Archetypes and clinical application: how the genome responds to experience

Abstract

The continuing dialogue within analytical psychology regarding the relationship to Jung’s “collective unconscious” and biological research calls for a more sophisticated treatment of terminology that is consilient with modern neurogenetics. This essay explores how fully understanding the way genome and environment interact can help us parse out clinical material, enabling us to judge what expressions are repeats of early experiences vs. what are innately driven re‐organizations of experience.

Phenotypic plasticity and archetype: a response to common objections to the biological theory of archetype and instinct

“…By contrast, I provide evidence for their presence (Goodwyn 2022), by showing how the body and our physiology – crafted by our genetic inheritance – are the ultimate basis for the archetypal elements. The metaphorical connection between danger/the unknown/the unmanifest and darkness , and the metaphorical connection between safety/knowledge/the manifest and light do not emerge in everyone by accident.…”

“…In his summary and critique of my work (i.e. Goodwyn 2020, 2022), Roesler (2022b) discusses what I define as archetypal elements : innately organized associations between concepts and visuospatial/sensory experiences which, when combined, construct archetypal images. He states that, rather than arise via innate processes, they could instead arise because ‘these similarities come about through experiences with comparable conditions in the world outside.…”

“…But stay with me, for we do not simply inherit this one association. We inherit many, including social closeness = warmth , power = high position , ‘perfection’ = visual symmetry , and complex process = person (personification) (see Goodwyn 2022, for complete details and other examples of archetypal elements). Combining all these together, we have a situation whereby a complex process that seeks power, social cohesion, perfection, and knowledge, can be translated – using innate metaphorical associations combined by the imagination – into a visuospatial metaphor.…”

Genome and psyche: a response to Christian Roesler’s critique

“…Therefore, in this section of his critique, Roesler is attacking current Jungian training and practice, not my specific work on this subject. My clinical definition, the full treatment of which can be found in Goodwyn (2022b, 848‐52), I will repeat here for clarity:…”

“…And just for clarity, I define a ‘symbolic association’ as a metaphorical equation between an emotional state and a visuospatial expression. I give many examples of these, to include the unknown/danger/unmanifest = darkness , social isolation = coldness, complex intentful process = a person (personification) (see Goodwyn 2022b). Since these associations are embodied , meaning they derive from our human biological makeup, they are consequently biologically transmitted (but more on this below).…”