A Jungian Stage Theory of Individual Development in Personal Growth Groups

Abstract

Abstract This article describes personal growth group processes from a Jungian perspective. A 3-stage theory with 18 testable hypotheses is proposed. SUMMARY AND TENTATIVE CONCLUSIONS This article has proposed a Jungian stage theory of individual development in personal growth groups. A conceptual framework (Day, 1990) was used to develop this stage theory, which framework is based on Jung's theory of the individuation process in the first half of life. The central constructs of this Jungian conceptual framework-theory of psychological types, the persona, the shadow, and the personal complex-are discussed in a previous article from The Journal for Specialists in Group Work (Day & Matthes, 1992). The stage theory herein articulated includes three stages: (a) Individuation as Interpersonal Exploration, (b) Individuation as In-trapsychic Exploration, and (c) Individuation as Integration. Individual, group, and leader variables were considered. Explanations and outlines of individual behaviors, group issues, ...