Carl Jung Biography

(Swiss Psychiatrist, Psychoanalyst and Founder of Analytical Psychology)

Birthday: July 26, 1875 (Leo)

Born In: Kesswil, Switzerland

Carl Gustav Jung was a famous Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist who founded the school of analytical psychology. He was a multifaceted personality with interests in fields as diverse as medicine, religion, literature, philosophy, archaeology, and occult. He had a difficult childhood as his mother suffered from depression and was extremely moody. He was an introvert and suffered from multiple personality disorder—this had a profound influence on his future career as a psychiatrist. During his childhood, he was pushed to the ground by his classmate, which caused him to suffer from fainting spells—this incident helped shape his career. His interests in the field of medicine and spirituality led him to choose psychiatry, which he considered a combination of both these fields. He made immense contributions to his chosen field and gave the world some of the best known psychological concepts like analytical psychology, personality profiling, collective unconscious, the complex, etc. He was a close associate of Sigmund Freud and they influenced each other intellectually and attended several conferences together. Jung’s important theories include the concept of introversion and extraversion, the archetypes, and synchronicity. He was a prolific writer and published his work in 20 volumes. He continued writing till the end of his life.

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Quick Facts

Also Known As: Karl Gustav Jung, Carl Gustav Jung

Died At Age: 85

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Emma Rauschenbach

father: Paul Achilles Jung

mother: Emilie Preiswerk

siblings: Johanna Gertrud Jung

children: Agathe Niehus, Franz Jung-Merker, Gret Baumann, Helene Hoerni, Marianne Niehus

Born Country: Switzerland

Psychologists Psychiatrists

Height: 6'1" (185 cm), 6'1" Males

Died on: June 6, 1961

place of death: Küsnacht, Switzerland

Ancestry: German Swiss

Cause of Death: Illness

Notable Alumni: University Of Basel

epitaphs: Vocatus atque non vocatus_x000D_, Deus aderit

More Facts

education: University Of Basel

Childhood & Early Life

Carl Gustav Jung was born on 26 July 1875, in Kesswil, Thurgau, Switzerland, to Paul Achilles Jung and Emilie Preiswerk. He was his parents’ second and the only surviving son. He had a younger sister named Johanna Gertrud. His father was a rural pastor.

His mother was eccentric and suffered from depression. She was a strange and mysterious woman who claimed to be visited by spirits at night. He had a strained relationship with her because of her mental problems.

His strained relationship with his often absent, moody, and depressed mother shaped his attitude towards women in general.

As a child, he suffered from multiple personality disorder and was convinced that he had two personalities—a modern Swiss citizen and an eighteenth century person.

A classmate pushed him hard to the ground when he was 12 years old. This resulted in him having fainting spells whenever he tried to go to school. As a result, he stayed home for several months before rejoining school.

He enrolled at the ‘University of Basel’ in 1895 to study medicine and graduated in 1900.

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Career

Upon his graduation in 1900, he was appointed as an assistant at the ‘Burgholzli Psychiatric Hospital,’ Zurich, under Professor Eugen Bleuler.

In 1903, he received his Ph.D. from the ‘University of Zurich.’ His doctoral dissertation was titled ‘On the Psychology and Pathology of So-Called Occult Phenomena.’

�Starting from 1905, he began lecturing on psychiatry at the ‘University of Zurich.’ This continued until 1913.

He published ‘Studies in Word Association’ in 1906 and sent a copy to the renowned psychologist Sigmund Freud. This marked the beginning of a friendship that would last six years.
Jung and Freud met for the first time in 1907—Freud was like a father figure to the much younger Jung and would greatly influence his formative years. Jung wrote ‘The Psychology of Dementia Praecox’ the same year.
He was made the editor of the newly founded ‘Yearbook for Psychoanalytical and Psychopathological Research’ in 1908.

He resigned from his post at ‘Burgholzli’ in 1909 and traveled with Freud and Sandor Ferenczi to the United States to lecture on psychoanalysis. He also opened his own private practice of psychoanalysis in Küsnacht.

Jung was made the chairman of ‘Life of the International Psychoanalytical Association’ in 1910. He eventually resigned from this position, following his fallout with Freud.

Tension started brewing between Freud and Jung when the latter began his work on ‘Psychology of the Unconscious.’ They had disagreement over their opposing views on libido and religion. Their friendship became increasingly strained and was over by 1912.

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He went to London where he spoke at meetings of the ‘Psycho-Medical Society’ in 1913 and 1914.

‘World War I’ interrupted his work and he experienced considerable isolation in his professional life, though he continued writing. He also experienced visions, hallucinations, and psychological problems during the ‘World War’ years.

He spent the 1920s and ‘30s traveling all over the world and delivering lectures. He visited places like London, US, East Africa, and India.

�In 1933, he became a professor of psychology at the ‘Federal Polytechnical University’ in Zurich. He held this position till 1941.

From 1934 to 1939, he served as the president of ‘International Society for Medical Psychotherapy.’

A prolific writer, he continued writing throughout his later years. Many of his works were translated into English after his death and published in a collection of 20 volumes.

Major Works

He founded the school of analytical psychology or Jungian psychology which aims to analyze human psychology in its wholeness through the integration of unconscious forces and motivation present in the human subconscious.

Personal Life & Legacy

He married Emma Rauschenbach in 1903. They had five children. Even though he remained married to Emma till her death, he had several affairs with other women, including Sabina Spielrein and Toni Wolff.

He died in 1961 after a brief illness.
Trivia

The 2011 film ‘A Dangerous Method’ showcases a fictional dramatization of the life of this famous psychoanalyst.

Recommended Lists:

See the events in life of Carl Jung in Chronological Order

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