
Basic Principles series:
#2 of 3: Myths and the Everyday: Jung’s Enduring Legacy
Presenter name: Mitchell Smolkin
The language of psychology is an ever-evolving phenomenon, populated more and more with the nomenclature of pathology such as “PTSD, OCD, ADHD” and the list goes on; these acronyms have not only become part of the everyday, but are a contemporary cultural product.
Jung elevated psychological language with his commitment to the mythopoetic reading of human experience through myths, legends, fairy tales, and archetypes. While the patient might be complaining about their struggles at work and their disdain for their boss, in their dreams, they are climbing mountains and fighting dragons. Our everyday terms, even our commonplace psychological labels, have deeper foundations. Assuming a mythopoetic stance in a contemporary environment that is hyper focused on symptoms and “mental health” has somehow become highly provocative and yet it can be refreshing and deeply orienting to ground oneself in the broader strokes of history, art, and literature. This talk will explore the relationship between the mythopoetic and the everyday and ask questions about the continued relevance of leaning into our stories.