Jung's Ethics

"Dan Merkur was a scholar of religious studies who knew Freud better than almost anyone else in the discipline. In mid-career he left the discipline to become a professional psychoanalyst. In his final years he turned to Jung. In Jungs Ethics, Merkur ties ethics to the whole of Jungs psychology. Where most writers on Jung are in no position to match up Jung with Freud, Merkur does so handily. Jung's ethics prove to be another effort at achieving individuation. An exhilarating book."-Robert A. Segal, Sixth Century Chair in Religious Studies, University of Aberdeen; editor of Jung on Mythology and The Gnostic Jung. "A strong, determined, sensitive exploration of Jungs writings on ethics and the role it plays in the quality and work of consciousness. Merkurs final book gives detailed exegeses of Jungs texts with extended suggestions of the importance of God and ethics in human experience and nature of the self. In so doing, he furthers the Freud-Jung dialectic, opening rich perspectives for reflection. Thanks to Jon Mills for completing the edit of this volume after Merkur passed away, receiving the manuscript on the latters deathbed. A compendium of rich and committed thought profoundly affirming the human spirit."-Michael Eigen, author of The Psychoanalytic Mystic and Faith. "It is sadly perplexing how the late Dan Merkurs extensive and ingenious contributions to both religious studies and psychoanalysis have not received the attention they most certainly deserve. In his final book on Jungs ethics, Merkur explores the clinical significance of Jungs shadow work and forges an original rapprochement with Freudian and ego psychological approaches. True to style, the work is insightful, erudite, and far reaching."-Keith Haartman, author of Watching and Praying. 'The connections made between Jung and Freudians is of great value for those who think they already know the Swiss psychologist. Merkur places Jung in a wide context, referring not only to S. Freud and A. Freud, but to D.W. Winnicott, S. Ferenczi, A. Adler, A.E. Maeder, and E. Bleuler. Readers also get a sense of Jung's place in history, including his connections to Hegelianism, European Christianity, and the late nineteenth-century's interest in the occult and eastern practices such as yoga. Readers previously unfamiliar with Jung may end up more confused than less as to what precisely the Swiss stood for. Yet this is not a problem with Merkur's analysis so much as it is a truthful portrayal of the thought and practice of the Swiss doctor. How is Jungs Ethics useful for practitioners? While no case studies or other clinical examples are provided, Merkurs clarity and extensive use of Jungs writings make this book a quick and efficient reference for counselors unfamiliar with analytical psychology. Jung read widely on theology, mythology and philosophy, but never lost sight of the individuals he treated. Merkur makes this clear, and shows how Jungs insights can continue to bear fruit for clinical counselors.' -----Journal of Pastorial Care & Counseling 'Merkur is praised for recognizing Jungs priority at countering Freuds position that the unconscious cannot think about the ethical conflicts that are experienced by the ego.' ---John Beebe, International Journal of Jungian Studies 'In Jungs Ethics, Dan Merkur, a psychoanalyst in Toronto and the author of many books on the Inuit, psychoanalytic theory, mysticism, and drug-induced religious experience, here writes for the first time on Jungian psychology. Merkur is not abandoning Freud for Jung. A Freudian he remains. But he seeks to contrast Jung positively to Freud. Merkur draws scores of contrasts. Some of them are already known, some not. But even when the contrasts are known, Merkur illuminates them. He is especially concerned with the difference between Freud and Jung on the relationship of

Dan Merkur, PhD was a psychoanalyst and religious studies scholar in private practice and a faculty member at the Toronto Institute for Contemporary Psychoanalysis and the Living Institute. He was also a visiting scholar in the Department for the Study of Religion at the University of Toronto and had taught religious studies at five universities in the United States and Canada prior to his clinical training. His principle publications are in various areas of psychoanalysis, the psychology of religion, and the history of religion. This is his fifteenth and final book. Jon Mills, PsyD, PhD, ABPP is a philosopher, psychoanalyst, and clinical psychologist. He is Professor of Psychology & Psychoanalysis at the Adler Graduate Professional School in Toronto and is the author of many works in philosophy, psychoanalysis, psychology, and religion including seventeen books. He runs a mental health corporation in Ontario, Canada.

Editors Introduction Jungs Moral Psychology Cure of Souls The Creativity of Dreams Having it Out with the Unconscious Jungs Individuation Process Consciousness and its Expansion About the Author & Editor