Murray Stein on Individuation

"The work of individuation proceeds in two movements, an analytic and a synthetic one. These are not sequential—first one, then the other—but rather take place in a rhythm specific to each individuation process. The analytic movement results in separation and differentiation; the synthetic movement builds up the transcendent function. Out of this process emerges an identity based on conscious and unconscious, personal and cultural (as well as archetypal) images and contents. Jungian analysis works in both directions through the analysis of identity and identifications, of transference contents and dynamics, of complexes and cultural assumptions as well as through the synthesis of emergent aspects of the self as they manifest in dreams, active imagination, and archetypal transference. The individuation process is lifelong and does not begin with entry into analysis or end with the termination of analysis." (p. 1)

Murray Stein (2005) Individuation: Inner Work, Journal of Jungian Theory and Practice, Vol. 7, #2, pp. 1-13.

Editors Note: Dr. Stein is a past-President of the International Association for Analytical Psychology, a founding member of the Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts and Chicago Society of Jungian Analysts, and is presently the President of the International School of Analytical Psychology in Zurich.