I have referred to the mirror theory of eros once or twice now, but I realize that my argument regarding that view is somewhat scattered around this blog. Here is a précis that should help keeping the main points in mind. When a person is infatuated, a cluster of psychological contents which are all related to the love object forms, called a phantasma. The phantasma must partly be understood in...
When Hillman talks about revisioning psychology, he certainly means “psychology” in the broader sense of the term, in which it could equally be called an “ontology of the soul” (the meaning of psychology Hillman ascribes to Jung at MA 12). And this is quite consistent with his argument (again following Jung very closely) that “psyche” is entirely based on fantasy images, and that only those are...
We all occasionally find ourselves in conversations where we have the strong impression that the other person — the one we’re talking to — doesn’t even listen. They have tuned out; they’re absent. 1. They are absent, of course, only in a metaphorical sense: for obviously, they are present physically; and they are not entirely disconnected mentally, either: they can return to full presence in no...
When I wrote about projection and the mirror of Narcissus last week, I realized there is a hidden connection between some of the topics I recently discussed: the neo-Platonic mirror theory of eros, and Jung's notion of spirit.
If the mirror in the Narcissus myth stands for a "projection" which is dangerous, and should be avoided on pain of suffering Narcissus’ fate, then what exactly is it about "projection" which makes it so risky?
Today’s notion of “narcissism” as self-love, i.e. a conscious exclusion of any other as love object would fit, strictly speaking, the ancient Narcissus not after, but before gazing into the mirror.
A while ago, I have posted some reflections on “the mirror of Narcissus”, a phrase that Tim Wu uses to characterize the Instagram culture of mass self-presentation in pictures. That phrase implies some kind of narcissism. But is that just a vague association with an old myth, or is there a deeper connection?
There is a chapter (naturally) on smartphones and Instagram in Tim Wu’s "The Attention Merchants", his very readable and eye-opening history of the attention industry; its title: “The fourth screen and the mirror of Narcissus”. This choice is very apt indeed.
There is in human experience a perennial contrast between the external world and the inner world, the interior. With both worlds, we interact; and to some small extent we can influence and control them. But mostly, they’re wide-open ranges of the unknown: abundant, overpowering, and utterly “other” than ourselves.
It is well known that Jung felt some special affinity with the mediaeval world in general, and with alchemy in particular. He saw connections there with the core of the psychology of the individuum.
Leif Frenzel is a writer and independent researcher. He has a background in philosophy, literature, music, and information technology.