2 - A Most Dangerous Method

Summary

This chapter provides a sympathetic portrayal of Carl Jung, without glossing over his shortcomings and transgressions. It also explores the backgrounds, mindset, and aspirations of Jung and Freud that led to their attraction to each other, and ultimately their conflicts and the near-disastrous dissolution of their partnership. The chapter also covers the influences Otto Gross, Jung’s multi-year struggles with a near-psychotic state, his process of recovery, his exploration of various mystic traditions on the one hand, and the overlap between his thoughts and quantum physics on the other. It ends with a brief description of Jung’s influences on various new age and modern self-help movements. The chapter also discusses Jung’s complicated relationships with Sabina Spielrein, Toni Wolff, and his wife, Emma Jung, linking his attractions and attachments to major “anima” figures in his adult life with his lonely childhood, the deprivation of maternal attention, and his disappointments with a weak father.