physics

Psychology of the Unconscious

Psychology of the Unconscious is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Psychology of the Unconscious rather than just read about it. In short: Psychology of the Unconscious (German: Wandlungen und Symbole der Libido) is an early work of Carl Jung, first published in the Jahrbuch für Psychoanalytische und Psychopathologische Forschungen in two installments (vol. III, 1911; and vol.

Key takeaways

Psychology of the Unconscious belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Psychology of the Unconscious to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Psychology of the Unconscious from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Psychology of the Unconscious (German: Wandlungen und Symbole der Libido) is an early work of Carl Jung, first published in the Jahrbuch für Psychoanalytische und Psychopathologische Forschungen in two installments (vol. III, 1911; and vol. IV, 1912). The English translation by Beatrice M. Hinkle appeared in 1916 under the full title of Psychology of the Unconscious: a study of the transformations and symbolisms of the libido, a contribution to the history of the evolution of thought (London: Kegan Paul Trench Trubner). Hinkle's translation was reissued in 1992, as supplementary volume B to The Collected Works of C. G. Jung. In 1952, Jung published a thoroughly revised version of the work, which was translated into English in 1956 as Symbols of Transformation, reissued as volume five of the Collected Works. The book illustrates a theoretical divergence between Jung and Freud on the nature of the libido, and its publication led to a break in the friendship between the two men, both stating that the other was unable to admit he could possibly be wrong.

Overview According to Jung, his work is an "extended commentary on a practical analysis of the prodromal stages of schizophrenia." The analysis is of the Miller Fantasies; the fantasies of Miss Frank Miller, an American woman Jung did not know, but whose writings he had encountered in the work of Théodore Flournoy. Jung wrote in his 1924 edition of the book that Miller's unusual name was a "pseudonym," which it was not. Miller, named for her father, was an Alabama-born performer and lecturer who often gave "speeches" in character as various cultural and historical figures. Flournoy published a few of her most vivid historic fantasies, with her own comments and impressions, in 1905 with an introduction by himself. Jung explains their crucially significant mythological content and portending influence, declaring that Miller exhibited signs of "prodromal" stages of schizophrenia, and predicting that she would eventually suffer a schizophrenic breakdown. Jung was wrong; although Miller would indeed later receive psychiatric treatment, it was not for a diagnosis of schizophrenia. The Miller Fantasies are included as an appendix in Symbols of Transformation. Jung would later acknowledge that in closely delving into the Miller Fantasies, he was in fact—without admitting it to himself—trying to analyze the same critical questions about his own psyche.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Psychology of the Unconscious

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Psychology of the Unconscious claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Psychology of the Unconscious before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Psychology of the Unconscious ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Psychology of the Unconscious

In research: Psychology of the Unconscious appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Psychology of the Unconscious in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Psychology of the Unconscious is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1912 non-fiction books, 1916 non-fiction books, Books about the unconscious mind, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Psychology of the Unconscious outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Psychology of the Unconscious in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Psychology of the Unconscious means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Psychology of the Unconscious out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Psychology of the Unconscious in simple terms?

Why does Psychology of the Unconscious matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Psychology of the Unconscious?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Psychology of the Unconscious.