Showing posts with label JohnBeebe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label JohnBeebe. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

A Modeling Language for Psychic Transformations

For some time I have been wondering how one could combine Beebe's Archetypes with alchemical operations (represented here in form of Edinger's Operations [Edinger 1985]), as the roles laid out by Jungian Archetypes seem to be orthogonal to alchemical operations, which revolve around transformations.

Beebe has given elaborate accounts for how one can imagine the developments of characters in films as differentiating consciousness in an individuating psyche. For illustrating my idea, I will use his full-blown essay on the characters' interactions and developments in the The Wizard of OZ [Beebe 2000] and map them to Edinger's alchemical operations.

This is how Beebe ordered the characters in the film according to their archetypes [Beebe 2000, p80]:



The Wizard of OZ is about a vauntingly empathic heroine, Dorothy, learning to take care of her own heart. Initially she cannot understand why Aunt Em wants to send away Toto for biting their neighbor, but by the time she becomes aware of the Ruby slippers' power to fulfill her own wishes, she also realizes that she needs to keep her own home in order too ("There is no place like home"). According to Beebe this stands for Dorothy (the Heroine) initially killing her Opposing Personality by falling into coma and gradually coming to terms with in the film. [p76:2]

Here I attempt to chart out the psychic developments mathematically by specifying alchemical transformations as coordinates in the charts that Edinger supplied for each of his operations [Edinger 1985]. Mapping transformations this way raises questions as to which level of detail should be attained to or what operations represent certain interactions correctly. Still, while I am not exactly thrilled about some of the mappings I also believe that modeling this way can be valuable.






    1. Dorothy kills Wicked Witch of the East [Beebe 2000, p77:1]
      Heroine {Mortificatio } Opposing Personality

    2. Glinda encourages Dorothy of her intuition to solace and focus Dorothy without intruding on her authority [p72:4]:
      Mother {Coniunctio , Solutio (Containment)} Hero

    3. The relationship between Scarecrow and Dorothy is outlined by their love for each other. [p72:1]
      Heroine {Coniunctio (Union of Opposites)} Animus

    4a. Toto enrages the Cowardly Lion and by that exposes the bluster [p74:2]
      Trickster {Coagulatio (Fixatio -- Binding)} Puer Aeternus

    4b. Dorothy slaps the Cowardly Lion [p74:2]
      Heroine {Separatio } Puer Aeternus




    5. Wicked Witch of the West scornfully draws out Dorothy's worries about Aunt Em [p72:4]
      Witch {Mortificatio, Calcinatio } Heroine

    6. The Wicked Witch demanded him to surrender Dorothy, so he sends Dorothy to bring the witch's broomstick. [p70:4]
      Demonic {Mortificatio (Defeat,Humiliation--Suffering--Tragedy)} Heroine

    7. Dorothy melts the witch by pouring a bucket of water over her [p67:1]
      Heroine {Solutio } Witch

    8. Toto pulls aside the curtain hiding the Wizard of OZ [p70:4]
      Trickster {Coagulatio (Fixatio -- Binding)} Puer Aeternus

    9. Dorothy realizes the power of the ruby slippers [p77:1]
      Heroine {Sublimatio (Air -- Spirit -- Reason)} Opposing Personality



Bibliography

Beebe, John (2000) "The Wizard of OZ -- A vision of development in the American political psyche", The Vision Thing -- Myth, Politics and the Psyche in the World: 62-83.
Edinger, Edward F. (1985) Anatomy of the Psyche -- Alchemical Symbolism in Psychotherapy.

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Mindmap of Beebe Archetypes


Clare Howard has kindly made a mind map based on my notes of John Beebe's Memphis workshop and also extended them a little.

(You need the OpenSource software FreeMind to view the file.)

Saturday, March 03, 2007

Sunday, December 10, 2006

Mapping Jungian Archetypes on Cognitive Processes

"John Beebe (1, 2) is a genius!" is a thought I had during the last months each time I pondered about Beebe's idea of mapping Jungian Archetypes on Cognitive Processes.

What follows is my very own summary of his proposed model to map Cognitive Processes on Jungian Archetypes that he explained in detail in a four day workshop (Big thanks to Type Resources for organizing this).

You may want to first read John Beebe's introduction to his model.

There are probably people out there who are more knowledgeable than me to write a summary, but there isn't much published yet, so I hope to make a start.

Besides John Beebe, there are quite some people I feel thankful to for sharing their thoughts with me which in one way or another influenced my summary (but who won't necessarily agree with all I am writing): Linda V. Berens (Please write more on Cognitive Dynamics!), Dario Nardi, Vicky Jo Warner, Robin Wiley.

UPDATE, as people found it confusing: A quote is referring to what someone with the function in that role might say.

UPDATE II: These notes are now also available as mind map.

EN (Extraverted Intuition)

Hero:Remarkable inferences
Father/Mother:Opportunity in tragedy
Puer/Puella Aeternus:Take things up for a while: Kanasta, Mahjong
Anima/Animus:"I am usually very opinionated when I see new information by comparing it to prior experience. At one point, however, I am open to new ideas, although I find this difficult."
Opposing Personality:Punching holes in proposals
Witch/Senex:"I accept it, but please shut up!"
Trickster:"Are you single? Yes, I am but really not."
  • Stellan SkarsgĂ„rd in "Breaking the Waves"
  • Demon/Daemon:"What's new about that idea? It's not going to help anything."


    IT (Introverted Thinking)

    Hero:Intellectual clarity
    Father/Mother:Explaining to others using a reasoning process, naming for others
    Puer/Puella Aeternus:Collecting wise quotes; being pedantic at times.
    Anima/Animus:"As much as I want harmony with others, at times I need to make a tough decision."
    Opposing Personality:"Of course you can think everything through until death"
    Witch/Senex:"Principles are not a sufficient means to describe things."
  • Movie: Meryl Streep in "The Devil Wears Prada"
  • Trickster:Deliberately misunderstanding a point
    Demon/Daemon:Messy principles


    EF (Extraverted Feeling)

  • Book: "Lectures on Jung's Typology": The Feeling Function by James Hillman

  • Hero:Harmony, subconscious knowing
    Father/Mother:Being asked by others, censoring oneself
    Puer/Puella Aeternus:Divine affection; easily hurt
    Anima/Animus:"As my logical statements do appear harsh at times, I need to reassure others of my affection."
  • Movie: Cary Grant in "Notorious"
  • Opposing Personality:chit-chat: exhausting, game
  • Cordelia in the very first scene of "King Lear"
  • Witch/Senex:"come to my house so I can eat you" (Hensel&Gretel)
    Trickster:"Let me assist you to make us both feel uncomfortable"
  • Movie: Heath Ledger in "Brokeback Mountain"
  • Demon/Daemon:Disregarding other peoples feelings, being manipulative
  • Movie: Linda Fiorentino in "The Last Seduction"


  • IS (Introverted Sensing)

    Hero:Memento, Recognition of the natural order of things
    Father/Mother:Remembering things for others
    Puer/Puella Aeternus:Collecting memorabilia; can be wearisome.
    Anima/Animus:"Constantly having new ideas may turn things into a chaos, so at times I need to get things in order again."
    Opposing Personality:"Don't bother me with all that detailed information that's not relevant to what's happening now."
    Witch/Senex:Remembering something that really pokes you.
    Trickster:Recall inaccurately: "Didn't we agree that ...?"
    Demon/Daemon:forgetting peoples names, unorderliness, hallucinations, Others ask:"Have you been in this body for long?"
  • Movie: "The Lady Vanishes"


  • IN (Introverted Intiuition)

    Hero:Vision, one line image, demanding, regarded scary
    Father/Mother:There are other ways to do things for others
    Puer/Puella Aeternus:Imagining what could be a trend next year, sometimes hopeless about the future
    Anima/Animus:"After considering all the facts, I eventually realize what it's about."
    Opposing Personality:"There have to be alternative futures"
    Witch/Senex:Deflate dreams
    Trickster:"That's just superstition!"
    Demon/Daemon:This idea is trying to ruin us very badly; God speaks to us


    ET (Extraverted Thinking)

    Hero:Telling others what to do that really helps
  • movie: Katharine Hepburn in "African Queen"
  • Father/Mother:Generative thinking for others
    Puer/Puella Aeternus:Enjoying diagrams, sometimes confusing objectivity with being blunt
    Anima/Animus:"I am able to establish rules or make plans to achieve what I consider as important."
    Opposing Personality:"This is a cheap shot, not well thought through."
  • Albert Brooks in "Broadcast News"
  • Witch/Senex:Rebel against structure and schedules.
    Trickster:Misguidance in organizing things more efficient.
    Demon/Daemon:Having a hard time to tell others bad news.


    IF (Introverted Feeling)

  • Book: "Lectures on Jung's Typology": The Feeling Function by James Hillman
  • Hero:Self-supervising, understand in depth ourself, others
    Father/Mother:Charisma, hearing secrets, "I wish you had told me sooner"
    Puer/Puella Aeternus:Listeing to music, writing poetry, sometimes stating strong value judgements
    Anima/Animus:"Telling others what to do may appear bullying at times but actually I have a soft core of important values."
  • Humphrey Bogart in "Casablanca"
  • Opposing Personality:"Moral questions keep bugging me"
    Witch/Senex:"How are moral question going to help ME anyway?"
    Trickster:"As this discussion has now arrived at a point of no return, why shouldn't I do now what you regarded important earlier?"
    Demon/Daemon:"Manipulating others goes against everything that I am"; neglecting fundamental values; not valuing your health
  • Albert Brooks v William Hurt in "Broadcast News"


  • ES (Extraverted Sensing)

    Hero:Seeing opportunities for action in the here and now
    Father/Mother:Meticulously doing things for others
    Puer/Puella Aeternus:Enjoying activity, sometimes overworking
    Anima/Animus:"It's very easy for me to get a detailed vision by considering just some tiny bits of information, but at times I need to check whether all my assumptions are actually true in reality."
    Opposing Personality:"I am not really good at doing two things at the same time"
    Witch/Senex:Blocking others' proposed actions
    Trickster:Repeatedly dressing up badly for a job interview
    Demon/Daemon:"Things magically break in my presense."
    "I happen to ignore the facts and rely on my interpretation of things."
  • Movie:Thomas Jay Ryan in "Henry Fool"
  • Beebe Archetypes

    My summary of the Archetypes (along with references to books) as used by Dr. John Beebe, based on the workshop "Dynamics of Type" which was held in Memphis in June 2006 (Kindly organized by Type Resources).

    Archetypes are patterns of human behavior that appear when they are required.

    UPDATE: These notes are now also available as mind map.

    Hero

    - Unconscious competence
    - moneymaking

    Mother/Father

    - Helping others, not easy to use for oneself
    - movie: Marianne Sägebrecht in "Bagdad Cafe"

    Puer/Puella Aeternus

    - Inflating, deflating
    - Never grows out
    - Pure
    - book: "Puer Aeternus" by Marie-Louise von Franz

    Anima/Animus

    - Inferiority Complex
    - black hole
    - Bridge to the unconscious
    - blackmail, creative, giving power
    - libido
    - puer is much more primitive
    - movies: Hitchcock's "Vertigo", Miike's "Odishon"
    - Book: "Lectures on Jung's Typology": The Inferior Function by Marie-Louise von Franz

    Opposing Personality

    - Hensel & Gretel: Not enough food -> send them off to starve
    - self sabotage

    Witch/Senex

    - Effect on others: control the behavior of other people
    - anxious -> itchy - witchy
    - "I wish this idea would just go away!"
    - critical, in your gut

    Trickster

    - Double-binds, crude
    - Puts its nose at the collective

    Demon/Daemon

    - Least domesticated
    - Least preferred process
    - nightmare