Theories of Depth Psychology
PSY 511 – 3 units
Fall Semester
Friday 2:00-5:00
Craig Chalquist, MS PhD
Sonoma State Psychology Dept.
707-540-5359
chalquist@terrapsych.com
Course Overview
From its inception depth psychology, named in 1910 by psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler, has transformed its body
of theory by rippling outward into fresh areas of concern: from symptom and “hysteria” (Breuer) to
repressed feelings and ideas (Freud) and on into spirituality (Jung), feminine psychology (Horney), social
justice (Martin-Baro, Watkins, Lorenz), politics (Samuels), and, more recently, the animated ecological
presence of the places where we live (Chalquist, Mitchell, and Cochran). We will follow this unfolding
from the “inner” life out into the world through seminar-style lectures, handouts, dreamwork, film,
imaginal exercises, biography, and contemporary events.
Course Objectives








To study the basics, strengths, shadows, and applications of the various depth-psychological
theories, with an emphasis on the field’s three main pillars: psychoanalysis, analytical psychology,
and archetypal psychology.
To “see through” (Hillman) the theories more deeply into their archetypal backgrounds.
To trace the close connections between dream, myth, psychopathology, and health.
To use dreamwork techniques to explore dreaming as a metaphor of psychical life.
To learn about and practice some of the key techniques particular to each theory, including
psychologizing, active imagination, free association, utopic dreaming, and active association.
To interpret dominant images in non-clinical realms—e.g., film, culture, art, daily news and
events—with the tools acquired for working with symptoms and dreams.
To explore the mercurial, polycentric nature of the image of depth.
To start the imagination stirring about thesis research.
Required Reading
Freud, S. (1989). An outline of psycho-analysis. New York: W. W. Norton.
Jung, C. (1963). The basic writings of C. G. Jung. New York: Modern Library.
Hillman, J. (1984). Inter views. New York: Harper Collins.
Grading





Class participation (all activities): 20%.
Psychoanalysis paper: 20%.
Jung paper: 20%.
Hillman paper: 20%.
Research paper: 20%.
“A” grade: superior participation and insightful written working of course material and ideas, with
clarity in handling the complexities of the topic. “B” grade: above-average, thoughtful, clear
work. “C” grade: satisfactorily meets all course requirements and demonstrates a basic knowledge
of the topics covered.
You are allowed to miss up to 2 classes for this 3-unit course.
Papers
The following four papers must be in APA style and contain at least 4 references each. There is a
brief guide to APA style at: http://library.osu.edu/sites/guides/apagd.html.
Psychoanalysis Paper (5-6 pages; due 9/15):
Option 1: Apply the concepts of psychoanalysis interpretively to a dream, a current event, a
historical occurrence, or a public figure in order to reveal the deeper psychical processes at
work. Demonstrate how to wed theory, topic, and the imaginative work on your part that
connects the two.
Option 2: Critically examine psychoanalytic concepts, with emphasis on contrasting their
strengths and their shadows.
Jung Paper (6-8 pages; due 10/27):
Same options as the psychoanalysis paper, but this time with Jungian psychology. Contrasting
the Jungian and Freudian approaches would be an acceptable third option.
Hillman Paper (6-8 pages; due 12/1):
Same options, but with archetypal psychology. Contrasting it with either psychoanalysis or
classical Jungian psychology would be an acceptable third option.
Research Paper (8-10 pages; due the last day of class):
Research a topic of interest and use the paper to bring out its depth aspects, its presence in the
culture, and possibilities for future research. Discuss why this topic has an edge for you, but
without becoming cathartic. Your research should include both online and offline source
material and some independent reading. I recommend nonselectively inviting a topic to visit
your psyche right at the start of the course instead of just picking one near the end. Let it pick
you and simmer a while before amplifying and grounding it through research and writing.
Class Schedule
Week 1 (8/25): Beginnings and Evolutions of Depth Psychology
Reading: An Outline of Psycho-Analysis.
Handout: “Who Really Founded Depth Psychology?”
Handout: Evolutions of Psychoanalysis: Ego Psychology, Object Relations, Self Psychology,
Intersubjectivity, Relational Psychoanalysis.
Week 2 (9/1): Enter Jung
Reading: Basic Writings, 47-87 (“The Significance of the Unconscious” through “The Unconscious
as a Multiple Consciousness”).
Handout: Jung’s Map of the Psyche
Week 3 (9/8): The Archetypal Psyche
Reading: Basic Writings, 88-133 (“Patterns of Behavior” through the “Supplement”).
Week 4 (9/15): Meeting the Deep Unconscious
Reading: Basic Writings, 134-180 (“Preface” through “The Persona as a Segment”).
Psychoanalysis paper due.
Week 5 (9/22): Individuating and Relating
Reading: Basic Writings, 181-229 (“Individuation” through “Anima and Animus”).
Week 6 (9/29): More About Archetypes
Reading: Basic Writings, 358-407 (“Archetypes of the Collective Unconscious”).
Week 7 (10/6): Dreams
Reading: Basic Writings, 453-473 (“On the Nature of Dreams”).
Handout: an Eightfold Dream Interpretation Method
Week 8 (10/13): Religion, Spirit, and Psyche
Reading: Basic Writings, 537-658 (“Problems of Alchemy,” “Psychology and Religion,” and
“Human Development”).
Week 9 (10/20): Hillman Takes Psychology Out to the Woodshed
Reading: Inter Views, Chapters 1-3.
Week 10 (10/27): Therapy, Monotheism, and the Imaginal
Reading: Inter Views, Chapters 4 and 5.
Jung paper due.
Week 11 (11/3): Old and New and In and Out
Reading: Inter Views, Chapters 6 and 7.
Week 12 (11/10): Campus closed.
Week 13 (11/17): Expressing the Imaginal
Reading: Inter Views, Chapters 8 and 9.
Handout: Watkins, Lorenz, and the Liberationist Imagination.
Week 14 (11/24): Campus closed.
Week 15 (12/1): A Matter of Heart
Reading: Inter Views, Chapters 10 and 11.
Hillman paper due.
Week 16 (12/8): Anima Mundi
No reading due this week.
Handout: Excerpts from Three Terrapsychological Theorists.
Week 17 (12/15): Recap
No reading due this week.
Research paper due.
Suggested Reading
Breger, Louis (2000). Freud: Darkness in the midst of vision. New York: John Wiley and Sons.
Edinger, Edward (1985). Anatomy of the psyche. Peru: Open Court Publishing.
Ellenberger, H. (1981). The discovery of the unconscious. New York: Basic Books.
Freud, S. (1990). Beyond the pleasure principle. New York: W. W. Norton.
Hall, J. (1983). Jungian dream interpretation: A handbook of theory and practice. Toronto: Inner City
Books.
Hillman, J. (1978). Re-Visioning psychology. San Francisco: Harper.
Jung, C. (1989). Memories, dreams, reflections. New York: Vintage.
Romanyshyn, R. (1989). Technology as symptom and dream. New York: Routledge.
Slattery, D., and Corbett, L. (ed.). Depth psychology: Meditations in the field. Einsiedeln: Daimon.
Von Franz, M. (1999). Archetypal dimensions of the psyche. Boston: Shambhala.
Wehr, G. (1985). Jung: A biography. Boston: Shambhala.
Useful Links
http://aras.org/ – ARAS, the research archive for archetypal symbolism.
http://www.cgjung.com – the C. G. Jung Page.
http://www.tearsofllorona.com/jungdefs.html -- a Glossary of Jungian Terms
http://www.tearsofllorona.com/freud.html -- a Glossary of Freudian Terms
http://www.ohiolink.edu – a national interlibrary loan connection. If you need a book you can’t
borrow locally, look it up in Ohiolink, write down the ISBN number, and take it to your librarian.
They’ll be able to order it for you from libraries throughout the U.S.