{"id":151767,"date":"2024-12-03T09:44:31","date_gmt":"2024-12-03T07:44:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/espirited.com\/the-relationship-between-the-conscious-and-the-unconscious-is-both-open-conflict-and-cooperation\/"},"modified":"2026-02-16T18:21:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T16:21:10","slug":"the-relationship-between-the-conscious-and-the-unconscious-is-both-open-conflict-and-cooperation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/espirited.com\/en\/the-relationship-between-the-conscious-and-the-unconscious-is-both-open-conflict-and-cooperation\/","title":{"rendered":"The relationship between the conscious and the unconscious is both open conflict and cooperation"},"content":{"rendered":"

“But if we understand anything of the unconscious, we know that it cannot be swallowed. We also know that it is dangerous to suppress it, because the unconscious is life and this life turns against us if suppressed, as happens in neurosis.<\/em><\/p>\n

Conscious and unconscious do not make a whole when one of them is suppressed and injured by the other. If they must contend, let it at least be a fair fight with equal rights on both sides.<\/p>\n

Both are aspects of life.<\/p>\n

Consciousness should defend its reason and protect itself, and the chaotic life of the unconscious should be given the chance of having its way too \u2014 as much of it as we can stand.<\/p>\n

This means open conflict and open collaboration at once.<\/p>\n

That, evidently, is the way human life should be. It is the old game of hammer and anvil: between them the patient iron is forged into an indestructible whole, an \u2018individual.<\/p>\n

This, roughly, is what I mean by the individuation<\/a> process.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 C. G. Jung<\/p>\n

\n

Quoted passage is a paraphrase of C. G. Jung, Collected Works, Vol. 9 , \u00a7522<\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“But if we understand anything of the unconscious, we know that it cannot be swallowed. We also know that it is dangerous to suppress it, because the unconscious is life and this life turns against us if suppressed, as happens in neurosis. Conscious and unconscious do not make a whole when one of them is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":152639,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[646],"tags":[708,659,692,716],"class_list":["post-151767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spiritual-intelligence","tag-analytical-psychology","tag-carl-gustav-jung","tag-duality","tag-individuation"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t