The Self in jungian psychology
The archetype of the Self is at the core of jungian psychology. Carl Jung wrote about it in many of his books, and it is a complex and dynamic concept. In the book The Self in Jungian psychology - Theory and clinical practice , Leslie Stein defines it as a preexistent center of the psyche containing the entirety of all that is known and unknown. He says the Self is an organizing principle that brings us home to ourselves in moments when we are confused or disoriented, a guiding pattern of wholeness in the unconscious. It contains within it all the opposites and is also the place to reconcile those opposites. To Jung it is necessary that the ego (the self which is constructed socially and over time), establishes a conscious relationship and communication with the archetypal forces in the unconscious. The living and conscious connection between ego and Self is is to Jung necessary to bring purpose, meaning and feeling into life. Knowing who we really are is to Jung the process of i...