The process of ‘othering’ has allowed humans to treat Nature as a mere object instead of a living organism with its own organizing intelligence. Philosopher and author Charles Eisenstein refers to this as the myth of separation which underlies our modern civilization (1). He blames this dualistic view for setting people against each other, but also turning Nature into something we want to control, dominate and dissect. The age of enlightenment or reason, borne from the cultural and industrial revolutions, catapulted our consciousness into overvaluing of left-brain rational consciousness and moved us away from embodied awareness and resonance with all living things.

Carl Jung recognized that ‘We are Nature’ - that the natural world is important for the development of consciousness and wholeness (2). “He linked the loss of our mystical identity and the de-spiritualization of nature with the atrophy of our phylogenetic roots, or survival instincts, which have fallen back into the unconscious psyche.” (3) Jung stated that in the “civilization process, we have increasingly divided our consciousness from the deeper instinctive strata of the human psyche.” (4) Eisenstein’s myth of separation parallels Jung’s view of modern mans’ alienation from our two-million-year-old archaic original nature when we lived in a more participatory process with nature.
 
“African and other indigenous belief systems see the human psyche as whole and nondualistic, both containing and being embedded in relationships with others—people, ancestors, descendants, society, animals, nature, the cosmos as well as the spiritual and transpersonal realms. This fundamental interconnectedness between self and others, broadens the idea of what it means to be a human being—in contrast to the Western individualistic view. This holistic view is captured in the South African concept of Ubuntu, meaning a person is only a person through others, giving priority to the interdependence of relationships as an embodiment of our humanity. It is precisely this interconnected relationship with nature that many of us have lost.” (3)
 
Image credit: “Spiral Matrix’ - Sam Brown - https://www.fineartnewmexico.com/sam-brown
 
Sources:
(1) https://charleseisenstein.org/video/separation-vs-interbeing/
(2) Sabini, Meredith, ed. 2002. The Earth Has a Soul: The Nature Writings of C. G. Jung.
Berkeley: North Atlantic books.
(3) Denise Grobbelaar (2020) The White Lion as Symbol of the Archetype of the Self and the Cannibalization of the Self in Canned Hunting, Jung Journal, 14:2, 11-29,
DOI: 10.1080/19342039.2020.1742550Grobbelaar
(4) Jung, C. G., and Marie-Louise von Franz. 1964. Man and His Symbols. New York: Dell
Publishing Co. p. 36.

I post I wrote for @jungsouthernafrica
#jung #carljung  #jungianpsychology #depthpsychology #analyticalpsychology #unconscious #consciousness #archetypes #shadow #Other #Othering #nature #wearenature #earthhasasoul #ubuntu #objectification #separation #devaluation #objectification #subjugation #inclusive #capetown #capetownlife #capetownliving #southernafrica
 

 When the expression is used in neutral way it signifies that which is fundamentally different, as in the notion of nature as the sacred ‘other’ or the unconscious as the alien inner ‘other’, or simply the difference between people’s personalities.
 
Jung’s experience of a dialogical inner other is at the core of The Red Book which illuminates many encounters with a host of imaginary figures. Throughout his life Jung held a tension between Personality No. 1, which represented his ordinary sense of self, and No. 2, which was a mysterious ‘other’ with an archaic character remote from the everyday world.
 
Most people think of the ‘other’ in terms of in-group/out-group dynamics based on physical, psychological, demographic and cultural variability. The ‘other’ is anyone perceived by the group as not belonging to their circle, not meeting their group norms and different in some way.
 
On the negative side, the ‘other’ may be viewed as lacking valued characteristics inherent to the group, therefore perceived as lesser or inferior, justifying discrimination and being treated as a mere object. When the ‘other’ is regarded as lacking agency, passive and without a voice it manifests in a lack of political vote, restricted freedom and limited career opportunities.
 
 ‘Othering’ implies a complex systematic process of separation, devaluation, objectification and subjugation. It refers to the ways people dehumanize those different from them making it easier to justify treating the other in an appalling manner. ‘Othering’ is used to perpetuate unequal systems of power, privilege and access to resources.
 
Humans are not born with prejudice. ‘Othering’ is socially and culturally constructed and perpetuates a racialized and politicized society, where difference is stigmatized and leads to discrimination. ‘Othering’ may be based on race, gender, social class, ethnicity, political ideology, religion and sexual orientation. ‘Othering’ involves the projection of shadow aspects, assigning inferiority and other undesirable aspects to the ‘other’. Jung urged us to consciously withdraw our projections which obstruct authentic human connection.
 
Encountering the ‘other’ is difficult. The ‘other’ challenges our word views, our understanding of the way the world works and our way of doing things. A person might consciously or unconsciously engage in ‘othering’ when they don't know how to respond to somebody very different to them. It’s much more difficult to genuinely engage with the ‘other’, spending time and effort understanding why they do what they do and who they really are. Yet when we take the time and put in the effort, we come to recognize and value diversity, becoming a society that is truly inclusive rather than exclusive.
 
Image credit: Death and the Masks'  James Ensor (1897) 
 
#jungsouthernafrica #jung #carljung  #jungianpsychology #depthpsychology #analyticalpsychology #unconscious #consciousness #archetypes #shadow #Other #Othering #Difference #UsThem #Insider #Outsider #innerother #racism #sexism #discrimination #objectification #separation #devaluation #objectification #subjugation #inclusive #capetown #capetownlife #capetownliving #southernafrica