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Erich Neumann (psychologist)

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Erich Neumann
Born(1905-01-23)23 January 1905
Berlin, German Empire
Died5 November 1960(1960-11-05) (aged 55)
Tel Aviv, Israel
NationalityGerman and Israeli
Alma materUniversity of Erlangen–Nuremberg (PhD)
University of Berlin (MD)
Known forAnalytical psychology
Scientific career
FieldsPsychology

Erich Neumann (Hebrew: אריך נוימן; 23 January 1905 – 5 November 1960)[1] was a German psychologist, philosopher, writer, and student of Carl Jung.[2]

Life and career

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Neumann was born in Berlin to a Jewish family.[3] He received his PhD in Philosophy from the University of Erlangen–Nuremberg in 1927. Then, he continued to study medicine at the University of Berlin, where he acquired his first degree in medicine in 1933.

In 1934 Neumann and his wife Julie, who were both Zionists, moved to Tel Aviv to avoid being persecuted by the Nazi Government.[3] For many years, he regularly returned to Zürich, Switzerland to give lectures at the C. G. Jung Institute. He also lectured frequently in England, France and the Netherlands, and was a member of the International Association for Analytical Psychology and president of the Israel Association of Analytical Psychologists. He practiced analytical psychology in Tel Aviv from 1934 until his death from kidney cancer in 1960.[3]

Overview of Work

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Erich Neumann was a Jungian psychologist whose work focused on the evolution of consciousness, depth psychology, and archetypal symbolism. He expanded Carl Jung’s theories, particularly in the areas of mythology, creativity, and the integration of the unconscious.[4][5]

One of Neumann’s most significant contributions was his theory of the evolution of consciousness, outlined in The Origins and History of Consciousness (1949).[6] In this work, Neumann proposed a developmental model of human consciousness based on mythological and psychological stages, tracing the emergence of the ego from the collective unconscious through symbolic narratives.[7] His approach was deeply influenced by Jung’s concept of archetypes, but he extended it by emphasizing the cultural evolution of the psyche. Carl Jung wrote the introduction and fully endorsed the work as a direct continuation of his body of work.[8]

Neumann also made notable contributions to the study of archetypal feminine symbolism in The Great Mother (1955), where he examined universal representations of the feminine principle in mythology, religion, and psychology.[9] This work remains an influential text in depth psychology and symbolic studies, offering an interpretation of how matriarchal and patriarchal structures evolve through myth and collective unconscious imagery.[10]

In Depth Psychology and a New Ethic (1949), Neumann explored the role of the shadow in individual and collective psychology, arguing that Western culture’s repression of the shadow leads to projection, scapegoating, and social unrest.[11] He proposed a "new ethic", in which individuals take responsibility for their unconscious drives rather than externalizing them onto others.[12] His work in this area has been recognized as an early psychological critique of authoritarianism and mass psychology, particularly in relation to post-WWII Europe.[13]

Neumann also wrote extensively about creativity and the role of artistic expression in psychological transformation. In Art and the Creative Unconscious (1959), Neumann argued that art serves as a bridge between the conscious and unconscious mind, playing a crucial role in the development of individual and collective consciousness. The book analyzes the creative process in mythological and artistic traditions, viewing it as a key mechanism for psychological integration. In the first essay, Leonardo da Vinci and the Mother Archetype, Neumann explicitly refutes Freud’s psychoanalytic interpretation of Leonardo’s childhood memory and artistic motivations, Leonardo da Vinci, A Memory of His Childhood. The essay explains that, unlike Freud, who viewed Leonardo’s creativity as the result of repressed sexuality and sublimation, Neumann argued that Leonardo’s themes should be understood through the Jungian framework of archetypes, particularly the Great Mother, and the Great Individual archetypes.[8]

Additionally, Neumann developed the concept of centroversion, which he described as the integration of extraversion and introversion, allowing for a balanced psychological state.[14] This concept was intended to describe a mature ego that harmonizes both conscious and unconscious elements, facilitating individual and cultural development.[15] While influential in analytical psychology, centroversion remained a theoretical contribution rather than an empirically tested construct.[16]

Bibliography

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Erich Neumann published extensively in the fields of analytical and depth psychology, mythology, and the evolution of consciousness. His works explore the archetypal structures of the psyche, the development of consciousness, and the role of creativity in psychology. Several of his books were published posthumously, based on manuscripts completed before his death.

Title (German) Title (English Translation, Year) Publication Year
Tiefenpsychologie und neue Ethik Depth Psychology and a New Ethic (1955) 1949
Ursprungsgeschichte des Bewusstseins The Origins and History of Consciousness (1954) 1949
Amor und Psyche Amor and Psyche: The Psychic Development of the Feminine (1956) 1952
Umkreisung der Mitte The Circle of the Center 1953/54
Die große Mutter. Der Archetyp des großen Weiblichen The Great Mother: An Analysis of the Archetype (1955) 1956
Der schöpferische Mensch Art and the Creative Unconscious (1959) 1959
Die archetypische Welt Henry Moores The Archetypal World of Henry Moore 1961 (posthumous)
Krise und Erneuerung Crisis and Renewal 1961 (posthumous)
Das Kind. Struktur und Dynamik der werdenden Persönlichkeit The Child: Structure and Dynamics of the Nascent Personality (1973) 1963 (posthumous)
Jacob et Esaü: L'archétype des frères ennemis, un symbole du judaïsme Jacob and Esau: Reflection on the Brother Motif (Chiron Publications) 2015 (posthumous)

Other Works:

  • Neumann also wrote poetry, a novel titled Der Anfang (The Beginning), and published a critical study of Franz Kafka's works in 1932, at a time when Kafka was still a relatively obscure figure.[3]

See also

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  • Carl Jung: Founder of Analytical Psychology and Neumann's mentor.
  • Analytical Psychology: The psychological framework developed by Jung, to which Neumann contributed.
  • Depth Psychology: The study of the unconscious mind, central to Neumann’s work.
  • Collective Unconscious: A key concept in Analytical Psychology that Neumann expanded in The Origins and History of Consciousness.
  • Archetype: Fundamental structures of the psyche, central to Neumann’s work.
  • Shadow: A core concept in Neumann’s Depth Psychology and a New Ethic.
  • Great Mother (archetype): A universal archetypal symbol explored in The Great Mother.

Citations

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  1. ^ "Erel Shalit: Gershom Scholem: Obituary for Erich Neumann". www.erelshalit.com. Archived from the original on 2021-09-12. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
  2. ^ Zakai, Avihu (2020-06-01). "Erich Neumann and the Crisis of Western Ethics". Society. 57 (3): 332–342. doi:10.1007/s12115-020-00487-2. ISSN 1936-4725. S2CID 255510981.
  3. ^ a b c d Camille Paglia (2006). "Erich Neumann: Theorist of the Great Mother" (PDF). Retrieved December 30, 2018.
  4. ^ Stein, Murray; Arzt, Thomas, eds. (2018). Jung's Red Book for our time: searching for soul under postmodern conditions. volume 2. Asheville: Chiron Publications. ISBN 978-1-63051-580-5.
  5. ^ Owens, Lance S. (November 1, 2008). "The Hermeneutics of Vision: C.G. Jung and Liber Novus" (PDF). Journal of Jungian Theory and Practice. 10.
  6. ^ Neumann, Erich (2014). The origins and history of consciousness. Bollingen series (First Princeton Classics ed.). Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-16359-8.
  7. ^ Bishop, Paul (2012). The Archaic: The Past in the Present in Jungian Thinking. Routledge. ISBN 978-0415896270. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
  8. ^ a b Neumann, Erich; Neumann, Erich (1971). Art and the creative unconscious: four essays. Essays of Erich Neumann ; v. 1 (in engger). Bollingen Foundation Collection (Library of Congress). Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-01773-0.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  9. ^ Neumann, Erich; Liebscher, Martin; Manheim, Ralph (2015). The Great Mother: An Analysis of the Archetype. Works by Erich Neumann (With a New foreword by Martin Liebscher ed.). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-16607-0.
  10. ^ Rowland, Susan (2002). Jung: A Feminist Revision. Polity Press. ISBN 978-0745624120. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
  11. ^ Neumann, Erich (1949–1955) [1949]. Depth Psychology and a New Ethic. Shambhala Publications. ISBN 978-0966990513. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  12. ^ Zakai, Avihu (June 2020). "Erich Neumann and the Crisis of Western Ethics". Society. 57 (3): 332–342. doi:10.1007/s12115-020-00487-2. ISSN 0147-2011.
  13. ^ Jaffe, Aniela (2011). Memories, Dreams, Reflections. Clara Winston, Richard Winston, C. G. Jung. Westminster: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-679-72395-0.
  14. ^ Kantorowicz, Ernst (1997). The king's two bodies: a study in mediaeval political theology. Princeton paperbacks. American Council of Learned Societies. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-01704-4.
  15. ^ Beebe, John (1992). Integrity in Depth. Texas A&M University Press. ISBN 978-0890965167. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
  16. ^ Papadopoulos, Renos K., ed. (2006). The handbook of Jungian psychology: theory, practice and applications (1. publ ed.). London: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-58391-148-8.

General references

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