Human Spiritual Structure: Western Psychology
Notes in progress © 1998-2002 Alan McAllister

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The Standard Analytical Description

Since at least the time of Freud, western analytical psychologists have divided the mind into three aspects:

Ego, the conscious mind. In Freudian terms the Ego, which is roughly the yogic ahamtattva. When this aspect of the mind is shut down or quieted, by limiting sensory input then the normally unconscious parts may begin to surface. In small children the I is easily identified with external stimulus. Only with age and experience is the sense of I limited to being a mostly internal concept, which may be independent of the external world. Then the persons ego is said to be stable and firm. To some extent this may lead to a loss of adaptability.
This is the mental executive which balances the self's impulses, wants, and desires with the constraints placed by the external world and the surrounding society. While it can play a defensive role, it also handles language, perception and learning. It determines and is determined by the filtering of incoming sensory waves and their emotional interpretation. It is a relatively limited I-ness, as the consciousness of the infant, the psychotic, or the meditating yogi are all beyond it. In fact there are probably striking similarities between the consciousness of an infant and some of the higher states of consciousness.
Note the serious differences in the definition of a healthy I-ness in Asian cultures, especially in Japan. It is much less independent and more a product of the larger social structure.
Super-Ego. The "conscience" of the mind, a collection of parental and societal injunctions and strictures which guide the actions of the ego. This early, impressed, and somewhat unconscious, "conscience" may not always be the best voice to follow as we grow older. It is related to buddhi (the intellect), not "pure buddhi" or bodhi (the intuition) although it may serve to mask it, or by being mistaken for it, lead a person to doubt or reject their own inner guidance. It is a major collection of impressed samskaras or psychic pictures that has to be cleared later in life. The superego is seen as being, at some level, fundamentally in conflict with the ego, just as the individual is at some level in conflict with the society. It may be compared to the manomaya kosa. This aspect of mind is generally unconscious.
The unconscious (id). The source of impulse and drive, desires and emotional energy. It is however a relatively bind force. This is formed mainly from the material repressed by the conscious mind as to intense or disturbing to deal with. Material that cannot be integrated smoothly into the ego. This also holds the vast bulk of unconscious perceptions which serve as the foundation of the waking consciousness as well as dream imagery. The existence of this stored of material that won't fit into the conscious ego, which in fact might force radical change in the ego, is a constant threat to the ego, and occasionally pops into conscious reality. It implies that the ego personality is incomplete, and is in fact subject to unknown and unrecognized influences.

This approach is limited to a view of the mind based on the experiences of a single unit being in a single lifetime. The main technique based on this view of the mind is psychoanalysis, which works with dreams and free association to map out the unconscious mind. Although this leads to the concept of an "observing ego" which is able to observe the workings of the normal conscious mind (ego), implying a possible hierarchy of "minds", this was never pursued, in part due to the limitations of a verbal technique for working with the non-verbal higher levels of mind.

Freudian Development

Freud postulated a series of developmental stages, starting with the oral stage and then moving through the anal and phallic. The later two may be associated with the psychologies of the muladhara and svadhisthana chakras. The oral stage is a rough, unconscious, reflection of the full devotion and trust that evolve in connection with the vishuda chakra.

Persons who feel that others will try to swallow them up if they get too close are probably projecting their own oral needs, needs for love and nurturing. Any issues that were unresolved at this early stage will need to be resolved before a person can perfect devotion for the Supreme later in life.

The Jungian Collective Unconscious

Jung expanded the concept of the unconscious beyond the merely personal, to include a collective component. This collective unconscious is most clearly expressed in dreams, myths, and art work, products of the intuitive mind, where the themes of this collective appear as "archetypes". This level of the mind is thought to guide the development of the conscious mind, leading it towards balance and the integration of all aspects of the self, but is seen as being primitive and very old, much closer to our animal forebears. This leads to an apparent contradiction that the oldest parts of the mind will lead it towards the highest.

There is also an archetype of the self, which exists in the collective unconscious and has an integrating tendency that influences the consciousness. It sends messages to the ego through imagery in dreams and symbols, but is never directly perceived. The ego has to consciously integrate these messages and generates the state of consciousness. It is supposed that no consciousness can exist without the ego as its center. Although the collective unconscious, which gives rise to the archetypes, (including that of the self) is universal, the archetypes, although similar, are ultimately individual.

While Jung went beyond the conscious self, and saw that the unconscious held learning as well as darkness, and that it transcended the individual, he did not acknowledge conscious states beyond normal waking consciousness. At best the idea was to integrate enough of the unconscious so that it would not swamp the ego. But the idea of transcending this situation and integrating the whole unconscious was not recognized as possible or desirable. All states beyond the normal consciousness were associated with the instinctual, biological collective unconscious, including the integrative higher states of consciousness. Therefore the idea of merging the self by expansion into higher conscious states could not exist. Merger could only be into lower "unconscious" states, therefore the ego was to be always maintained and defended. The conscious mind was still seen as separate and unique.

In Jungian work dreams are used, but they are as carrying messages for the conscious mind. The focus is on the symbolism of the dream itself and on seeking guiding messages from the deeper level of the collective unconscious. While these messages may indicate higher levels of mind, these are not expected to be directly experienced.

Cultural Mind

The cultural mind of a people can be referred to as a collective unconscious. This pushes us to act in certain ways, that vary from country to country and place to place. We begin to feel "settled" in a new place when we have adjusted to the local collective unconscious. [RF] This is related also to the programing of imposed samskaras [AHM]. There is also a collective consciousness, which is universal, and contains the accumulated knowledge and wisdom of the species. It corresponds to Sheldrake's morphogenic field, which apprently allows new skills and knowledge to be transfered over large distances without physical contact. [RF]

These cultural minds are one form group mind.

The Transpersonal Mind

In normal ego consciousness each mind is distinct from all the rest. There are many differences. As the mind expands it begins to overlap more and more with other minds. It is also understood that the ego is not destroyed, so much as transcended. It is still there to serve the conscious self, but consciousness no longer identifies with it. Mahat witnesses the Ego and encompasses it. At the pinnacle of expansion there is unity, but the ego may still remain individual, just and is the body. However if the samskaras become the same, or are all removed, the individuals cannot remain separate.

Although Jung saw the evidences of this transpersonal mind they were confused with the instincts and not recognized as evidences of a truly higher state of consciousness. In terms of the kosas, the personal unconscious mind is the subconscious mind of manomaya kosa, while the unconscious mind of the atimanas kosa is the beginning of transpersonal mind.

Other Schools

Alfred Adler. Adler developed the idea of the inferiority complex, and worked extensively with the invalidation that people generally acquire as children, which often leads to various methods of compensation, so as to appear powerful and to have control.This is related to the manipura chakra.
Erik Erikson. Extended Freudian developmental theory to include a third stage of "industry vrs. inferiority". This is related to the manipura chakra.
Carl Rogers. An approach to therapy based on "unconditional positive regard", promotes the empathy of the anahata chakra.

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Human Spiritual Structure: Western Psychology Notes in progress © 1998-2002 Alan McAllister [Spiritual Structure Home] [Whole Being Explorations Host Site] [Subscribe Here] [Sources]