Given that “psychopathology” translates as “the expression of the suffering of the soul,” what are the generative forces that produce pathology? What are some examples of common pathologic states? What are our reflexive protections against pathology? What are the challenges of living in a pathogenic world, and with a pathologized soul? We will analyze three “cases” drawn from modern literature, and then examine our own anxiety management systems.

Related Friday Talk: Missing the Mark: The Seven Deadly Sins Viewed Through the Lens of Depth Psychology

James Hollis, Ph. D., is a Zurich-trained Jungian analyst practicing in Washington, D. C., and author of 16 books, the latest being Living an Examined Life and Living Between Worlds: Finding Personal Resilience in Changing Times. Dr. Hollis is former executive director of the Jung Education Center of Houston, professor of Jungian Studies at Saybrook University, and vice president emeritus of the Philemon Foundation. His books include The Eden Project: In Search of the Magical Other,   Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life, The Middle Passage: From Misery to Meaning in Midlife,  Hauntings: Dispelling the Ghosts who Run our Lives, and What Matters Most.