Reflections on Carl Jung (Part 2): Make the Unconscious Conscious

Carl Jung’s theory of individuation is directly applicable to the Protagonist’s journey in a screenplay.

The more I study Carl Jung, the more I discover his ideas about psychology have a direct relevance to screenwriting (specifically) and stories (generally). This week, a 5-part series focusing on Jung’s notion of individuation, the achievement of one’s self-actualization through a process of integrating the conscious and the unconscious. This movement toward a state of what Jung called ‘wholeness’ is an enlightening way to think about what many in the screenwriting trade refer to as the Protagonist Transformation Arc.

In Part 1, we explored Jung’s theory of individuation which he described as the “psychological process that makes of a human being an ‘individual’… a ‘whole’ man.” Today we follow up with this from Jung:

But man’s task is… to become conscious of the contents that press upward from the unconscious. Neither should he persist in his unconsciousness, nor remain identical with the unconscious elements of his being, thus evading his destiny, which is to create more and more consciousness.

— “Memories, Dreams, Reflections”

We can think of the unconscious like Jung did, the reservoir of material that was once conscious, but has been forgotten or suppressed. As writers, when we consider that “reservoir of material” in our characters, most notably the Protagonist, that is the stuff of their Authentic Nature, True Nature, Core Essence, whatever language you prefer to use.

The key thing is this: It’s already there. It resides in the character’s inner world. So when Joseph Campbell says of the Hero at the beginning of their adventure when they are dwelling in their Old World, that they “need to change,” this means that the Authentic Nature of the character, which is somehow being ignored, avoided, suppressed, or repressed, that ‘stuff’ needs to move from unconscious state to the conscious state.

That dynamic is another way of thinking about the Protagonist Transformation Arc, their Core Essence emerging into the light of day, the Protagonist embracing it, and in the context of facing various tests and challenges, growing from Disunity to Unity, or as Jung says toward being a “whole” individual. Examples:

Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz: She knew all along Kansas was her home, but she had to go on her journey far away in order to grasp that Inner Truth.

“There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.”

Rick Blaine in Casablanca: His idealism as manifested by fighting for the loyalists in Spain, suppressed by his cynicism born of a broken heart, reveals itself in the end through his selfless act with Ilsa and Laszlo.

C.C. Baxter in The Apartment: Baxter has always had a mensch’s soul, but has lost sight of it in his climb up the corporate ladder, but his True Nature breaks free in the end when he rejects Sheldrake.

“Just following doctor’s orders. I’ve decided to become a ‘mensch’.
You know what that means? A human being.”

Michael Corleone in The Godfather: Sent away by his father in an attempt to shield him from Mafia life, Michael’s DNA, his Authentic Nature, compels him to take over the family business.

Go through that long list of examples I posted yesterday and you will see this same movement of the unconscious (True Nature) emerging into the conscious life of those Protagonists.

As Ovid wrote in Metamorphoses: “The seeds of change lie within.”

The Protagonist’s Authentic Self is already there. It just needs to grow from beneath the soil into the light of day. As it does, it causes the Protagonist to change. In essence, that is the very nature of a character’s transformation.

However, change isn’t easy. Indeed for a Protagonist to get in touch with let alone embrace their Core Essence can be a painful process. There’s often good reasons why they repress and avoid the stuff of their unconsciousness, most notably aspects of their psyche which have powerful negative associations.

That’s what we’ll explore tomorrow: Make the darkness conscious.

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