3. Characteristics

One must remember, in the treatment of a neurosis no definite method will ever suffice. ‘The real and effective treatment of neurosis is always individual, and for this reason the stubborn application of a particular theory or method must be characterized as basically wrong.’ Here we arrive at one of Jung’s most cryptic realizations, ‘Nearly every psychological principle, every truth relating to the psyche, must, if it is to be made absolutely true, immediately be reversed’. This means the individual can always swing too far in each direction. ‘Thus one is neurotic because one has repressions or because one does not have repressions; because one's head is full of infantile sex fantasies or because one has no fantasies; because one is childishly unadapted to one's environ­ment or because one is adapted too exclusively to the environ­ment; because one does or because one does not live by the pleasure principle; because one is too unconscious or because one is too conscious; because one is selfish or because one exists too little as a self; and so on.’ Not only the reader but Jung also sighs, ‘These antinomies, which can be multiplied at will, show how difficult and thankless is the task of theory-building in psychology.’

So, is that it? The end, we cannot say anything definite about neurosis and are left in an impenetrable mist of ambiguity? Jung thankfully throws us a lifeline. ‘Every neurosis is characterized by dissociation and conflict, con­tains complexes, and shows traces of regression and abaissement. These principles are not, in my experience, reversible.’ Hence, this section will solely stick to these three principles. It will describe them in detail and explain also how they relate to each other. For through each of them runs a common thread, namely that in one way or another they signify a certain ‘disconnection from instincts’. This common thread will be picked up and traced through each of the three areas.

In conclusion, if no method can give us dry ground to stand on, at least a thorough understanding of these three mechanisms can act as a guide when navigating through the fog of neurosis. This knowledge constructs a foundation on which the reader can build upon. A foundation that contextualizes the second part ‘Maturing from neurosis’ well and demystifies an area that is fraught with mystery.