Themes in the Work of Carl Jung

The psychology of Carl G. Jung (1959), known as "Analytic Psychology," is considered to be both a drive theory and a self-actualization theory. Jung was primarily concerned with self-knowledge, with the determination of which human needs or desires (also called drives) were likely to be most influential in shaping individual behavior and attitudes. It was his belief that "becoming the person you are" was the goal of all individuals and, by extension, the primary objective of the therapeutic relationship. His psychology asserted that the libido (which he saw as psychic energy) was subject to self-regulation and compensation. Consequently there is an ongoing imbalance in the mind which the individual tries to correct (Stevens, 1990).

Initially a follower and colleague of Freud, Jung (1959) would ultimately break with Freudian theory and establish an alterative approach to understanding personality (Hawkins, 2004).

Jung asserted that the libido and the larger psyche drives men and women toward specific behaviors and actions, many of which

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