collective unconscious
Universal mental inheritance
Collective unconscious is a concept from Jungian psychology referring to the part of the unconscious mind that is shared by all humans and contains inherited patterns of thought, imagery, and instinct.
Unlike the personal unconscious, which develops from individual experience, the collective unconscious is believed to be universal and innate, expressing itself through archetypes—recurring symbols and themes found across cultures in myths, dreams, and art.
The hero's journey appears in stories worldwide, which Jung attributed to the collective unconscious.
One admired for courage
- shadowLight blocked by object
- animaInner personality essence
- animusDeep-seated hostility
- selfOne's own being
persona · trickster · mother · father · wise old man · rebirth · transformation · journey
Analytical psychology founder
- FreudFounder of psychoanalysis
- individuationDistinguishing one from many
- psychoanalysisTreatment via unconscious exploration
- depth psychologyStudy of unconscious mind
dream analysis · libido · complex · transference · neurosis · psychodynamics · introversion · extraversion
All gods of a religion
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
- legendUnverified traditional tale
- mythosBody of foundational legends
- epicImpressively grand in scope
saga · deity · cosmogony · creation myth · hero's journey · underworld · world tree · serpent
Meaningful but uncaused connection
- numinousSpiritually awesome, beyond ordinary
- transcendentExceeding usual boundaries
- mysticalOf hidden spiritual significance
- spiritualRelating to the soul
interconnected · universal · shared experience · peak experience · oneness · sacred · ineffable · transcultural
Inherited knowledge from forebears
- hereditaryPassed through generations
- genetic memoryKnowledge encoded in DNA
- instinctualDriven by natural impulse
- innateExisting since birth
inborn · predisposition · atavistic · phylogenetic · primordial · biological · evolutionary · hardwired
hero
One admired for courage
self · persona · trickster · mother · father · wise old man · rebirth · transformation · journey · quest
Jung
Analytical psychology founder
- FreudFounder of psychoanalysis
- individuationDistinguishing one from many
- psychoanalysisTreatment via unconscious exploration
depth psychology · dream analysis · libido · complex · transference · neurosis · psychodynamics · introversion · extraversion · ego
pantheon
All gods of a religion
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
- legendUnverified traditional tale
- mythosBody of foundational legends
epic · saga · deity · cosmogony · creation myth · hero's journey · underworld · world tree · serpent · dragon
synchronicity
Meaningful but uncaused connection
- numinousSpiritually awesome, beyond ordinary
- transcendentExceeding usual boundaries
- mysticalOf hidden spiritual significance
spiritual · interconnected · universal · shared experience · peak experience · oneness · sacred · ineffable · transcultural · perennial
ancestral memory
Inherited knowledge from forebears
- hereditaryPassed through generations
- genetic memoryKnowledge encoded in DNA
- instinctualDriven by natural impulse
innate · inborn · predisposition · atavistic · phylogenetic · primordial · biological · evolutionary · hardwired · generational
- mythsmyth, legend, fable, fairy tale, folk tale
- psychologypsychology, psychologist, therapist, psychiatrist, clinical psychology
- psychoanalysisFreud, id, ego, Sigmund Freud, superego
- archetypeshero, villain, trickster, mentor, mother
- metaphysical conceptssoul, spirit, free will, determinism, afterlife
- psychepsyche, soul, mind, ego, id
collective unconsciousindividual experience
One person's particular happening
conscious mind · ego · personal history · learned behavior · subjective experience
collective unconscioustabula rasa
Unmarked mental starting point
behavioral conditioning · id · social learning · empiricism · learned behavior
collective unconsciousconscious mind
Wakeful, deliberate mental activity
consciousness · rational mind · conscious awareness · reason · analytical thinking
collection, collected, collecting, unconscious, collective, collector, recollect, recollection, self-conscious