The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association.

Can archetypes be modeled, analyzed, and applied in support of national security? During this episode, Joseph Lee and John Bicknell discuss Carl Jung, the collective consciousness, and archetypes. Our wide-ranging discussion covers a comparison between Jung and Freud, Joseph Campbell’s work on myth and the hero’s journey, the Marvel universe as a modern-day collection of stories about gods, the power of rituals, and archetypal emergence. 

Here is the story Joseph shared towards the end of the discussion:

Max Zeller’s dream. A psychoanalyst living in California, Zeller had become troubled by his work after World War II, for he worked with relatively few individuals while the world remained in turmoil. So he went to Europe to meet with Jung and had this dream:

“A temple of vast dimensions was in the process of being built. As far as I could see—ahead, behind, right and left—there were incredible numbers of people building on gigantic pillars. I, too, was building on a pillar. The whole building process was in its very first beginnings, but the foundation was already there, the rest of the building was starting to go up, and I and many others were working on it.

Jung said, ‘Ja, you know, that is the temple we all build on. We don’t know the people because, believe me, they build in India and China and in Russia and all over the world…You know how long it will take until it is built?’ And when Max Zeller asked how long, Jung said, ‘About six hundred years.’ Max Zeller ended by saying, ‘That is what happens in our work…We see it every day…Each person works on his own pillar, until one day the temple will be built.’”

Resources:

• #77 Paul Lopata on Quantum: https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-77/

• The Jungian Life Podcast: https://thisjungianlife.com/
• Episode 179: The Archetype of War: https://thisjungianlife.com/episode-179-war/
• Joseph R. Lee’s Webpage: http://www.depthpsychotherapy.net/
• DreamSchool: https://thisjungianlife.com/join-dream-school/
• The Philadelphia Association of Jungian Analysts: https://www.cgjungphiladelphia.org/
• Apotheosis of Washington Mural: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Apotheosis_of_Washington
• Power of Myth PBS Series with Joseph Campbell: https://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Campbell-Power-Myth-Moyers/dp/B07BC2VHHJ

Link to full show notes and resources: https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-82

Guest Biography: Joseph R. Lee is a Jungian Analyst in private practice in Southern VA. He is co-host and co-creator of This Jungian Life podcast, as well as the online learning program DreamSchool, where people learn how to interpret their own dreams. He is president emeritus of The Philadelphia Association of Jungian Analysts that provides analytic training.

About: The Information Professionals Association (IPA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring the role of information activities, such as influence and cognitive security, within the national security sector and helping to bridge the divide between operations and research. Its goal is to increase interdisciplinary collaboration between scholars and practitioners and policymakers with an interest in this domain.

For more information, please contact us at communications@information-professionals.org.

Or, connect directly with The Cognitive Crucible podcast host, John Bicknell, on LinkedIn.