The self, the psyche and the world: a phenomenological interpretation

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Philosophy
• Existentialism

Background:

• Carl Jung defined the self as the totality of the psyche, but the concept remains vague.
• The term 'psyche' lacks clear conceptualization, leading to ambiguity in defining the self's totality, origin, goal, and center.

Purpose of the Study:

• To clarify Jung's concept of the self by integrating Heidegger's existential analysis of Dasein.
• To propose a new understanding of the psyche as the psychologically lived world.
• To re-evaluate the self's nature as origin, center, and its relation to the ego.

Main Methods:

• Philosophical analysis integrating Jungian psychology and Heideggerian phenomenology.
• Critical examination of existing theories on the self and object relations.
• Conceptual redefinition of the psyche and its existential situatedness.

Main Results:

• The psyche is understood not as mind, but as the existential world we inhabit psychologically.
• The self as origin is reconceptualized as the gathering of existence, constituting personal identity.
• The ego emerges from the self, representing the ownership of situated existence.

Conclusions:

• Rethinking the self requires understanding the psyche as existentially situated.
• The relationship between ego and self involves the interplay of the known and the lived.
• The paper offers a novel framework for understanding the self, interiority, and psychological existence.