Jung: A Very Short Introduction, Anthony Stevens, Oxford University Press, 159pp, charts, illustrations, $11.95.
20th century Swiss psychiatrist and founder of analytical psychology, Carl Gustav Jung's approach is influential and he is considered as the first modern psychologist to advocate that the human psyche is by nature religious. He advanced an understanding the mind through exploring of dreams, art, mythology, religion and philosophy. Both as a theoretical psychologist and a practicing clinician, his work explored other areas, including Eastern and Western philosophy, alchemy, astrology, sociology, literature and the arts. Jung's ideas of the concept of psychological archetypes, the collective unconscious and synchronicity are found in George Lucas' Star Wars films. Joseph Campbell, an educator and mythologist drew Lucas' attention to Jung's concepts of archetypes.
Emphasizing the importance of balance and harmony, Jung came to believe that people rely too heavily on science and logic and ignore the benefits of integrating spirituality and appreciation of unconscious realms. The process of integrating the conscious with the unconscious while still maintaining conscious autonomy of the individual is a central tenet of his analytical psychology.
The strength of Anthony Stevens' Jung: A Very Short Introduction is that in 159 pages the the birth, development and implications of Jung's central tenets are presented clearly and concisely. Jung, a very close student and personal friend of Sigmund Freud, repudiated Freudian as being a reductionist. Stevens captures Jung's growth into and then out of Freud's sphere of influence. In the course of a lifetime as a psychologist who read deeply in anthropology, Jung explored dimensions of theof the mind and creativity as represented in a variety of cultures. Lucas' use of Jungian archetypes, as described by Joseph Campbell in interiews with Bill Moyers in a PBS series, is what made the first Star War film attractive to many viewers.