Image (psychology): archetypes, self-concept, working with images

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From the article you will learn:

• Image (psychology)
• Image (psychology): archetypes
• Image (psychology): imagination
• Image (psychology): imaginary world
• In summary, images are the substance of the psyche.

Image (psychology)

Images are the very substance through which the psyche expresses itself

Imagination and mental images play a fundamental role in human psychology, in fact they are considered to be the basis of the psyche itself. In fact, archetypes express themselves through images that we call “archetypal images”, and according to Jung, the psyche itself is:

“the sequence of images, not the random arrangement of images, but an extremely intelligent and expedient construction, the intuitiveness of life activity expressed in images.”

It follows that, following the Jungian approach , we deal with the psyche in its imaginary value, in order to overcome the mind/body and deal specifically with the psychological imagination. Hillman defines the imaginary world as a specifically psychological realm within which it is necessary to be able to speak of the discourse ( logos ) of the soul ( psyche ). It is important to emphasize that images are not only visual, but also involve all the senses, and therefore it can be argued, as neuroscientist Damakino does, that images are:

“a mental configuration with a structure consisting of elements of each sensory modality: visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, and somatosensory.”

This configuration allows the leap from the “neural” (corporeal) to the “mental”, understood as psychic, not yet cognitive. We can refer to the latter term as mental faculties such as memory, attention, language, which allow us to articulate and organize the expression of mental images.

Image (psychology): archetypes

Images are not formed randomly, but tend to be presented according to original structures common to our species, which we define as archetypes . This is the “skeleton” that lies beneath the image we perceive and allows us to experience or emotion as individuals.

Finally, it will become possible to represent this experience through certain forms of expression, one of which is culturally acquired language. Other privileged forms of expression are art, literature, and poetry.

To clarify, it is good to give an example : we know that during sleep, although there is no state of alert consciousness, the psyche and the body continue to function. Let’s think about a child who is scared at night because of a nightmare, according to archetypal psychology, this is a fear that – from within the psyche and body of the child – manifests itself as an archetype, causing the child to experience the very experience of fear. After awakening and calming down, the experience of fear must be deactivated, having received calming down, our child will be able to verbally communicate this to the parents. By the way, some advice, help, hugs, but, above all, believe the frightened child, since what he experienced was reality for him, as soon as he calms down, he will be ready to accept the fact that it was all a dream.

Image: imagination

When talking about imagery in psychology , imagination is directly questioned. It is the ability to create mental representations of objects, situations, ideas, or experiences that are not currently present in physical reality. These representations can be visual, auditory, tactile, or involve all the senses. Imagination is a form of creative thinking that allows people to explore hypothetical scenarios, solve problems, make decisions, and develop new ideas. It is creative because it ignores spatial and temporal constraints, and it is also more “economical” than rational thinking because it works through analogical associations that depend largely on the affective state of the individual.

Imagination is closely related to creativity , as new ideas often arise through mental visualization of new possibilities and combinations of existing concepts.

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Image (psychology): working with images, how to accept the richness of your inner world

Returning to what was said above, images in psychology are a bridge between the world of cognition and the body. In this regard, James Hillman uses the expression “imaginary world” to define the place of archetypal images. This is the space where mental representations are formed and influence how we see the world . The imaginary world is very individual and reflects the diversity of human experiences, but at the same time unites them thanks to a certain constancy that distinguishes archetypes.

Therefore, in the archetypal perspective, intervention in the person is aimed at understanding what is happening on the imaginary body of behavior, thoughts and habits of the individual. This understanding is closely linked to the ability to represent the suffering of the individual through the verbal level, gesture, drawing, parallelism with myths and fables, etc. This ability allows us to reconnect with the emotion that is perceived as dysfunctional in order to give it meaning. The same emotion, in turn, is transformed by the new point of observation achieved by the person.

In summary, images are the substance of the psyche

We live in a world driven by technologies that make our lives much easier. By making easy and continuous entertainment available, they can distance us from emotions and the images associated with them. So much so that a typical feeling experienced by those who experience mental suffering to a pathological level is represented by a “void” that prevents the person from managing emotional experiences when they arise. By the way, we psychologists also have a name for this feeling of inability to recognize and verbalize our emotional state, and it is called alexithymia.

Therefore, working with images in psychology means trying to understand human experience and go beyond the superficial appearance of things to recognize and accept the complexity, contradictions, and richness of one’s inner world.

“Man’s place in the world is characterized by a configurative energy that transforms sensory impressions into meaningful forms. Man dominates the forces of nature that attack him with the help of symbols that arise from his creative.”

“By being good to yourself, you can be good to others and the world. Knowing yourself is the first step.” Center for spiritual development and healing of soul and body – Dushevnyjlekar.com 🧡

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