A Jungian psychohistory: A. J. Toynbee's use of analytical psychology in his theory of civilizations

Abstract

In this paper, I examine the work of Arnold J. Toynbee (1889–1975), a controversial historian heavily criticized by his colleagues, who utilized the lens of analytical psychology in his work. As one example of how Jungian psychohistory might be done, I employ a comparative approach that establishes the critical points of convergence between the two thinkers and highlight aspects of Toynbee's thought that were likely influenced by Jung. This provides a foundation for future works to not only critically reflect upon and delineate the characteristics of a uniquely Jungian approach to the discipline of history specifically, but to assess the efficacy of analytical psychological interventions into the social sciences more generally.

Jung, History and His Approach to the Psyche

“…Such case studies would allow us to extrapolate how a distinctly Jungian approach to interpreting the past might look, albeit mediated by the historian's specific interpretation of analytical psychology. I have already made one such attempt, exploring the extent to which analytical psychology informed Arnold J. Toynbee's theory of the rise and fall of civilizations (Lu, 2013).…”