JUNG’S PSYCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF IMAGO DEI Ivana Ryška Vajdová Received March 28 2016 - Revised April 26 2016 - Accepted April 28 2016 ABSTRACT One of the most intricate topics that are still open in connection to a Swiss psychologist Carl Gustav Jung is religion and related issues: What is the relation between religion and psychology? What is Jung’s personal stance? Did Jung reject religion as a relict of primitive way of thinking or did he try to replace religion with psychology? Some speculations drawing primarily from Jung’s imagery and symbolism revealed inLiber Novus put forward the claim that he even aspired to found a new religion. This paper will attempt to square Jung’s attitude to religion, mainly Christianity. I will point out the main ideas of his psychology of religion. I will follow the evolution of particular ideas related to religion starting with his early works right through to his last. Key words Carl Gustav Jung, imago Dei, religion, Self, psychology of religion, individuation “I am distressed for thee, my brother...“ 2 Samuel 1:26 1 Introduction There have been many speculations about Jung’s attitude towards religion. In his books and letters he frequently states that he is being portrayed as a prophet [1], an atheist, a mystic, a gnostic [2], a pagan, a theologian or a materialist. He, however, considered himself solely a psychologist. He rejects claims that his theory strives to affirm the existence of transcendent God or any claims about the nature of such being (CW 14 1954). According to Jung, religious experience as such is real, therefore it deserves the attention of psychologists. “The psychologist has to investigate religious symbols because his empirical material, of which the theologian usually Spirituality Studies 2 (1) Spring 2016 49
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MzgxMzI=