LONGING FOR PARADISE: Psychological Perspectives on an Archetype by Mario Jacoby – Title 116

“The longing for freedom from conflict, suffering and depravation is an eternal human dream of great emotional power. It is the dream of total happiness, embodied in almost all cultures as the myth of Paradise.”

So begins the author’s singular interdisciplinary study of the archetype of Paradise.

Mario Jacoby, senior Jungian analyst based in Zurich, pursues three major themes. He begins with a discussion of the psychological connection between the idea of Paradise and the crucially decisive quality of the mother-infant relationship in determining a child’s development.

The second part consists of an analysis of the Biblical tale of Paradise and the Fall. Jacoby considers possible cultural origins and interpretations of the tale, and how it has substantiated claims of the inferiority of women.

In the final section, Jacoby likens various legends and myths promising a future state of paradise to the healing potential of the Jungian individuation process. Case studies from his analytical practice reveal an inner need for comfort in the face of world disharmony.

Mario Jacoby, Ph.D., is a graduate of the C.G. Jung Institute in Zurich and the author of The Analytic Encounter: Transferance and Human Relationship.