Jungian psychology and the spirit of Protestantism

Abstract

While there has been much discussion of Freud's Jewish background and its subtle influences on his manner of thinking and his psychological theory, less has been written about the equally profound and indelible influence of Jung's Protestant Christian background on his psychological opus. This factor stands out especially in his various descriptions, personal and theoretical, of the individuation process. In many instances, they bear a remarkable resemblance to the Christian notion of ‘the imitation of Christ’ (imitatio Christi), with a strong Protestant accent on the solitary individual. As Jung interpreted this well known Christian notion of discipleship and introduced it into his psychological theory of development, he personalized it for himself and at the same time universalized it by interpreting it as an archetypal process. This essay is an initial exploration of the Protestant Christian background underlying several key concepts and attitudes in analytical psychology.