process would begin to take place.

In this article we will see exactly what this idea so central to Jung's psychology consists of, as well as how it works and how it affects us.

Discovery of the "I"

In other currents of psychoanalysis, such as Freud's, the "I" is described as a product of the development of the ego. On the contrary, for Jung this works just the other way around: we are already born with a concrete "I", which we never fully know, and the ego is formed from it and from our experiences.

The "I", therefore, influences everything we do but is not fully revealed to us. On the contrary, we always see it through our ego, which causes the two to be in constant conflict. The individuation process would have to do with the reconciliation of these two components of our mind.

For Jungian psychology, the "me" is the fundamental motor. It includes all the components of our mind, such as cognitive development, our emotions, our thoughts, and even our archetype (the way we see ourselves). It would also be responsible for our motivations, desires and fears.

Individuation would therefore involve learning more and more about who we really are and getting closer to this idealized version of ourselves.

The role of individuation

Jung believed that one of the most important missions in each person's life was to discover and reveal the true "me."

Individuation would be the process by which this would be achieved, through the union and collaboration of opposites: conscious and unconscious, individuality and group, life and death.

This idea was central to Jung's conception of psychology. So much so, that he saw therapy as a way to help patients advance in their individuation process.

The therapeutic process is seen, therefore, as a safe space in which the person can express themselves freely and analyze what they think and feel, without filters.

Characteristics of individuation

Collective and individual

The development and discovery of the "I" requires the union of personal and collective elements. If the person only focuses on one of the two types, problems that can become serious are generated.

For example, if a person focuses too much on their social role and forgets their own needs, they tend to become neurotic. That is, you will suffer negative emotions such as anxiety and stress, and you will be obsessed with small details and experiences without too much importance.

On the other hand, if the person is only interested in himself, he could become psychotic. This condition, contrary to the previous one, causes an extreme fascination with oneself and leads those who suffer it to forget all the others. This causes problems in many areas of life, such as work or relationships.

Therefore, in order to develop individuation, a person has to achieve a balance between these two forces.

Appears in the second part of life

Some authors believe that individuation appears in childhood. However, Jung always saw this process as characteristic of the second half of our existence. The goals, objectives and ways of acting of the two parties are very different and pursue different objectives.

Thus, in the first half of our existence, people would be concerned with "expanding our ego" and adapting to social norms. This would be achieved, for example, by trying to improve our status and living conditions.

In the second part, however, we would begin to examine ourselves more. At the same time, we would worry about deeper issues, such as death, the meaning of life, and the role we really play in the world. Individuation would appear at this time.

For Jung, most neuroses in the second part of life would come from the inability to abandon the goals of the first and enter fully into the process of individuation.

Not universal

Jung did not believe that everyone reached the state of individuation. On the contrary, it would be a relatively rare phenomenon, reached only by those people who make a conscious effort to know themselves.

This would distinguish the state described by Jung from others that other psychoanalysts have spoken of, also related to the development of the "I" and the abandonment of the ego.

In this sense, it would have to do with certain ideas of Eastern philosophies, especially those related to "enlightenment."

Relationship between the "me" and the ego

For Jung, the ego would be a construction formed by the baby's relationship with his mother, and later developed based on the experiences lived by the person. The "I", on the contrary, would be a kind of force of nature with which we all live.

These two entities of our mind would be constantly fighting for control. In the event that the "I" is destructive or negative, the ego must be strong enough to contain it.

On the contrary, if the ego does not help us, the "I" could be the force that brings us closer to personal fulfillment and well-being. Individuation would be the process by which these two entities would end up balancing.

References

1. "Individuation and the self" in: The Society of Analytical Psychology. Retrieved on: June 15, 2018 from The Society of Analytical Psychology: thesap.org.uk.
2. "Jung and his individuation process" in: Journal Psyche. Retrieved on: June 15, 2018 from Journal Psyche: journalpsyche.org.
3. "Analytical Psychology" in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: June 15, 2018 from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org.
4. "A Closer Look at Carl Jung's Individuation Process: A Map for Psychic Wholeness" in: CEO Sage. Retrieved on: June 15, 2018 from CEO Sage: scottjeffrey.com.
5. "Individuation" in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: June 15, 2018 from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org.