Demystifying Jung's "Archetypes" with Embodied Cognition.

Since he first proposed it, Carl Jung's "archetype" theory has faced resistance from a pervasive but seldom examined set of underlying Cartesian assumptions embedded in mainstream psychology. This paradigm assumed a physical universe (and hence body) free of psyche that coincided with an essentially disembodied mind largely concerned with abstract symbol manipulation. This situation led archetype theory to remain largely within insulated psychoanalytic circles for decades. Since the 1980s, however, cognitive psychology has increasingly become embodied from a variety of standpoints. This article shows how the results of embodied cognition and spontaneous thought "demystify" many of the attributes Jung described in his archetype theory, making archetype theory not only more comprehensible but clinically applicable. Combining approaches suggests new avenues of inquiry for experimental research and enriches the psychoanalytic perspective.

The innate story code.

Code biology reveals a great many codes beyond the genetic code as integral to biological functioning. Recent scholars have linked the growing field of code biology to analytical psychology, confirming that the encoded information inherited by the human organism is indeed massive and capable of great sophistication. In this discussion, I will expand on this project by showing how developments in embodied cognition reveal a code that links the world of universal emotional responses to common experiences to the world of embodied visuospatial narratives--i.e., the "archetypes" of analytical psychology. Viewed in this manner, archetypes become spontaneous symbolic narratives that symbolize universal emotional responses to typical human environments. Such symbolic narratives aim toward adaptation, and use a universal code that maps such situations to visuospatial narratives, with the adaptor being the human body itself.

Transcriptional drift in aging cells: A global decontroller.

As cells age, they undergo a remarkable global change: In transcriptional drift, hundreds of genes become overexpressed while hundreds of others become underexpressed. Using archetype modeling and Gene Ontology analysis on data from aging Caenorhabditis elegans worms, we find that the up-regulated genes code for sensory proteins upstream of stress responses and down-regulated genes are growth- and metabolism-related. We observe similar trends within human fibroblasts, suggesting that this process is conserved in higher organisms. We propose a simple mechanistic model for how such global coordination of multiprotein expression levels may be achieved by the binding of a single factor that concentrates with age in C. elegans. A key implication is that a cell's own responses are part of its aging process, so unlike wear-and-tear processes, intervention might be able to modulate these effects.

Archetypal typology of European forest ecosystems integrating management intensity and naturalness.

The crises of climate change and biodiversity loss have pushed the aim for increasing the resilience of forest ecosystems high on the agenda of foresters and policymakers. At the same time, synergistic opportunities for restoring forests and biodiversity are emerging to safeguard these ecosystems. Naturalness is a key characteristic of forest ecosystems, which should be considered when estimating benchmarks for resilience and biodiversity conservation. The naturalness of forest ecosystems is highly dependent on the intensity of human activity, as different levels of management intensity can change the original traits of forest ecosystems. This paper presents an archetypal typology of forest ecosystems, describing the association between management and naturalness. Both features are represented as gradients covering the full spectrum observed in European forests. The array of forest ecosystem archetypes was verified using case studies across Europe. The typology provides useful information for setting targets for resilience and restoration of forest ecosystems.

Archetype symbols and altered consciousness: a study of shamanic rituals in the context of Jungian psychology.

The alteration of consciousness during shamanic rituals is both a physical and mystical phenomenon. It involves psychological and spiritual experiences. Through ritual practices, shamans can connect with archetype within the collective unconscious, utilizing trance-inducing techniques for "hallucinatory exploration". This study surveyed 75 participants to investigate the impact of prototype symbols in Shamanistic rituals on participants' consciousness states focusing on Jungian psychology's concept of archetype. The results indicate that archetype symbols in shamanic rituals can significantly influence participants' conscious state, leading them to experience a conscious dissolution of the self. Furthermore, archetype symbols have different effects at the stages of consciousness change. In particular, during the "Visionary Restructuralization" stage, archetype symbols, such as patterns, masks, totems and music, brought participants' consciousness to a peak and caused significant changes to it. These findings suggest that the metaphoric function of archetype symbols plays a crucial role in rituals. Archetype symbols connect the individual to the collective unconscious through visual images and symbolic imagery. They prompt the participants to experience emotional resonances that transcend individual experiences and affect their state of consciousness.

Psychology as a Science of the Soul: Evangelos Christou's The Logos of the Soul (1963).

After Evangelos Christou (1923-1956) studied philosophy at King's College, Cambridge, with Wittgenstein and others, he earned a doctorate at the Jung Institute in Zürich. He then returned home to Alexandria, near which he died in a car crash. The Logos of the Soul, published posthumously, argued for a psychology that would be neither a natural scientific psychology, devoted to causal analyses, nor a philosophical discipline that analysed mental events. Psychology would be an autonomous science of the soul, an unknown distinct from body and mind. Science deals with bodies and behaviours; philosophy with the mental concepts and acts. Psychology deals with "psychological experience". Dreams and fantasies can be sources of psychological experience, but so can perceptual acts and mental acts. Meaning occurs when something encounters an ego or self in a psychological experience. Observation in psychology is participant observation, akin to witnessing of a drama. Psychological methods, such as psychotherapy, are both means of discovery and means of becoming. Christou's work brought together Jung's analytical psychology and mid-century British philosophy in order to stake out the ground for psychology that would be an empirical analysis of psychological experience and a logical analysis of the concepts used in that psychology.

Après qu'Evangelos Christou (1923­1956) ait étudié la philosophie au King's College à Cambridge, avec Wittgenstein et d'autres, il fit un doctorat à l'Institut Jung de Zurich. Il retourna ensuite à Alexandrie, où il mourut peu de temps après dans un accident de voiture. The Logos of the Soul, publié à titre posthume, plaide pour une psychologie qui ne serait ni une psychologie scientifique naturelle, dédiée aux analyses causales, ni une discipline philosophique qui analyse les événements du mental. La psychologie serait une science autonome de l'âme, une inconnue distincte du corps et du mental. La science traite des corps et des comportements; la philosophie s'occupe des concepts et des actes. La psychologie s'intéresse à « l'expérience psychologique ¼. Les rêves et les fantasmes peuvent être des sources d'expérience psychologique, mais il en est de même pour les actes de perception et les actes du mental. Le sens apparait quand quelque chose rencontre un moi ou un soi dans une expérience psychologique. L'observation en psychologie est une observation participative, qui s'apparente à être témoin d'une pièce dramatique. Les méthodes psychologiques, telles la psychothérapie, sont à la fois des moyens d'exploration et des moyens pour devenir. L'œuvre de Christou a relié la psychologie analytique de Jung et la philosophie britannique du milieu du siècle afin de revendiquer le terrain pour une psychologie qui serait une analyse empirique de l'expérience psychologique et une analyse logique des concepts utilisés dans cette psychologie.

Luego de estudiar filosofía en el King's College de Cambridge, con Wittgenstein y otros, Evangelos Christou (1923­1956) obtuvo un doctorado en el Instituto Jung de Zúrich. Posteriormente regresó a su casa en Alejandría, cerca de la cual murió en un accidente de auto. El Logos del alma, publicado póstumamente, abogaba por una psicología que no fuera ni una psicología científica natural, dedicada a los análisis causales, ni una disciplina filosófica que analizara los acontecimientos mentales. La psicología sería una ciencia autónoma del alma, lo desconocido distinto del cuerpo y de la mente. La ciencia se ocupa de los cuerpos y las conductas; la filosofía, de los conceptos y los actos mentales. La psicología se ocupa de la "experiencia psicológica". Los sueños y las fantasías pueden ser fuentes de experiencia psicológica, pero también los actos perceptivos y mentales. El sentido se produce cuando algo se encuentra con un ego o un self en una experiencia psicológica. La observación en psicología es una observación participante, similar a ser testigo de un drama. Los métodos psicológicos, como la psicoterapia, son a la vez medios de descubrimiento y medios de devenir. La obra de Christou reunió la psicología analítica de Jung y la filosofía británica de mediados de siglo para sentar las bases de una psicología que fuera un análisis empírico de la experiencia psicológica y un análisis lógico de los conceptos utilizados en esa psicología.

The Human Body is the Collective Unconscious: Archetypal Images as Innate Embodied Metaphors.

For a significant part of its history, archetype theory has been undermined by criticisms containing unexamined Cartesian assumptions. Such assumptions treat all cognition as disembodied, consisting of mere manipulation of abstract, inherently meaningless signs mimicked from verbal instruction or cultural learning. Since the 1980s, due to the results of many independent disciplines, however, this view is being replaced with one of embodied cognition. This shift has important consequences for archetype theory, allowing us to provide a non-reductive biological anchor that explains many characteristics of the archetypal image.

Pendant une partie importante de son histoire, la théorie des archétypes a été discréditée par des critiques contenant des hypothèses cartésiennes qui n'étaient pas remises en question. De telles hypothèses considèrent que toute capacité cognitive est désincarnée et consiste en une simple manipulation de signes abstraits et intrinsèquement dépourvus de sens, imités à partir d'instructions verbales ou d'apprentissage culturel. Néanmoins depuis les années 1980, du fait de résultats provenant de plusieurs disciplines indépendantes, cette façon de voir est remplacée par une autre: celle de la capacité cognitive incarnée. Ce déplacement a des conséquences importantes pour la théorie des archétypes, nous permettant de fournir un ancrage biologique non­réducteur qui explique un grand nombre de caractéristiques de l'image archétypale.

Durante una parte significativa de su historia, la teoría de los arquetipos se ha visto afectada por críticas que contenían supuestos cartesianos no examinados. Dichos supuestos dan cuenta de toda cognición como incorpórea, consistiendo en la mera manipulación de signos abstractos e intrínsecamente carentes de significado, imitados a partir de la instrucción verbal o el aprendizaje cultural. Sin embargo, desde la década de 1980, gracias a los resultados de muchas disciplinas independientes, este punto de vista se está sustituyendo por el de la cognición encarnada. Este cambio tiene importantes consecuencias para la teoría de los arquetipos, ya que nos permite ofrecer un anclaje biológico no reductivo que explica muchas características de la imagen arquetípica.

Linking solid-state phenomena via energy differences in `archetype crystal structures'.

Categorization underlies understanding. Conceptualizing solid-state structures of organic molecules with `archetype crystal structures' bridges established categories of disorder, polymorphism and solid solutions and is herein extended to special position and high-Z' structures. The concept was developed in the context of disorder modelling [Dittrich, B. (2021). IUCrJ, 8, 305-318] and relies on adding quantum chemical energy differences between disorder components to other criteria as an explanation as to why disorder - and disappearing disorder - occurs in an average structure. Part of the concept is that disorder, as probed by diffraction, affects entire molecules, rather than just the parts of a molecule with differing conformations, and the finding that an R·T energy difference between disorder archetypes is usually not exceeded. An illustrative example combining disorder and special positions is the crystal structure of oestradiol hemihydrate analysed here, where its space-group/subgroup relationship is required to explain its disorder of hydrogen-bonded hydrogen atoms. In addition, we show how high-Z' structures can also be analysed energetically and understood via archetypes: high-Z' structures occur when an energy gain from combining different rather than overall alike conformations in a crystal significantly exceeds R·T, and this finding is discussed in the context of earlier explanations in the literature. Twinning is not related to archetype structures since it involves macroscopic domains of the same crystal structure. Archetype crystal structures are distinguished from crystal structure prediction trial structures in that an experimental reference structure is required for them. Categorization into archetype structures also has practical relevance, leading to a new practice of disorder modelling in experimental least-squares refinement alluded to in the above-mentioned publication.

In Memory of Anthony Stevens: A Career Retrospective with Emphasis on His Formative Role in the Archetype Debate.

This paper celebrates the life and legacy of psychiatrist and Jungian author Anthony Stevens, who passed away at age 90 on July 13, 2023. It outlines Stevens's origins as a research fellow in Greece, where his work on infant attachment led to a lifelong dedication to establishing the biological and evolutionary foundation of psychiatry. It details his instrumental role in the debate about the theory of archetypes and describes the current state of the literature including the responses and reactions to Stevens's biological innatist position. The paper concludes with a career retrospective in which Stevens's major works are introduced and briefly described.

Cet article célèbre la vie et l'héritage du psychiatre et auteur jungien Anthony Stevens, décédé à l'âge de 90 ans le 13 juillet 2023. L'article décrit les origines de Stevens en tant que chercheur en Grèce, où ses travaux sur l'attachement du nourrisson l'ont conduit à se consacrer toute sa vie à établir le fondement biologique de la psychiatrie, dans une perspective évolutionniste. L'article détaille son rôle important dans le débat sur la théorie des archétypes et décrit l'état actuel de la littérature, y compris les réponses et réactions à la position biologique innéiste de Stevens. L'article se termine par une rétrospective de sa carrière, dans laquelle les œuvres majeures de Stevens sont présentées et brièvement décrites.

Este artículo celebra la vida y el legado del psiquiatra y autor Junguiano Anthony Stevens, quien falleció a los 90 años el 13 de julio de 2023. Describe los orígenes de Stevens como investigador en Grecia, donde su trabajo sobre el apego infantil lo llevó a una dedicación de por vida para establecer los fundamentos biológicos y evolutivos de la psiquiatría. Detalla su papel instrumental en el debate sobre la teoría de los arquetipos y describe el estado actual del arte, incluyendo las respuestas y reacciones a la posición biológica innatista de Stevens. El artículo concluye con una retrospectiva de su carrera en la que se presentan y describen brevemente las principales obras de Stevens.