Carl Jung’s personal self-development experiences May 5, 2014
Posted by Dennis Mellersh in Concept of personal development, Concept of personal growth.Tags: analytic psychology, Carl Jung, personal development, personal development potential, personal growth, philosophy, psychology, self-actualization, self-improvement
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The psychiatrist Carl Jung’s exploration of the psychology of the self-actualization or individuation process was a journey of self-discovery as much as it was a scholarly contribution to a better understanding of human behaviour.
As part of his study of the psychology involved in the human condition, Jung analyzed his own dreams and carefully evaluated his personal emotions and attitudes. His view was that understanding his own psychological make-up could better help him understand human behaviour on a more universal level.
This personal aspect of Carl Jung’s approach to his work in analytic psychology is explored in two books that I reviewed in an earlier article on this website; namely, the autobiographical Memories, Dreams, Reflections and Gerhard Wehr’s An Illustrated Biography of C.G. Jung.
Both of these books reveal the personal side of Jung and explore the ways in which his personal experiences influenced the development of his psychological theories.
I have recently added some detailed updates to the original article that emphasize more specifically the influence of Jung’s personal experiences on his work.
Following is the URL link for the article:
How does the concept of personal development work? April 28, 2014
Posted by Dennis Mellersh in Concept of personal development.Tags: achieving goals, personal development, personal growth, philosophy, self-actualization, self-improvement, self-improvement materials
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Although practising the concept of personal development does have the ability to transform us, it will not bring instant success in helping to make us a better person.
We can be greatly inspired by some personal growth informational materials, but inspiration is something that has to be fed every day by constantly working the principles of self-improvement.
For the large majority of us, our minds and emotions do not have the capability to absorb and implement an entire personal growth program all at once.
Rather it is a step-by-step process, and as such is much more likely to have staying power for our entire lives than would a formula for instant personal change, if such a formula existed.
We may indeed feel we “have seen the light” on reading, listening to, or watching some outstanding self-improvement materials, but for the light to stay “on” we have to work at it on a steady basis.
It’s something like when we studied for exams in school. If we “cram” the knowledge of a course into our heads the night before the test, we can be sure we will have forgotten most of the material a few days after the exam.
If we study the course study materials over an extended period, however, we are much more likely to retain it.
We refer to the “process” of personal development for a reason – because as a process it is ongoing. It is a journey, not a fast path to our desired destination of personal betterment.
As we learn ways to increase our self-knowledge and self-awareness, we gradually pick up more and more ideas and tools with which to reach our objectives.
Gradually, instance by instance, we start to see the world and our place in that world differently. And we are able to react maturely and positively to challenging situations as they arise, by applying the principles we are absorbing each day in our personal growth work.
Then, when we are faced with a difficult circumstance, we remember an idea we have learned and we then successfully apply that idea to the situation. Our work on personal growth thereby becomes proactive and practical in our daily lives rather than just an abstract concept.
Personal Development Ideas 