PART 2 | The Scientific Practice of Jungian Coaching

Read PART I | The Scientific Practice of Jungian Coaching

Here are some definitions of terms which have a special significance in Jungian coaching and consulting. They provide a window into the case study which describes how Jungian coaching works in practice.

1. Meaningfulness

In Jungian coaching,  ‘meaningfulness’ signifies cogent and useful perspectives on the psychological energy transformation process which reduces impulsive, reactive, and automatic behaviour and releases vital energy for creativity. It yields a deep level of understanding of human relations and their underlying dynamics. Reality orientation and the capacity to tolerate disturbing situations and work through difficulties are enhanced. Inspiration, humour, and motivation emerge and judgment and decision-making are improved. Read more about Meaningfulness at another blog post written by Nada O’Brien.

2. Encoded language

Jungian coaching does not impose models on clients. Clients do not have to ‘learn a new language’ to benefit from Jungian coaching.  Both coach and client are engaged in a creative human process, grounded in coaching science. 

 ‘Learn your theories as well as you can, but put them aside when you touch the miracle of the living soul. Not theories but your own creative individuality alone must decide’ (Jung 1942, p. 361).

This is achieved by appreciating and empowering the client’s reading of personal symbolic (encoded) communication with the individual and collective unconscious. Symbolic understanding and empathy go hand in hand. At the same time, the coaching engagement in a corporate context comes with clear goals, related to measurable improvement.  This is a unique contribution made by Jungian coaching, which differentiates it from analysis and from standard leadership and business coaching.

3. Complex

The term, ‘complex’ is a central concept from analytical psychology which, like many such terms, has made the short journey from the clinical consulting room firstly into coaching practice and secondly into everyday popular use. 

The Merriam- Webster 2nd essential definition of ‘complex’ states;

Complex: an emotional problem that causes someone to think or worry too much about something.  She has a complex about her appearance. 

Jung gives the following definition: 

The word ‘complex’ in its psychological sense has passed into common speech both in German and in English. Everyone knows nowadays that people ‘have complexes.’ What is not so well known, though far more important theoretically, is that complexes can have us. The existence of complexes throws serious doubt on the naïve assumption of the unity of consciousness, which is equated with “psyche,” and on the supremacy of the will. Every constellation of a complex postulates a disturbed state of consciousness. The unity of consciousness is disrupted and the intentions of the will are impeded or made impossible.

Even memory is often noticeably affected, as we have seen. The complex must therefore be a psychic factor which, in terms of energy, possesses a value that sometimes exceeds that of our conscious intentions; otherwise such disruptions of the conscious order would not be possible at all.

And in fact, an active complex puts us momentarily under a state of duress, of compulsive thinking and acting, for which under certain conditions the only appropriate term would be the judicial concept of diminished responsibility (CW 8 Para 201).

Defined in this way, complexes are highly emotionally charged experiences which cluster together as memories and operate without our awareness.  Impactful life events can include both traumas and peak experiences which shape later thinking, feeling and behaviour, without our awareness (consciousness), forming repeated patterns which take temporary control over us when stimulated. 

Complexes described in this way can be negative or positive in origin. (Those resulting from excitations in pleasure generally yield short reaction times on the Word Association Experiment and those resulting from trauma yield delayed reaction times). 

In summary, when we are overtaken by clusters of feeling tone memories, triggered by current stimuli, we are simply not in control, and are unaware of that fact. ‘Losing it’ in the office is an obvious example, but the more subtle effects of a complex on leadership decision-making can be difficult to spot, and the effects can be serious and long-lasting.  

Recent neuro-scientific validation of the Word Association Experiment (WAE) has been demonstrated, for example, by Escamilla (2021) and Petchkovsky et al (2013), and the WAE has been used to identify the risk of human leadership error in a number of safety-sensitive industries (O’Brien, 2019).  Training in the WAE is mandatory for Diploma candidates (psychoanalysts in training) at the C.G. Jung Institute in Zurich, and  Roesler, C. & Uffelen, T., (2018) give a detailed account of empirical research into complexes and the unconscious. 

Research into complexes is supported by non-Jungian research in other fields of psychology. For example, research evidence from Columbia Business School (Pham, 2007) not surprisingly shows that emotional states influence reasoning and can distort beliefs and disrupt self-control. From a Jungian perspective, these states are often causally misattributed to a present stimulus but are simply feeling toned memories (complexes) triggered by the stimulus. When the stimulus is mistaken for the cause, inappropriately misdirected emotionally charged action is directed towards it, and personal responsibility is avoided. This is a complex episode. Loudly overstated expression of values can also indicate a complex, as in the quote from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, which indicates ‘disavowal’: ‘The Lady doth protest too much, methinks’. 

Complex theory thus provides a deep explanation for many of the unconscious biases, rooted in the early developmental experiences, transgenerational heritages, and cultural milieus of individuals. It provides a way of understanding unique and subtle differences in these biases, to help individuals to become aware of them, and to increase efficiency in perception, decision making, and behaviour. Complexes account for most but not all cognitive biases and working with complexes, both individual and collective, is a key competency of Jungian coaches and is one of the key features of Jungian Coaching.

Read PART I | The Scientific Practice of Jungian Coaching

About the Author

John O’Brien, PhD, stands as a beacon in the field of Jungian psychology and executive coaching, blending his extensive academic background with practical experience to empower leaders and individuals worldwide. With a Doctor of Philosophy (Dr.Phil.) and a Diploma in Analytical Psychology from the C. G. Jung Institute Zürich, John is an experienced pioneer in the realm of psychology and leadership.

His academic pursuits further include a Master of Business Administration (MBA), a Master of Arts in Psychology Therapy and Counseling (MA PTC), and certifications in social work, applied social studies, careers guidance, and education, providing him with a comprehensive foundation to address multifaceted challenges.

At the C. G. Jung Institute Zürich, John wears many hats, serving as a Training Analyst, Psychoanalyst, Psychotherapist, Lecturer, Examiner, and Elected Member of the Research Commission. He is also the driving force behind the International Association for Jungian Coaches and Consultants, setting standards and fostering collaboration and innovation in the field.

Outside academia and professional life, John is engaged in philanthropic endeavors.