collective unconscious

Definition of collective unconscious

: the inherited part of the unconscious that especially in the psychoanalytic theory of C. G. Jung occurs in and is shared by all the members of a people or race

Examples of collective unconscious in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web His core belief is the collective unconscious, and that ties in really well with quantum physics, and all of the sciences. — Lindsay Zoladz, New York Times, "Gloria Estefan Wants to Get Inside Your Head," 11 Aug. 2020 For the surrealists, the operations of chance and random events coincided with a belief in a collective unconscious that drives and motivates our reality. — John Zotos, Dallas News, "Artists mix and match for ‘Exquisite Corpse’ exhibition at Conduit Gallery," 11 Aug. 2020 These visionary fish have unparalleled access to the collective unconscious through their clairvoyance and make incredible artists and creatives. — Aliza Kelly Faragher, Allure, "The Personality of a Pisces, Explained," 31 July 2020 Like Svetlana Alexievich’s oral histories of postwar Soviet citizens, Beradt’s work uncovers the effects of authoritarian regimes on the collective unconscious. — Mireille Juchau, The New Yorker, "How Dreams Change Under Authoritarianism," 7 Nov. 2019 The surreal and disturbing imagery, the unforgettable performances, and the film’s hypnotic rhythms have woven their way into our collective unconscious and have gotten profoundly stuck there. — Tribune News Service, cleveland, "‘Doctor Sleep’ can’t escape ‘The Shining’: Tribune News Service film review," 6 Nov. 2019 Psychologist Carl Jung developed the concept of archetypal symbols as part of his theory of the collective unconscious. — Lila Maclellan, Quartz at Work, "Get to know the symbolism in your daily commute," 11 July 2019 If, for decades now, true crime served as the collective unconscious of so many women, all the taboo topics the culture as a whole represses, what happens when the culture is unable to repress them any longer? — Megan Abbott, latimes.com, "Why do we — women in particular — love true crime books?," 14 June 2018 Out of these diverse histories, shared motifs emerge, like recurring dreams in a collective unconscious. — The Economist, "Ghosts of the road, spectres at the feast," 28 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'collective unconscious.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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collective unconscious

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Cite this Entry

“Collective unconscious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collective%20unconscious. Accessed 24 Oct. 2020.

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