07 Apr / Individuation: Navigating the Road Home (Part I of 2)

In previous blogs, we have discussed some of the most notable ideas put forward by the psychologist C.G. Jung, which include typology, complexes, the psyche, archetypes, the soul-image, the unconscious, the ego, the shadow, the persona, the symbol, and the self. Given what we have heretofore reviewed, let us turn to the idea that puts Jung’s psychology into action and illustrates how all of the abovementioned ideas dynamically come together during life. Because of the scope of the topic, I have decided to divide the blog into two parts. The first part will cover the origins of the term and what Jung meant by it whereas in the second part I will discuss how the average person can practically apply it to his or her life.
So what is individuation? We have heard all of the clichéd definitions:
Although all of these descriptions are to some degree true, in my view they all miss the mark at capturing the richly nuanced meaning of the term. In order to really understand what Jung meant by the term individuation we need to explore the origins of the idea within the appropriate historical and epistemological context. The concept has been subject to a great deal of misunderstanding in lay and specialized circles alike. Many people confuse individuation with Abraham Maslow’s idea of self-actualization whereas others conflate it with individualism. Although there are similarities, any comparison between the former or latter can only be an oblique one. In order to understand what Jung meant by the term it is necessary to explore the origins of Jung’s usage of the term.

Figure 1. Arthur Schopenauer.
One practically needs to take a summer seminar on Schopenauer’s philosophy to grasp the subtleties of his argument. Thus, for the sake of brevity we will just say Schopenauer conjectured that the individual emerged from the confluence of pure categories of understanding (e.g., space and time), knowledge, and will. In this way, it seems that Schopenauer is proposing that genuine individuality can only come about when one ceases to identity with the myriad representations that permate our daily experience. The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1872) also used the term in The Birth of Tragedy to make a distinction between the Apollonian and Dionysian impulses (p. 26).

Figure 2. Friedrich Nietzsche.
Jung also alluded to the term individuation (principium individuationis) in in his Gnostic rendering “Seven Sermons to the Dead,” which he wrote as a creative fantasy during his so-called confrontation with the unconscious (January, 1916). In this strange product of the archetypal imagination, Jung speaks through an archetypal personification named Philemon. Thus spoke Philemon:
Through Jung’s mythopoetic language, one can detect a parallel to Schopenauer’s conception of the world as will and representation. The Pleroma could be viewed a real zero-point, the unmanifested ground of being.
Philemon suggests that the central aim of the creature (i.e., human beings) is to differentiate oneself from the collective so that one can actually live as an individual (Figure 3). People cannot differentiate unless the following necessary conditions are present: space, time, consciousness, and perhaps most importantly, will. Later that same year Jung hinted at the individuation concept, although he did not explicitly use the word individuation. In a lecture entitled “Structure of the Unconscious,” he discusses one’s individuality in relation to the persona:In the foregoing passage, Jung was apparently suggesting that one can only become an individual person when he or she thinks and feels for themselves. Jung (1928) further articulated the dangers of overly identifying with the collective psyche: “Identification with the collective psyche is thus a mistake that, in another form, ends as disastrously as the first way, which led to the separation of the persona from the collective psyche.” (CW7, 479). One need only turn on the television or listen to talk radio to appreciate to what degree people identify with the collective. A case in point would be the extreme stratification of the American political system, which is further exacerbated by collective representations and distorted projections. So it seems to me that if people were more willing to individuate rather than simply imitate the ever-changing trends of the popular culture, the world as a whole would be far more integrated place.
It is clear then that the idea of individuation was not formed in a vacuum but was the sum of a long line of intellectual contributions and Jung’s own intense introspection following his break with Freud. Jung suggested that one’s individuality could be viewed as a gradual process of consciously confronting the unconscious without becoming overcome by it. Furthermore, individuation requires a mediation between the ego and the unconscious that can only come about by becoming aware of what lies beneath the stratum of consciousness.
In his 1921 publication Psychological Types, Jung formally defined the concept. He wrote:

Figure 4. Difference strengthens culture.
At this point, Jung had officially introduced the idea which would become the overarching aim of his psychology, to become an individual by emancipating ourselves from the herd mentality of the collective. In short, individuation entails finding the courage to be different (Figure 4). Jung would go on to spend the next 40 years articulating what it means to individuate in relation to both the inner subjective world and the outer objective world. Next week, we will proceed in advancing the principle of individuation and examine what it means in practical terms to the average person.
Key Points
- All of Jung’s key ideas relate in varying degrees to his individuation principle
- The meaning of individuation is so rich and nuanced that it is difficult to pin down to one definition
- Jung first used the term in his 1912 publication Symbols and Transformations of the Libido
- The term has its origins in the philosophy of Arthur Schopenauer who had a major influence on Jung
- Both Nietzche and Eduard von Hartmann also refer to the principle of individuation
- Jung refers to individuation in his Gnostic metanarrative “Seven Sermons to the Dead”
- Jung did not formally define individuation until 1921 in his publication of Psychological Types
- Individuation requires that one is able to distinguish between what belongs to his personality and what belongs to the collective psyche
References
Hartmann, E. (1989). The philosophy of the unconscious. University of California Press: Santa Barbra, CA. (Original work published 1869)
Jung, C. G. (1916). Psychology of the Unconscious. In H. Read, M. Fordham, G. Adler, & W. McGuire (Eds.), The collected works of C. G. Jung (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.) (Supplementary Vol. B). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1912)
Jung, C. G. (1971). Psychological types. In H. Read, M. Fordham, G. Adler & W. McGuire (Eds.), The collected works of C.G. Jung (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.) (2nd ed., Vol. 6). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1921)
Jung, C.G. (1953). The Relations between the ego and the unconscious. In V.S. DeLaszlo (Ed.), The basic writings of C.G. Jung. New York, NY: The Modern Library. (Original work published 1928)
Nietzsche, F. (1923). The birth of tragedy. New York, NY: The Macmillan Company. (Original work published 1872)
Schopenauer, A. (1910). The world as will and representation. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co. (Original work published 1819)
This is a very informative article regarding what you call individuation. Yet, I’m still at a loss about how this really impacts me, or how I can use knowledge of individuation or my own distinct individuality to enhance the quality of my life. You covered the origins and meaning of the term pretty well, but how can my life improve as a result of individuation?
Jackson, Thank you for your comments. I’m glad that you pointed out the importance of bringing all of this home. In other words, what people really want to know how individuation applies to them. Naturally, individuation is going on all the time in varying degrees. Individuation is a natural process and when we don’t do it consciously, the unconscious does it for us, which can produce a number of problems with the personality. The aim is to individuate consciously. I’ll discuss this at length next week in Part II of the blog. Thank you.
This is great. I really like what you did here with individuation, and look forward to reading part II next week. I didn’t know that Schopenauer and Nietzsche also discussed the principle of individuation. I appreciate you taking the time to put all of this together.
Sherry, Thank you for your feedback. Analytical psychology was not developed in a vacuum. Jung, like anybody else, borrowed liberally from a number of sources (e.g., Kant, Schopenauer, Nietzsche, Plato, Hartmann, Goethe, etc.) while formulating his theories. Jung viewed individuation as an empirical concept rooted within human experience rather than a philosophical musing. Thank you.
Very good article on individuation. Although I have to look up many word I don’t understand. I like where this goes I wish I had such information in my language. Individuation seem to me like same for everyone no matter where you live or culture. I like to read next blog on part II.