C. G. Jung and the Scientific Attitude

Book excerpt: This probing study of the pioneering psychologist dispels many of the popular misconceptions about his work. Though Carl Jung is well known as one of the great pioneers of psychology and psychoanalysis, there are many persistent misconceptions about his work and legacy. Jungian psychology is rigorously scientific, yet its critics dismiss it as obscure and mystical. In C. G. Jung and the Scientific Attitude, Edmund D. Cohen sheds light on significant aspects of Jung’s work that academic psychology has previously all but overlooked. Though Jung’s productivity spanned more than fifty years, his reputation rests largely on statements he made early in his career—statements upon which he later improved. In this fascinating and enlightening analysis, Cohen explores these statements and the misunderstandings they have caused. He also looks at the many paradoxes of Jungian psychology, showing that what first appears to be merely contradictory turn out to reveal a deeper meaning.