The Psyche from a Jungian Perspective

From a Jungian perspective,

the psyche, like any other self-organizing system, is a collection of various interactive processes, both conscious and unconscious.

In this system, the Ego is the center of the conscious personality, while the Self is the center of the entire psyche. We do not perceive the Self as something concrete—such as a material structure, a recognizable entity, or a being directly associated with God that governs the world (Jung, 1943).

Instead, we understand it as an objective reality where the meaning of the universe merges with human subjective existence.

The Self can be symbolically compared to an unknown force, an invisible presence, a source of inspiration, and so on.

These symbolic forms have shaped Jung’s understanding of the Self as an archetype of wholeness—a structuring and unifying center of the psyche.

A child’s Ego, which is born in a state of unity with everything that exists, gradually differentiates itself from the Self. The child learns to separate from the unconscious, or in other words, from archetypal reality, while still remaining dynamically connected to it.

The child is forced to deal with complex and often frustrating experiences, which arise from archetypal reality, as well as somatic, affective, and cognitive factors that emerge through interaction with the surrounding environment.

When these experiences become overwhelming, defensive mechanisms naturally begin to function in the child. If these defenses are used repeatedly and over an extended period, they disrupt the relationship between the Ego and the Self.

These defenses make the Ego-Self axis rigid, preventing the Ego and the unconscious from properly interacting. Visually, one could imagine these defenses as blocking the flow of energy along the Ego-Self axis, thereby destroying the dialogue between them.

This defensive blockade securely isolates the Ego—not only from the potentially all-encompassing power of the Self but also from its numinosity, richness, and abundance.

As a result, a person may become separated from the inexhaustible source of life, personal authenticity, and both spiritual and bodily experiences.

Overwhelmed by the unconscious or cut off from it, a person becomes completely detached from the great mysteries of life.

(Nancy J. Dougherty, Jacqueline J. West, “The Matrix and Meaning of CharacterAn Archetypal and Developmental Approach”)