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Emma Jung

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Emma Jung
Jung in c. 1911
Born
Emma Marie Rauschenbach

(1882-03-30)30 March 1882
Schaffhausen, Switzerland
Died27 November 1955(1955-11-27) (aged 73)
Zürich, Switzerland
NationalitySwiss
OccupationPsychoanalyst
Spouse
(m. 1903)
Children5

Emma Jung (born Emma Marie Rauschenbach, 30 March 1882 – 27 November 1955) was a Swiss Jungian analyst and author. She married Carl Jung, financing and helping him to become the prominent psychiatrist and founder of analytical psychology, and together they had five children. She was his "intellectual editor" to the end of her life.[1] After her death, Jung is said to have described her as "a Queen".

Early life

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Emma Rauschenbach was the daughter of a wealthy industrialist, Johannes Rauschenbach, the then owner of IWC Schaffhausen.[2] At the time of her marriage she was the second-richest heiress in Switzerland.[3]

Family life

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Emma Rauschenbach first met C. G. Jung in 1896 when she was still a schoolgirl, through a connection of his mother. Jung reported at the time that he knew then that one day Emma would be his wife. The couple married on 14 February 1903, seven years later. They had five children (four daughters and one son):[4]

  • Agathe Niehus, born on December 28, 1904
  • Gret Baumann, born on February 8, 1906
  • Franz Jung-Merker, born on November 28, 1908
  • Marianne Niehus, born on September 20, 1910
  • Helene Hoerni, born on March 18, 1914

Upon her father's death in 1905, Emma and her sister, together with their husbands, became owners of IWC Schaffhausen - the International Watch Company, manufacturers of luxury time-pieces. Emma's brother-in-law became the principal proprietor, but the Jungs remained shareholders in a thriving business that ensured the family's financial security for decades.[2]

Emma Jung not only took a strong interest in her husband's work, but assisted him and became a noted analyst in her own right. She developed a particular focus on the Grail. She had a brief correspondence of her own with Sigmund Freud, during 1910–11.[5] In 1906, Freud interpreted several of Jung's dreams of the period as portending the "failure of a marriage for money" (das Scheitern einer Geldheirat).[6]

Animus and Anima

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On the Nature of the Animus and The Anima as an Elemental Being

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Animus and Anima is a book published with two of Emma Jung's essays that correlated with her husband's work. The essay "On the Nature of the Animus and the Anima" explores the concepts of animus and anima in Jungian psychology. She delves into the roles these archetypal elements play in the psyche, particularly focusing on their influence on the relationships between men and women. The animus represents the masculine aspects within the female psyche, while the anima represents the feminine aspects within the male psyche. Emma Jung also includes a discussion on how understanding and integrating these aspects can contribute to psychological wholeness and improved interpersonal dynamics.

In "The Anima as an Elemental Being," Emma Jung expands on the anima concept, presenting it as an elemental being that embodies powerful and transformative forces. She explores the symbolic and mythological dimensions of the anima, emphasizing its connection to the natural world and the unconscious. The essay delves into the diverse manifestations of the anima, highlighting its potential for both creative inspiration and destructive chaos. Jung suggests that recognizing and engaging with the anima in its elemental form can lead to a deeper understanding of the psyche and facilitate personal growth.[1]

Death

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Emma died in 1955, predeceasing Carl Jung by almost six years. After her death from a recurrence of cancer, he carved a stone in her name, "She was the foundation of my house". He is also said to have wailed, "She was a queen! She was a queen!" ("Sie war eine Königin! Sie war eine Königin!") as he grieved for her. Her gravestone was inscribed: "Oh vase, sign of devotion and obedience."[7]

Bibliography

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  • Emma Jung (1985). Animus and Anima. Spring Publications. ISBN 978-0-88214-301-9.
  • Emma Jung; Marie-Luise von Franz (1998). The Grail Legend. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-00237-1.

Works about Emma Jung

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References

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  1. ^ a b Catrine Clay (2016). Labyrinths: Emma Jung, her Marriage to Carl and the early Years of Psychoanalysis. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-0075106-6-5.
  2. ^ a b Kuhn-Spogat, Iris (19 August 2011). "Experiences – C. G. Jung". IWC Schaffhausen. Archived from the original on 25 May 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  3. ^ Boynton, Robert S. (11 January 2004). "In the Jung Archives". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  4. ^ dream-dictionary.com (21 February 2024). "Carl Gustaw Jung - wife and children". Dream Dictionary. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  5. ^ Lionel Trilling (23 April 1974). "book review of Freud Jung Letters". NY Times.
  6. ^ Sponsel, Rudolf (3 January 2000). "Zur Geschichte des Sexuellen Mißbrauch in der Psychoanalyse und Analytischen Psychotherapie – C. G. Jung 1875-1961" [On the history of sexual malpractice in psychoanalysis and analytic psychotherapy – C. G. Jung 1875-1961] (in German). Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  7. ^ Hayman, Ronald (2001). A Life of Jung. New York: W.W. Norton. p. 431. ISBN 0-393-01967-5.

Further reading

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  • (in German) C. G. Jungs drei "Hauptfrauen" This is a private website run by a couple of psychologists in Erlangen, Germany. There is no way of knowing whether it has any accreditation or independent standing.