Jung

A Very Short Introduction

By: Anthony Stevens

Narrated by: Tim Pigott-Smith

Length: 3 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

Anthony Stevens argues that Jung's visionary powers and profound spirituality have helped many to find an alternative set of values to the arid materialism prevailing Western society.

This concise introduction explains clearly the basic concepts of Jungian psychology: The collective unconscious, complex, archetype, shadow, persona, anima, animus, and the individuation of the Self. Anthony Stevens examines Jung's views on such disparate subjects as myth, religion, alchemy, "synchronicity", and the psychology of gender differences. He devotes separate chapters to the stages of life, Jung's theory of psychological types, the interpretation of dreams, the practice of Jungian analysis, and to the unjust allegation that Jung was a Nazi sympathiser.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2003 Anthony Stevens (P)2003 Naxos AudioBooks Ltd.

Critic reviews

"Tim Pigott-Smith's mellow voice achieves perfect pronunciation. By giving welcome expression to the dry definitions, his tempered enthusiasm and varying pace add color to a black-and-white text." (AudioFile)

Concise

I've always wanted to have at least a basic understanding of Jung's main theories, and I feel like this book did that for me. So much of his work is in contrast to Freud, and this book gives due attention to their relationship and how Jung broke from Freud to develop his own theories, which were totally unacceptable to Freud.

The chapter that discusses the charges of racism, especially anti-semitism, against Jung wasn't sufficiently developed, in my opinion. It defends Jung against those charges, but it doesn't really go into the nature or basis of the charges themselves. I understood why the author thought Jung wasn't a racist, but I wasn't clear at all on why some of his detractors thought he was.

A good place to start in understanding Jung. Short and, with the exception noted above, very informative.

I love this series!

surprisingly very good

I did not expect that this relatively short book could do justice to the story of Jung's life and his more important work, and I was delighted that it does both. This book seems to capture all or most all of the salient parts of his life and work in a way that is as instructive and insightful as it is easy to follow. Superb!

Outstanding

An excellent primer on Jung. Well read in an engaging, informative and lively style which matched the outstanding writing. You will learn much about Juung, Gnosticism, and Depth Psychology from this. I felt enriched for the whole experience. WELL WORTH THE PRICE! A TREASURE.

"JUNG WILL AWAKEN & OPEN YOUR MIND!!!!"

Would you consider the audio edition of Jung to be better than the print version?

YES!~

What was one of the most memorable moments of Jung?

Jungs extraordinary willingness to do extensive introspection in himself before attempting to help other individuals who are mentally ill. GOD BLESS JUNG!~

What about Tim Pigott-Smith’s performance did you like?

AMAZING!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

just do it.

Any additional comments?

do yourself a favor and read this book~

C.G. Jung told well

This is a wonderful summary of C.G. Jung's Life, the book is read methodically and smooth. There are many telling moments which give a closer connection and greater understanding of this unique and authentic man and his struggles & triumph. He was a brave soul and pioneer.

Very nice - will not be disappointed

Well- to keep it short and sweet - great narration, great introduction on Jung ideas and research (and comparison to his eventual nemesis Freud). Any layperson interested in psychoanalysis will not be disappointed by this audiobook. It will probably spark an interest in buying further books on Jung and or Freud.

Utterly fascinating

I had some familiarity with Jungian concepts going into this work, but zero knowledge of his life. What a fascinating biography! I couldn't put this down, and after finishing it craved to know more of Jung's relationship with Freud, and of Jung's life after their rift. Very entertaining, and Anthony Stevens' narration is fanTAStic!

Jung, Easy to Understand

It is my opinion that disciples and followers of Jung find, much like ancient mystics dabbling in proto-psychology, discover immense gold, and like many ancient mystics and priestly types, then set about overly complicating the information in an attempt to become guardians of the gates.

Personally, I’ve never found Jung all that difficult to understand, and rare gems such as this book in an enjoyable and simple manner, lay bare all the basics in an easy to understand manner, rather than purposefully clouding Jung’s knowledge. I enjoyed it very much.

good words,

I thought this small work is a good start in getting to know Jung and his work, his thoughts give hope that there is more to man then just numbers. The soul is something that is shared through time, this small work gives a small insight to how he thought and how he came to be. The cool part I really loved, was, you can actually see his society through this audible. of course, I would very much push you to a more complex book with deeper ideas to get a better grasp of what actually his theories were, this books covers them lightly. But in all, it is worth to hear a pome like small book. good luck....

Good, but Left Out Some Stuff

Of course, it is “Jung: a Very Short Introduction,” so that’s okay.

First, Tim Piggot-Smith does a wonderful job reading: crisp, confident and with that English air of authority we Americans find reassuring. Despite leaving some stuff out, the author did a great job acquainting the reader with the highlights of Jung’s thought and life. I’ve read a decent amount of Jung and Marie-Louise von Franz, but it is nice to be able to zoom out to see much of it in a single glance. Many times I’d say to myself, “Oh, yeah, I remember this one.” I think this would be a good introduction for someone who wanted to dip a toe into the turbulent waters of the Jungian unconscious, too.