“Jung’s Relevance Today: Social & Collective Phenomena” ( by Dr Renate Daniel)

Please book online for this lecture.

https://www.jungsocietymelbourne.com/july-2025

" The inner transformation is infinitely more important than political and social reforms which are all valueless in the hands of people who are not at one with themselves. This is a truth which we are forever forgetting, because our eyes are fascinated by the conditions around us and riveted on them instead of examining our own heart and conscience. Every demagogue exploits this human weakness when he points with the greatest possible outcryto all the things that are wrong in the outside world. But the principle and indeed the only thing that is wrong with the world is man . "

C.G. Jung: (CW 10 § 441)

In times of crisis, the collective longing for order, orientation, and strong leadership intensifies—often finding expression in the fascination with authoritarian figures. What lies beneath this dynamic?

In his writings between the two world wars, C.G. Jung already made some insightful comments on this subject. The ideas expressed there and his concept of the human being can help us to understand the unconscious fears, projections, and shadow elements, which shape the contemporary collective behaviour. Such patterns are not completely new; they echo ancient human experiences preserved in myths, fairy tales, and cultural memory.

By engaging with this archetypal material, we gain insight into the psychological roots of today’s challenges — and into the resources that may help us face them. Jung’s perspective invites us to meet the darkness not with fear, but with awareness, courage, and the willingness to grow or to transform, individually and collectively.

About The Speaker

Renate Daniel, MD, studied medicine at the University of Heidelberg and specialised in the fields of psychiatry and psychotherapy. She is a Jungian analyst, training analyst/supervisor the former Director of Programs at the C.G. Jung Institute in Zurich and, now a member of the Curatorium.

She also works as a specialist at the C.G. Jung