Let Go of Identity and Embrace Complexity
An Interview with John Beebe, Jungian Analyst
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21374739 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Marybeth Carter (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 67 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 488-502 |
| Publication date | 2024-10-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Psychological Perspectives (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0033-2925 • E-ISSN: 1556-3030 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00332925.2024.2449800 |
| OpenAlex | W4408322847 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 5 |
In this interview, John Beebe, a gay male Jungian analyst, discusses the evolution of analytical psychology’s engagement with gender and sexuality, especially in the context of LGBTQI+ individuals. Beebe reflects on his personal journey as the first openly homosexual candidate accepted into a Jungian analytical training program in the 1970s, a time when homosexuality was pathologized. He critiques—yet values—the traditional Jungian concepts of contrasexuality, anima, and animus, emphasizing the importance of interpreting dream images as they emerge from the psyche, and based on their qualities rather than adhering to dogmatic theory. Beebe encourages a phenomenological approach, advocating for a more flexible and nuanced understanding of psychological complexity that transcends conventional identity categories. By exploring personal anecdotes and dream work, Beebe highlights the need for analytical psychology to embrace complexity and resist dogmatic interpretations, especially in relation to the theory of the anima and animus, which he advocates should never be used as a theory of sexuality
Aesthetics · Analytical psychology · Identity (music) · Psychoanalysis · Academic and Historical Perspectives in Psychology · Philosophy · Psychology · Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications · Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices
| Citations per year | 0.5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2024 - 2024 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |