Jung

Here, Ann Casement provides an insightful addition to the introductory literature on Carl Jung. Although the terrain is familiar this map has new accents much appreciated by this reader. For example, the split from Freud is discussed in more depth. Perhaps a different understanding of libido was given as the cause but this cannot have been sufficient and Casement sees an archetypal pattern underpinning this break. The aftermath and present-day impact of this split is noted and one is left wondering if and how this split could be reconciled.

The author walks the reader through the core Jungian concepts - archetypes, persona, shadow as well as anima and animus with illustrative dreams. The puer, properly matured and the creative force in an individual is discussed in the form of David Bowie. The process of growth is known as individuation in Jungian terms. Here, one encounters the self, sometimes numinously. This self is explained as the totality of the psyche and is the prime archetype. With the core concepts introduced, the objective of analytical psychology, transformation, and the means, alchemy, can be assessed.

The critical appraisal of Jung's Psychological Alchemy is a major part of this book. There is a parallel investigation of the imagery in the Rosarium Philosophorum and the ten Ox-herding pictures which helps with understanding what individuation could mean. Transformation is a topic per se, here from the perspectives of both Jung and Bion. Jung's Transmutation as described in the Red Book and is sensitively related to Emma Jung's work on the Grail Legend. Other eminent women in Analytical Psychology are recognised before the book concludes with brief biographies of other major, original figures. Overall, this book is strongly recommended for a well-struck balance between professional biography, technical exposé and critical contextualisation.