Part 1: Introduction and The Nature of Problems

Opening Framework (Introduction)

Jung begins by acknowledging the enormity of his task - to unfold "a picture of psychic life in its entirety from the cradle to the grave." He immediately sets limitations:

• Scope limitation: He will focus only on broad outlines, not normal psychic occurrences
• Problem-focused approach: He will restrict himself to "problems" - things that are difficult, questionable, or ambiguous
• Methodological honesty: He admits that many questions allow multiple answers, all open to doubt
• Intellectual humility: Much must be accepted on faith, and speculation is sometimes necessary

The Fundamental Question: Why Do Humans Have Problems?

The Primitive vs. Civilized Mind

Jung establishes a crucial distinction:

Primitive psychic life:

• Consists of self-evident matters of fact
• Could be understood through simple empiricism
• Lives in unconscious, instinctive security
• Knows no problems because it's submerged in nature

Civilized psychic life:

• Full of problems that define its very existence
• Cannot be thought of except in terms of problems
• Made up of reflections, doubts, and experiments
• These mental processes are "almost completely foreign to the unconscious, instinctive mind of primitive man"