Overview

Martin Buber and others argue that C. G. Jung excludes divine transcendence from his understanding of the psyche. This book identifies the underpinnings of such criticisms, then examines Jung's inability to respond adequately, and shows that fleshing out his theory of the transcendent function can lead to a solution. The formation of a symbol through this function orients the subject both toward unconscious depth and toward a transcendent horizon beyond the psyche. Finally, Beyond Psyche: Symbol and Transcendence in C. G. Jung gains support for its thesis from the work of psychoanalytic thinkers Wilfred Bion, D. W. Winnicott, Thomas Ogden, and Michael Eigen.

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9780820478678

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« 'Beyond Psyche' is a scholarly, well-reasoned, and closely argued critique of Jung's critics, revealing the limitations of their neo-Enlightenment epistemology. Mark Gundry's work is a powerful defense of the value of Jungian thought and the symbolic life in our contemporary setting.

'Beyond Psyche' is a scholarly, well-reasoned, and closely argued critique of Jung's critics, revealing the limitations of their neo-Enlightenment epistemology. Mark Gundry's work is a powerful defense of the value of Jungian thought and the symbolic life in our contemporary setting. (Lionel Corbett, Professor, Pacifica Graduate Institute, Carpinteria, California) With the general collapse of the possibility of imagining a transcendent God as somehow 'out there' beyond our experiencing, there has been a renewed interest in the archetypal psychology of C. G. Jung. It was Jung who located the 'Beyond within', in the psyche's innate processes of symbolization. In this careful and yet accessible book, Mark Gundry shows persuasively how Jung's intuitions about the human symbolic function can indeed provide a theoretical and experiential basis for rethinking spiritual transcendence 'from the bottom up'. This is a text that will be much appreciated by both theologians and thoughtful spiritual seekers who are drawn to the work of Jung but want a more critical philosophical and psychological analysis of the potential of that work to renew spiritual life in our time. (John McDargh, Associate Professor, Department of Theology, Boston College)

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The Author: Mark Gundry received his Ph.D. in theology from Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. He is Director of Planned Giving at the Lucile Packard Foundation in Palo Alto, California, and is pursuing psychotherapeutic training at Pacifica Graduate Institute, Carpinteria, California. His research interests include contemporary psychoanalytic theory, the shamanic roots of religion, and alchemical symbolism in somatic experience.

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