Part 152: Lesson 7: The Truth About Complexes

-Specialist-




"Everyone Loves Jungian Psychology!" An invitation to the you that you don't know. For better or for worse, it's the seventh lecture: "The Truth About Complexes." Now, let's begin the lesson. Recabustira, Cabustira, Bustira, Tira, Ra, A...These Jungian psychology lectures have been centered on the unconscious...Today, let me introduce you to an important word that relates to the unconscious. Coined by Jung himself, it's now a widely used term: "complex."


The psychological definition is slightly different. In psychology a complex is "a power that prevents the conscious from functioning properly." It's not a feeling of unworthiness...but the "power that bends the mind" in order to make you feel that way in the first place. THAT is the complex.


Let me ask you a question. I've taught you that the human mind is split into the conscious and unconscious...Now then, where do you think a "complex" lies?
The unconscious.
Okay, you got it right. You're becoming quite sharp. A complex forms in the unconscious. That's why it can be so troublesome.


In most cases, it seems that they are caused by personal experience. Let me give you an example. Let's say a person has had a strict upbringing since youth. He's always been taught to be courteous and clean...He hates sloppiness and dirtiness to the point where he will faint if he so much as touches something dirty. Even when the level of dirtiness is still within a normal person's tolerances, this person's mind simply cannot accept it. Why does he hate dirtiness so much, to the point where it causes his mind to function improperly? It's thought that this is because his obsession with cleanliness has, over time, sunk into the unconscious and stayed there. His hatred of uncleanliness has moved from his conscious and formed a complex lodged firmly in his unconscious. When this complex flows backwards back into the conscious, it causes the person to have abnormal reactions.


This unconscious, in more specific Jungian terms, points to the "personal unconscious." Complexes are formed in the personal unconscious, which is a subset of an individual's unconscious. There are other processes that form complexes...but for now, just remember this.


The problem arises when one emerges and interferes with a person's social life. When a person's complex is stimulated, he or she becomes emotional, causing abnormal behavior. If this gets worse, the person may not be able to maintain relationships with other people, or suffer a breakdown. I'm sure you're all thinking: "Then we should be trying to find a way to get rid of complexes." But, being in the unconscious, they are difficult to find. And, once found, removing one is even harder. Then, what do we do?
Face our complexes.
Face our complexes, huh. That is a very trying thing to do. And yet, it is said that acknowledging the existence of a complex is the first step to treating it. Your opinion is correct. Here's one proposed method to facing a complex. "Perhaps it isn't the complex making you lopsided, but your own Ego that's making your mind imbalanced." In other words, it has a positive view of a complex: that one forms in order to balance out your already lopsided mind. According to this view, when you find your complex, it is your chance to become a better person. Some of you may think that you've heard this before...And to those people, I commend you. This has many similarities to what I talked about during the lecture on the Shadow archetype. In that lesson, I told you about acknowledging one's own Shadow. The hidden things in your mind are not pure evil. It is important to have a good look at them.


Basically, we all have the means in our minds to cope with complexes. If anyone's worried by this lecture: there's no need for pessimism. Just face your own mind. And that's it for today.