The aim of the present research was to provide a theoretical, research, and measurement context to the notion that a commitment to belief leads to a positive outcome, particularly in terms of mental health. The present work seeks to test a number of hypotheses derived from a Jungian theoretical framework, but seeks to draw on modem personality, individual difference, cognitive and social psychological theory to critically examine findings. A total of 14 studies (10 which use original data) are carried out that (1) develop a measure of commitment to belief (Chapter 2), (2) examine the reliability and validity of the commitment to belief measure (Chapters 2 and 3), (3) examine psychological correlates of the commitment to belief measure against measures thought to reflect Jungian descriptions (Chapters 4, 5 and 6), and (4) examine the relationship between commitment to belief and mental health within the context of modem theories of stress appraisal and coping style (Chapter 7 and 8).The present findings suggest it may be possible to measure commitment to belief, and that a person scoring high on the commitment to belief scale tends to report: fewer depressive symptoms, less anxiety, less social dysfunction, fewer somatic symptoms, liking words that suggest completeness or wholeness, sometimes higher levels of extraversion, higher levels of optimism, using challenging primary appraisals, using a positive reinterpretation and growth coping style, and using their beliefs to deal with major life events. Such findings suggest the development and measurement of a construct that has a relationship to a number of variables that can be interpreted within a Jungian framework of ideas. Future research is needed to examine the applied nature of the measurement of commitment to belief.

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In this master's thesis, we wish to demonstrate that it is possible to read the history of the human psyche through the fairy tales collected by the Grimm brothers. In order to make such a demonstration, we have consulted the works of Carl Gustav Jung, but also of scholars from various disciplines such as anthropology, mythology, folklore and sociology. In the first chapter we briefly expose the main concepts of the Jungian theory, particularly that of the archetypes. In the second chapter, we present a survey of secondary literature which sheds light on the similarities and contrasts between fairy tales and myths, we enumerate the different theories regarding the origin of tales and we state and discuss interpretative theories similar or opposed to Jung's. In the third chapter we finally propose a Jungian type analysis of three Grimm tales from the Kinder-und Hausmarchen.

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The model of the human psyche theorized by Carl Gustav Jung is a self - contained construct that requires that certain instinctual needs be met for the individual, and for cultures. This construct provides a supportive framework for harmonious existence. The model provided by mystic Jane Roberts, while similar, contends that the human psyche is a portion of a larger spiritual, teleological structure. When the individual's environment, or the culture itself, does not provide support externally, the individual psyche will seek its sense of balance from its own "collective unconscious," often exhibiting neurotic or selfish behavior and joining mass movements with other individuals who are likewise affected. The current global situation is caused, in a large part, by core cultural belief systems and practices, which prohibit individuals from achieving their instinctual sense of "wholeness." Sources consulted include the published works of Jung and Roberts, and psychological, sociological, and scientific works that indicate possible directions through which these problems are currently seeking solutions.

This thesis is a critique of romantic love theoretically premised on the analytical psychology of Carl Jung and the humanistic psychoanalysis of Erich Fromm. The aim of this critique is to explore whether there are grounds for postulating a conception of love beyond the current romantic framework. As the critique is primarily concentrated at the depth level, romantic love is examined via the medium of Cinderella folklore, with particular focus on Andy Tennant's 1998 film adaptation of Cinderella, Ever After. Based on a Jungian approach to the psyche and psychic products, the methodological framework incorporates the three following tools: The tool of interpretation at the subjective level, in which the characters of the Cinderella fairy tale are read symbolically rather than taken to denote literal fictitious characters; the tool of constructive analysis, in which it is argued that romantic love is more than 'nothing but' a boy/girl love story or 'nothing but' a myth depicting patriarchal oppression; and the tool of amplification, in which archetypal similarities between the Christian myth and the Cinderella fairy tale are highlighted. The central argument of this critique is that while romantic love does not provide a viable model of relatedness if taken and practiced literally, the romantic myth nonetheless contains within it the basis for a fuller and richer experience of love and relatedness if read subjectively. The rationale for a depth critique of romantic love is based upon the Jungian postulate that phenomena such as dreams and myths issue fundamentally from the unconscious psychic realm, and further upon Jung's recognition of a psychological developmental process he refers to as 'individuation' activated by engagement with the products of the unconscious. A symbolic/psychological reading of romantic love brings to light that romantic desire toward another is an outward manifestation of an inner desire for individual realisation, and is expressive of the individual's own capacity for wholeness. The value of a symbolic reading of romantic love is appreciated if it is conceived that it is precisely individual realisation that forms the basis for what is referred to by Erich Fromm as productive or knowledge-based love, argued here to be the ideal and only firm basis for human relatedness generally and intimate relatedness specifically.

Since Jung’s first allusions to it, the shaman “archetype” has occupied a place of considerable importance in Jungian discourse. The trajectory of this thesis began with Guggenbuhl-Craig’s (1999) view that a “shaman archetype” must be present in Jungian analysts for them to be good at their craft. To explicate the nature and characteristics of this archetype, this thesis examined both aspects of the phrase “shaman archetype”. It was necessary to examine Jung’s classical view of archetypes and certain critiques emerged. It was concluded, after investigation, that an emergent/developmental model of archetype was supported most by current research findings. This led to a working model of archetype which enabled further exploration of the “shaman archetype” question. The second part of the thesis applied this emergent /developmental model of the archetype to Siberian shamanism by seeing if there was evidence that its central characteristic of the “pre-initiatory illness” could be explained developmentally. It was concluded that Jungian analysts need the same kind of personality structure to be able to work with and use the somatic countertransference as a psychotherapeutic tool. A comparison and contrast of these ideas with contemporary uses of shamanism was then undertaken so that the implications for the training and selection of Jungian analysts could be deduced. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The aim of this thesis is to explore the vampire motif using the psychological framework of C. G. Jung, which suggests that the vampire is an expression of archetypal contents from the collective unconscious, and that vampire narratives are variations on the theme of Self. Having established the reasons why analytical psychology is a particularly suitable approach for investigating this kind of popular phenomenon, the examination of the vampire motif falls into three main areas. Dicounters with Shadow Vampires looks at vampires which display characteristics particularly associated with the shadow archetype. This section begins with an examination of the vampire in folklore, with particular attention to the Eastern European vampire, making a careful distinction between the vampire of folklote and the later vampire of Romantic literature. A modern example of this kind of vampire imagery is explored in the film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horrors (1922). Encounters With Animus Vampires is a three part investigation of the vampire as an expression of the contrasexual archetype. The first, Creation: Origins qf the Modern Pampire, concentrates on the male vampire created by the Romantics. The second, Evohilion: Dracula the Novel, is a Jungian reading of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula. The third, Elaboration: Dracula the Movies, shows how the novel has been altered in the numerous film versions of that novel in a way which relates very closely to the prevailing culture of the time. Underworld Quests, is a two part examination of the quest'myth structures of more recent vampire films: The Lost Bgys and Near Dar (both from 1987) and Interview with the Vampire (1994). These are examples which particularly foreground this structure and where vampires, as contents from the unconscious, are read as heralding a new ofientation or possibility for the mortal hero.