Yearning: a Jungian Perspective on Creativity A
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YEARNING: A JUNGIAN PERSPECTIVE ON CREATIVITY A dissertation presented to the Faculty of Saybrook University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Psychology by Constance Avery-Clark San Francisco, California April 2014 UMI Number: 3635005 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI 3635005 Published by ProQuest LLC (2014). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, MI 48106 - 1346 Approval of the Dissertation YEARNING: A JUNGIAN PERSPECTIVE ON CREATIVITY This dissertation by Constance Avery-Clark has been approved by the committee members below, who recommend it be accepted by the faculty of Saybrook University in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology Dissertation Committee: ______James Hollis, Ph.D._______ __April 22, 2014______ James Hollis, Ph.D., Chair Date ___Ruth Richards, M.D., Ph.D.___ __April 22, 2014______ Ruth Richards, M.D., Ph.D. Date ______Lyn Cowan, Ph.D._______ __April 22, 2014______ Lyn Cowan, Ph.D. Date ii Abstract YEARNING: A JUNGIAN PERSPECTIVE ON CREATIVITY Constance Avery-Clark Saybrook University Carl Jung suggested yearning is the psychological condition of all people. For what do we yearn? What are the resources we bring to bear on yearning? Can yearning be progressive and creative? The purposes of this dissertation are: (a) to explore Jung’s perspectives on yearning; (b) to relate these perspectives to his views on regressive and repressive defensiveness as opposed to progressive creativity; (c) to compare and integrate these perspectives with the findings of contemporary psychologists who study creativity, particularly as they relate to eminent and everyday creativity; and (d) to illustrate the integrated perspectives as they manifest in examples of eminent and everyday creativity, focusing on two of the most important subjects Jung explores: the visual image (representing eminent creativity through photography), and sexuality (representing everyday creativity through sex therapy). This dissertation is qualitative including hermeneutic, phenomenological, and composite case study approaches. Investigations into Jung’s and contemporary psychologists’ perspectives on creative yearning are archival and database. Eminent iii photography is examined through interviews, anecdotes, observation, archival research and operationalization through visual images and words. Everyday sexuality is explored through observation of sex therapy clients together with database research. The results emphasize the transformative and meaningful power of authentically creative yearning as Jung and contemporary psychologists present it. According to Jung, Jung differed from Freud by suggesting that while we desire regressive homecoming to the unconscious, archetypal Mother-Limerence, and while we long for repressive mastery through conscious, archetypal Father-Liveliness, that for which we ultimately yearn is original, resonant integration of both these energies in forms that assume what Jung defines as authentically creative, Self-Liberating meta-consciousness and purposiveness. The discussion suggests the power of eminent photographs and everyday sexuality to represent yearning for: Mother-Limerence through visionary blending of visual dimensions, and through erotic tactile focus, respectively; archetypal Father- Liveliness via laws of aesthetic visual organization, and via logotic sensual knowledge, respectively; and, ultimately, Self-Liberation through the integrative STROBEnBLUR in photography and Sensate Focus in sex therapy. For Jung, authentic creativity is yearning for the felt oneness borne of differentiation, namely, immortality. Dedication My Father’s warmth was first to it, My Mother’s grit gave birth to it, My Children’s breath gave wind of it, My Sister led me into it. My Muse’s vision fired it, My Chair’s wise soul inspired it. Acknowledgments This dissertation would not have been possible without the enthusiastic support of my dissertation committee members, James Hollis, Ph.D. (Chair), Ruth Richards, M.D., Ph.D., and Lyn Cowan, Ph.D. They have provided encouragement and profound professional insight throughout, and they are also extraordinary people with whom I have had the privilege to work. The members of Cadre 1 of Saybrook’s Jungian Studies program are exceptional friends and colleagues from all walks of life. Their warmth, expertise, and intellectual stimulation have been with me during this six-year process. I could not have journeyed through it without them: Nan Henderson; Jan McBride; Nancy Furlotti; Jim Kline; Donna King; John Faul; Peg Sorrells; Gail Gross; Lola Clay; Paige Hersey; Lisa Kuimjian; Hope Arnold; Kelley Dickey-Cuddy; Renee Trudeau; and Matthew Budd. Analysts Linda van Dyck and Kaitryn Wertz have served as dynamic inspirations. Many friends have been waiting for years for me to return my attention to them, including those from the Center for Jungian Studies of South Florida. Their understanding and compassion has been remarkable: Linda Weiner; Jamie Yespelkis; Ken Cole; Sally Valentine; Gale Freidenreich; Ann Lynch; Pamela Heider; Brenda Astor; Jeannette Sullivan; Patrick Parham; Teresa Oster; Durga Garcia; Steve Spring; John Adams; and Rhonda Alves. There was my high school Ethics teacher, Judith Holding, and my undergraduate History professor, F. Edward Cranz, who first stimulated my thinking. Before them, nothing resonated deeply with me on an intellectual level; after them, everything did. My sister, Catherine Clark, introduced me to Jung. How can I ever thank her? We are redeeming the family fate by making unconscious issues conscious, one at a time. My first heightened consciousness of the Great Mother was when I held my children, Caroline and Alexis, in my arms for the first time. It was transcendent then, and they still take my breath away. They have their mother back. Finally, there is the photographer, Raymond Gehman, who changed my perception of the visual image and sensory experience. Everything is fresh and new. Table of Contents List of Figures ......................................................................................................................v CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................1 The Embodiment of Yearning .............................................................................................3 Investigative Issues ..............................................................................................................5 Significance of the Investigation .........................................................................................7 Cautionary Note ...................................................................................................................9 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ...........................................................................11 Definitions of Yearning and Creativity: The Jungian Perspective ....................................11 The Tension of Opposites ......................................................................................11 Subjective and Objective Realities .......................................................................15 First Distinction from Freud’s Definition of Yearning: Clarifying Libido ........................16 First Ramification: Yearning is Fundamental, Instinctual Energy .......................18 Second Ramification: Manifestations of Yearning are Interactive and Creative ...........................................................................................................22 Transformation and originality ..................................................................22 Meaningfulness and resonance ..................................................................23 Summary of Jung’s First Distinction from Freud’s Definition of Yearning .........26 Second Distinction from Freud’s Definition of Yearning: Clarifying Creativity ..............29 First Ramification: Creative Yearning is Progressive and Healing .......................29 Second Ramification: Creative Yearning is Instinctual .........................................33 Summary of Jung’s Perspective on Yearning and Creativity ............................................35 CHAPTER 3: METHOD ...................................................................................................36 Research Orientation ..........................................................................................................36 Research Design, Participants, Assessments, and Procedures ...........................................36 Data Analysis .....................................................................................................................38 Quotations ..........................................................................................................................38 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS ...................................................................................................40 Part I: