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One could say, with a little exaggeration, that the persona is that which in reality one is not, but which oneself as well as others think one is.
Carl Jung
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote explores the idea of persona as a facade we present, which may differ from our true selves.

Carl Jung's quote emphasizes the concept of persona, suggesting that it is a social mask we wear, reflecting what we believe others perceive us to be, rather than our authentic selves. This observation sheds light on the complexities of identity, highlighting the tension between societal expectations and individual truth.

Themes

PersonaIdentitySelfAuthenticityMask

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be shared during a psychology seminar to highlight the nature of identity.

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Grounded in the natural philosophy of the Middle Ages, alchemy formed a bridge: on the one hand into the past, to Gnosticism, and on the other into the future, to the modern psychology of the unconscious.
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Complexes are psychic contents which are outside the control of the conscious mind. They have been split off from consciousness and lead a separate existence in the unconscious, being at all times ready to hinder or to reinforce the conscious intentions.
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We are in a far better position to observe instincts in animals or in primitives than in ourselves. This is due to the fact that we have grown accustomed to scrutinizing our own actions and to seeking rational explanations for them.
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From the viewpoint of analytic psychology, the theatre, aside from any aesthetic value, may be considered as an institution for the treatment of the mass complex.
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I have treated many hundreds of patients. Among those in the second half of life - that is to say, over 35 - there has not been one whose problem in the last resort was not that of finding a religious outlook on life.
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