Psychological Types

One of the most important of Jung's longer works, probably the most famous of his books, "Psychological Types" appeared in German in 1921 after a "fallow period" of eight years during which he'd published little. He called it "the fruit of nearly twenty years' work in the domain of practical psychology." In his autobiography he wrote: "This work sprang originally from my need to define the ways in which my outlook differed from Freud's & Adler's. In attempting to answer this question, I came across the problem of types; for it is one's psychological type which from the outset determines & limits a person's judgment. My book, therefore, was an effort to deal with the relationship of the individual to the world, to people & things. It discussed the various aspects of consciousness, the various attitudes the conscious mind might take toward the world, & thus constitutes a psychology of consciousness regarded from what might be called a clinical angle." In expounding his system of personality types Jung relied not so much on formal case data as on the countless impressions & experiences derived from the treatment of nervous illnesses, from intercourse with people of all social levels, "friend & foe alike," & from an analysis of his own psychological nature. The book is rich in material drawn from literature, aesthetics, religion & philosophy. The extended chapters that give general descriptions of the types & definitions of Jung's principal psychological concepts are key documents in analytical psychology.