School or Classroom in Jungian Psychology
In Carl Jung’s work, the concept of “school” or “classroom” extends beyond the traditional educational setting to encompass various symbolic and psychological meanings (CW4 ¶673). While Jung’s writings do touch upon his own experiences in formal schooling, the essence of “school” in his psychology delves into processes of learning, development, and the confrontation with societal structures and authority (CW4 ¶673).
Jung’s Personal School Experiences
Jung’s personal accounts of his school years provide insight into how he perceived the educational environment and its impact on his developing psyche (CW4 ¶673). He recounts being sent to the Gymnasium in Basel, a significant event that marked his entry into a more structured and hierarchical world. “MY ELEVENTH Year was significant for me in another way, as I was then sent to the Gymnasium in Basel. Thus I was taken away from my rustic playmates, and truly entered the great world, where powerful personages, far more powerful than my father, lived in big, splendid houses…” This transition exposed him to a social hierarchy and a world of affluence, creating a sense of “horrible secret envy” as he encountered classmates with privileged backgrounds (MDR). He felt “flabbergasted” at their tales of vacations in the Alps and trips to the sea, indicating a stark contrast between his own experiences and those of his new peers (MDR).
However, Jung’s experiences in the classroom were not always positive. He found certain subjects, particularly mathematics, to be alienating. “School came to bore me. It took up far too much time which I would rather have spent drawing battles and playing with fire…Divinity classes were unspeakably dull, and I felt a downright fear of the mathematics class.” This highlights a sense of disconnect between the imposed curriculum and his own inner interests and intuitive understanding. He struggled with the abstract nature of algebra, unable to grasp the fundamental concepts, suggesting a tension between external expectations and his own internal world.
School as a Metaphor for Learning and Development
Beyond the literal school setting, Jung uses the concept of “school” metaphorically to describe processes of psychological learning and development (CW4 ¶673). In this context, “school” represents a structured environment where individuals confront challenges, learn from experiences, and develop their understanding of themselves and the world (CW4 ¶673). The “High School of the Holy Ghost,” mentioned in connection to Brother Klaus, illustrates this concept (CW11 ¶475-476). “Did he not likewise learn in that High School of the Holy Ghost the representation of the wheel, which he caused to be painted in his chapel, and through which, as in a clear mirror, was reflected the entire essence of the Godhead (CW11 ¶475-476)?” This suggests that profound spiritual and psychological insights can be gained through inner experiences, akin to learning in a higher institution.
Confronting Authority and Societal Norms
The “school” environment, in both its literal and metaphorical senses, represents a place where individuals encounter authority and societal norms (CW4 ¶673). Jung’s own experiences reflect this, as he navigated the social hierarchies and academic expectations of the Gymnasium. Furthermore, the medicine man is an important concept, here is an example of how he encounters authority and what happens when he challenges them, “A white farmer, who employed native la1 Psychology of the Unconscious: see above, 11 March 1931, n. 2. The examples Jung repeats here are also given in CW 5, pars. 369, 388, 417, 511, 538 and 538n. (as in the 1912 ed., CWB). borers, was annoyed because they were becoming very unmanageable, and then he discovered that in a remote corner of the estate, coming from somewhere outside, a medicine man had settled and built himself a grass hut. And he had a very bad influence on the natives, he made them superstitious and incited them to rebel against the white man. In order to stop that, the farmer set fire to the medicine man 1s hut one day when he was not at home and destroyed it entirely.” The destruction of the medicine man’s hut symbolizes the suppression of indigenous knowledge and spiritual practices by colonial authority.
The “Trickster” archetype is also relevant, embodying a figure who defies social conventions and challenges established order. “There is something of the trickster in the character of the shaman and medicine-man, for he, too, often plays malicious jokes on people, only to fall victim in his turn to the vengeance of those whom he has injured” (CW9 ¶457). The Trickster’s actions, though often disruptive, can serve to expose societal hypocrisies and promote change.
Schools of Psychological Thought
Jung’s writings also address different “schools” of psychological thought, particularly in his comparison of the Viennese School (Freud) and the Zurich School (Jung) (CW4 ¶673). “I cannot here explain the fundamental differences between the two schools but would mention only the following: The Viennese School adopts an exclusively sexualistic standpoint while that of the Zurich School is symbolistic” (CW4 ¶673). He contrasts the Viennese School’s focus on sexual interpretations of symbols with the Zurich School’s emphasis on the symbolic and prospective meaning of psychological symbols. “The Viennese School interprets the psychological symbol semiotically, as a sign or token of certain primitive psychosexual processes. Its method is analytical and causal. The Zurich School recognizes the scientific possibility of such a conception but denies its exclusive validity, for it does not interpret the psychological symbol semiotically only but also symbolistically, that is, it attributes a positive value to the symbol.”
The Zurich School, according to Jung, acknowledges the causal and reductive approach but emphasizes the symbol’s potential for future psychological development. “For the Zurich School the symbol is not merely a sign of something repressed and concealed, but is at the same time an attempt to comprehend and to point the way to the further psychological development of the individual. Thus we add a prospective meaning to the retrospective value of the symbol.” This highlights the Zurich School’s focus on the individual’s potential for growth and transformation.
The Shadow and the School Experience
The concept of the “shadow,” representing the unconscious and often repressed aspects of the personality, also relates to the school experience (CW4 ¶673). Jung describes the shadow as a primitive symbol of the soul, and the “Student of Prague” story illustrates the separation of the conscious man and his shadow (Dream Sem.). “The best movie I ever saw was The Student of Prague $ It shows the separation of the conscious man and his shadow, so that the shadow moves by itself” (MDR). In this context, the “school” environment can be seen as a place where individuals confront their shadow aspects, as they navigate social interactions, academic pressures, and personal challenges (CW4 ¶673).
In Jungian psychology, integrating the shadow is essential for psychological wholeness. The school environment, with its potential for both positive and negative experiences, can serve as a catalyst for this process (CW4 ¶673). “It is as if I were looking at my shadow in the sun the shadow walking along with me as usual-and then suddenly see that it is walking in the opposite direction” (Vision Sem.). Confronting and understanding one’s shadow aspects allows for greater self-awareness and a more balanced personality.
Primitive Societies and Ethical Judgement
Jung also mentions that primitive people are also educated by ethical standards and how this is the base of some medicine practices, here is an example from the text that explains this, “Therefore the medicine man must talk to the ghosts, who inform him how far the illness of his victim has progressed; and when the time of death comes, he goes into the bush and puts up a stick with his poncho and hat on top of it, a sort of magic figure like a scarecrow, so when the projectile comes back, angrily seeking another victim, it sees that figure and thinks, Ah, that is it, and shoots into it. Then the medicine man jumps out and seizes the icicle; he worries it until it gets tired, and then he puts it back into his poncho for further use.” That is a concretized representation of the underlying psychological fact that nothing is as infectious as real emotion. He also states about ethics, “It is also supposed that primitive man has other feelings than we, and another kind of morality—that he has, so to speak, a “prelogical” temperament. Undoubtedly he has a different code of morals…But let us be honest. Do we not think it a sin to eat fish with a steel knife, for a man to keep his hat on in a room, or to greet a lady with a cigar in his mouth? With us, as well as with primitives, such things have nothing to do with ethics.” He argues that the process of ethical judgement is the same, even though the forms under which they appear are different.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the concept of “school” or “classroom” in Jungian psychology extends beyond the traditional educational setting to encompass various symbolic and psychological meanings (CW4 ¶673). Jung’s personal experiences, his comparison of different schools of psychological thought, and his discussion of archetypes such as the Trickster and the shadow, all contribute to a deeper understanding of learning, development, and the confrontation with societal structures and authority (CW4 ¶673). The “school” environment, in both its literal and metaphorical senses, represents a place where individuals encounter challenges, learn from experiences, and ultimately develop their understanding of themselves and the world (CW4 ¶673).