C. G. Jung and intuition: from the mindscape of the paranormal to the heart of psychology.
The Journal of analytical psychology February 1, 2018 DOI: 10.1111/1468-5922.12380 via PubMed
Summary
Intuition is central to C. G. Jung's work, practice, and philosophical legacy. Initially attracted to intuition as an extraordinary gift linked to the paranormal, Jung explored it in his early Zofingia Lectures and his 1902 study of occult phenomena. A major shift occurred in 1913 when he turned esotericist intuitions toward psychological use in his Red Book, incorporating intuition at the core of his psychology—both in practice through empathy and in theory. In his 1921 book Psychological Types, intuition became the first of four fundamental psychological functions alongside thinking, feeling, and sensation, establishing it as the most significant function of the psyche through rational argument.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Esoterik Funktionen Intuition Methode und theorie Typen |
| Key finding | Intuition, initially seen as a paranormal gift, was transformed by Jung into the first and most significant of the four fundamental psychological functions in his 1921 theory of psychological types. |
Abstract
Intuition is central in the work, practice, and philosophical legacy of C. G. Jung. In this paper, I will first discuss the importance of intuition for Jung in the paradigm usually designated the 'paranormal'. Jung was attracted to intuition as an extra-ordinary gift or function in the traditional sense, and this is considered here in relation to his 1896-1899 Zofingia Lectures and 1902 On the Psychology and Pathology of So-called Occult Phenomena: A Psychiatric Study. A significant development then occurred in 1913, when esotericist intuitions were turned toward psychological use with Jung's Red Book. There, his personal and private use of intuition - and we know how extraordinarily intuitive he was - led Jung to fully incorporate intuition at the core of his psychology. Not only in his practice, in the crucial intuitive form of empathy, but as we will see, also at the very heart of his theory. In 1921, Jung wrote Psychological Types, where intuition became one - the first - of the four fundamental functions and types of the psyche next to thinking, feeling, and sensation. In 1921, Jung proved to the world in rational argument that intuition was no longer a psychologist's hobby for table turning, but the most significant function of the psyche.