Depth psychology and consciousness studies: A portfolio of three papers.

摘要

This portfolio of three published papers is presented in lieu of a dissertation to meet graduation requirements for the Consciousness Studies focus in the Transformative Studies Doctoral Program. The portfolio explores how psychodynamic thinking might contribute to debates currently taking place within the field of consciousness studies. With the concerns that both fields share for investigating the nature of mind, it is suggested that the relative lack of interaction between depth psychology and consciousness studies warrants examination. Drawing from the literature of mainstream psychoanalysis, Jungian psychology, and transpersonal theory, the author adopts a hermeneutic approach in exploring how the concerns and claims of depth psychology might dialogue with the emerging field of consciousness studies.;Taken as a whole, the portfolio seeks to engage with several of the major debates within the consciousness literature: the first paper explores the relationship between the notion of consciousness and that of an unconscious mind; the second paper adopts an archetypal perspective so as to examine critically the idea that consciousness is evolving; and the third paper considers the implications of Jung's psychology for Cartesian dualism.