I continue talking.
“For me, I prefer the explanations of Jung, who had apprenticed under Freud, but split from him after a difference of opinion.”
In contrast to my enthusiasm, you merely gaze out the window at the shimmering of the starry sky, so I cannot tell whether or not you are listening.
Bright stars that denote good fortune, and dim stars that denote misfortune.
You sway between them.
“With Jung’s theory, it’s like the human heart is made up of contrasts.”
It’s not that I’m particularly well-versed in psychology, but I’ve been desperately researching.
For your sake.
“Let’s say that there’s someone who is completely peaceful, who would never engage in violence. That primary self is a peaceful one, and thus the surface personality, the one typically seen by the world at large. But the truth is, that person has a violent personality, one that is cruel and extreme, within themselves. The two contrasting tendencies are like surface and beneath, reality and dream, as if one is a warped reflection of the other.”
In other words, both tendencies exist, but in contrast.
Jung establishes them as the first and second self.
This isn’t the story of someone with Multiple Personality Disorder or anything.
The story of the life of Billy Milligan is interesting, but very exaggerated, leading people to embrace a narrow idea of what the word “personality” means.
No matter who they are, everyone possesses two contrasting selves — divided into the surface and the hidden.
“Typically, people live their lives as the surface, or primary, self. However, there are times when the second personality comes to the surface. Like when you’re dreaming. Or when you’re angry or crying and can’t regulate your emotions. Or when you’re with close relatives and let your guard down—”
In those cases, we say the individual is “like a different person.” A person who is always serene and kind can suddenly change into someone who is mad with rage. That is, when the second personality presents itself, the person themself changes — as if a switch has been flipped and they’ve swapped out, basically. That’s why it is fairly accurate to say they’re like a different person.
Switching between the surface and internal, it seems like an opposite disposition is being displayed.
The story of a husband who appears fair and upright to total strangers, while being violent, heavy-drinking, and domineering in front of his wife, is a commonly heard one. On the other hand, there are also those stories of interesting people online who act so lively and gregarious, but in real life, they’re plain and subdued — in other words, keyboard warriors. The personalities change between home and the outside world, or between the internet and the real world.
There’s the self you use in public, then the other self, the one that’s expressed in your home where you can relax, or when you retreat behind a computer screen. That’s how things are, according to Jung’s explanation.
However, that isn’t an illness or anything.
Everyone possesses these conflicting primary and secondary selves. If there’s an action, then there must be a reaction, that’s an essential law of physics — that’s why, though Jung’s way of thinking was vague, the study of the human heart and mind was made a scholarly distinction and entered into the body of science.
He discovered a formula for the basic principles of the mind.
“Usually, these two selves exist in a state of balance. That’s a natural, peaceful state. If that balance is lost, then that’s when it seems like that person has changed. It’s like when a boat loses balance and capsizes, and what’s below flips up to the surface.”
But, that isn’t a weakness of the heart or a mental illness. It’s something that could happen in anyone’s mind. All humans possess the full spectrum of emotions. The heart doesn’t remain the same all of the time; instead, we spend each day with the mind in flux, trying to regulate that balance. This goes on and on, like a game of Reversi with the heart.
If the balance is abruptly thrown off, then the hidden self emerges.
The problem is when someone gets flipped over and can’t get themselves back to normal. Often, living out your daily life with that shadow self can be a problem. Hot-tempered. Inhumane behavior. The inability to communicate. Being vulgar and irritable. And so on and so forth.
If it’s always expressed, it could lead to problems in your social life.
In instances where people notice something is off about you, if you quickly receive treatment, you can return to normal. All you have to do is overturn the reversed personalities once more.
On the other hand, you could stay as you are and adapt to life like that. Hidden personas can be more loveable and agreeable, easier to get along with. But to the people around you, if you change your personality, it may seem like you’re not the same person anymore. It may seem like you’re a different person, just wearing the same face.
At any rate, calling it an illness or a weakness of the heart is a misunderstanding — in the case of mild symptoms, it’s something that can happen to anyone in their daily life. The mind’s balance is thrown off, the personalities are switched. If that happens, then it can cause trouble for the people around us.
All we need to do is maintain the balance of our selves and pay attention whenever that balance is overturned. If one cannot get back to normal on their own, then they should seek help from the people close to them or a doctor.
Nevertheless, the surface and underneath are both you, and it’s difficult for you yourself to judge whether or not you’re balanced. The mind isn’t something visible, and unlike skin disease or tooth decay, there are no subjective symptoms, and it’s hard for a person to be aware of any changes or pain. It’s hard to examine.
If you can’t see it, then an exam can’t detect it. You can’t take care of your own well-being that way.
Even if something is wrong with you, you might not know it.
“But there are opportunities to catch a glimpse of our hidden selves. Those are — in our dreams.”
I lean forward in excitement, having hit the main point.
But you just stand there, spacing out.
“Human minds have been broadly stratified into the ‘conscious’ and ‘unconscious’ minds. The prominent self is the conscious. Connected to reality, on the surface. However, the ‘unconscious mind’ sprawls throughout the inner parts of your mind — that’s where the secondary self walks about. Therein lie the symbols of memories of the past, records of things one has seen or heard. The ability to see chinks in the unconscious mind is what we call a dream.”
You are dreaming right now.
This place is inside your unconscious mind.
“The conscious mind can’t keep going on endlessly. It needs a break too. That’s why each day, humans sleep in order to let their minds and bodies rest. As we dream, the conscious and unconscious minds trade places. So then, the unconscious mind, which is usually in the background, gets to take center stage and play. It gets to explore. The story of what your unconscious mind does in that space of time when your conscious mind is resting — that’s what dreams are.”
That’s what we’re experiencing right now.
Within the world of dreams, your memories and emotions become symbols and are scattered about. Among them are special symbols, ones that have left a particularly strong impression on you. The red umbrella, the stoplight — and a variety of other things are strong symbols that can have a mild impact upon your unconscious mind.
Within your dreams, they can effect changes in your unconscious mind.
Because of that, I call them ‘Effects.’
You need to pick up the symbols scattered throughout your unconscious mind, decipher them, and set things in order. That’s what all humans try to do each night when they go to sleep.
You have a mutual agreement with your heart — that you can play within your unconscious mind to your heart’s content—
But you will have to return to reality.
Understand your mind and put it in order, and once you’re satisfied, awaken from your dream.
If you don’t, you won’t—
You won’t be able to save your consciousness. You won’t be able to walk around reality ever again.
You can’t just lock yourself up in your dreams, in your unconscious mind, forever.
Because it’s your conscious mind that’s connected to the world outside. You have to awaken it and then face reality. That’s what it means to live, and I want you to live.
For example, even if your reality is exceedingly harsh. It’s impossible to sail the vast seas of reality with a vessel that’s lost its balance and flipped over.
Even though I’m desperately trying to tell you, to warn you—
You just keep staring at me.