Man and His Symbols

Man and His Symbols is a must read for persons who are fans of Carl G. Jung. As stated by the Guardian, what emerges with great clarity from this book is that Jung has done immense service both to psychology as a science and to our general understanding of man in society, by insisting that imaginative life must be taken seriously in its own right, as the most distinctive characteristic of human beings. This book is amazing. It was "dumb-downed" if you will, so that the average person like me could understand Jungs writing. Before he died he insisted that this should be and it was. A must read for anyone who is a fan of Jung.

This is a wonderful book for those who want to enlighten themselves.

Excellent resource!

The writing can be a little cryptic but it was fun to learn what was a very alternative perspective of the nature of the human unconscious to me. I liked that I connected with a lot of the concepts as well as more support for a shadow persona. I agree that it's a thing and would recommend this read to anyone interested in it. There's also a variety of lovely concepts of interpretation for art.. The one key point I found helpful was reinforcing interpretations case by case as opposed to a general interpretation.

A classic, must read.

Over 30 years ago in my studies I was introduced to theories of Carl Jung that really resonated with me. This book "Man and His Symbols" by Carl Gustav Jung provided me with an even deeper understanding of his theories on the unconscious mind.

Great self help book!

“If the reader should feel stimulated to work further on the investigation and assimilation of the unconscious—which always begins by working on oneself—the purpose of this introductory book would be fulfilled.”

I love it... Good book.. Book is okay...

I'm just starting the third chapter of this book. So far, chapter 3 is the most clearly written. Chapter 2 was not an easy read. Chapter 1 (written by Jung himself) is somewhere in between, in terms of clarity. This is deep stuff. Life-changing stuff. Meaning to say that by simply reading it and taking the ideas on board, it is changing the way I view myself and my relationships. I feel like the ideas in the book are helping me to mature (and I'm in my 30's). But when I say "taking the ideas on board" I do not mean to say that I could explain them to anybody else in a satisfactory way; and this is possibly because my comprehension of the ideas are being enacted within me on the symbolic level, not on the level of language. It's as if my understanding of the ideas presented in the book are emerging gradually into my consciousness, as if the authors are planting them in my unconscious mind; then, through my own contemplation after having read their words, my comprehension grows (like a tree - read it and you'll learn the symbolic meaning of a tree) into my consciousness. Of the three authors I've been reading so far though, Jung's words are the most hypnotic. As I mentioned at the start of this review, the author of chapter 3 has the clearest way of writing for the conscious mind. The ideas I've read in it so far have been easy to grasp. And I'm hopeful that the full meanings of words of chapter 2's author might arrive in my conscious mind later. It seems then, that of these three authors, Jung was the most masterful at writing directly to the unconscious mind. This shouldn't come as any surprise though. He was, after all, the originator of the ideas. Also, this isn't to say that what the other two authors wrote is not insightful. I've learnt a lot from all three; and in fact, I had a dream in which I started speaking to the shadow, that I think was prompted by words written by chapter two's author (the most inaccessible of the three as far as I'm concerned). So what does this say...? This book is unquestionably a challenging read (even though it is written for the layman). But persevere! Proceed with it patiently! It is well worthwhile for anybody open to personal development.

Read this in college and it still hasn't lost its charm and mystery after all these years. It's erudite and highly readable: I especially enjoyed the chapters on 'The Process of individutaion' and 'Symbols in the visual arts'. Various plates are scattered in the book but in black and white so it's hard to appreciate them. Nevertheless, a good read!

Thank you, even it's used it's like brand new, and good printing. I'm encouraged to buy used books. This is the right book to start read Carl Jung books.

Item exactly as described. Great price. Packaged to avoid damage too. Recommend