Understanding the Unconscious Mind: Jungian Psychology and Mental Health Nursing

Abstract

How might the unconscious part of the mind affect mental health patients’ emotions or behaviour? How might the unconscious motivations of mental health nurses affect their patients? The discovery of “the unconscious” two centuries ago has allowed philosophers and scientists, such as C. G. Jung, to explore the field. Contemporary mental health care subscribes to a dominance of neurobiological approaches, neglecting the unconscious or relegating it to that of a merely biological process. Approaching this subject from the perspective of Jung, we make a case for the inclusion of theoretical concepts about the unconscious in the discourse of mental health nursing. Such awareness may help mental health nurses to better understand the mental disease, disorder, and distress found in patients. It also may help them understand their own conflicts and motivations that, in turn, can have an affect on their patients.

Know thyself :

• —Inscription in the forecourt of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi