Fairy Tales in the Individuation Process

You might say that, the individuation process in the psyche of an individual is not only
mirrored and reflected back by fairy tales, but is built up by them. Fairy tales are the
bare essentials of the psyche, the minerals if you will, consisting of the typical motifs
accrued over time sands of time, which is, as we know, “Once upon a time.” This
buildup of psychic minerals becomes both a unique and common structure. As von
Franz reminds us that “The process of individuation, as understood by Jung, is
essentially something which can only take place in an individual. It therefore cannot
actually be mirrored in a collective tale, for it is not a collective phenomenon…However,
in spite of being a unique event in a unique human being, it has certain typical recurring
features which repeat themselves and are similar in every process of individuation.”
(Individuation in Fairy Tales pg.180). The specs and grains of countless archetypal
experiences form themselves into a common structure, like a sand castle that is being
shaped by the guiding hand of the Self. However, it still feels like “our” unique sand
castle, that emerging out of a differentiated ego consciousness which reflects the effort,
struggle, the building up and breaking down during the journey which leads either to
mastery or failure. In similar fashion, a fairy tale will show an individuation of a character
who much like us, has trials, a climax and a lysis that mirror a typical psychic and
individuation process in our dreams and psychology in general.
Another example how fairy tales mirror and build up the individuation process is through
the four functions and the archetypal numbering. The quaternio of King and his three
sons in the tale of “The Three Feathers” are not the four functions, as von Franz lets us
know, but embody the archetype of the quaternio, from which “the patterns of
consciousness are derived” (Interpretation of Fairy Tales pg.56). She points out that
through one-sidedness and collective adaptation, the King is like a symbol that is the
typical basis that builds up the dominant function that governs the psychic community,
the two intelligent sons are like the two helpers or auxiliaries, and the dummling mirrors
the inferior function, the one who is closest to the Self and offers the possibility for
renewal (Interpretation of Fairy Tales pg.56-57). Certainly, John Beebe has picked up
on this notion and fleshed out the archetypes of typology. But for time sake, we will not
delve further into his theory at this time.
Jung also said that the four functions were like the four points of a compass which helps
us navigate the murky waters on our individuation journey (A Psychological Theory of
Types,” CW 6, pars. 958). Therefore, if the four functions are like a compass, then fairy
tales who are the typical basis must be the four points of the earth, through which east,
north, west, and south would show the natural direction in which we must move for our
growth and development. But still, this may beg the question that cool, in theory this
sounds good but, how do can we apply this mirroring? Quite simply, this can be
answered and realized by anyone who engages in the practice of observing dreams. As
we have discussed elsewhere, the methods for interpretation a dream are similar to the
structure of the fairy tale. The dream maker, is the Self who creates the dream and is
expressed through fairy tales, which is to say is an expression of the collective
unconscious. If we can become conscious (to the best of our ability) of these
unconscious contents (which may be individual or collective), we can begin to move
east or west, north or south in the rocky terrain of the psyche. The honest investigation

and individuation parallels found in fairy tales and their contents can propel us in the
direction needed to grow based on for example, how the archetypal figures are
behaving typologically in our dreams so that we may become conscious of how that is
operating within ourselves.
Another point could be made is that Fairy tales mirror the individuation process because
they are an expression of the Self which is an abstract concept of totality as a center
from which the individuation process radiates from within outwardly or from the Self,
forming an axis to the ego. The core of the personality collides with the demands of the
environment to create a new indestructible alloyed metal. That is, to be individuated is
to be “undivided.” So, given that we know that fairy tales are a psychic expression of the
of this original center, the Self, we also know that the ego mirrors the same structures
(Interpretation of Fairy Tales pg.60) of the Self in its own way. In a sense, it takes
something collective, and makes it individual and claims this territory as its invention.
This shows a series of confusion happening when the mixing of the subjective and
objective psyche come together. By confusion I mean it in its etymological sense “fused
(fusion) with (con).” The ego, falls into a maya (illusion), from which we think nowadays
fairy tales represent (not real life). It is deluded into thinking it is the Self, that there is
nothing more or bigger than the personal “I,” consciousness. But even this “I” is
archetypal, as everyone has one. Yet, we don’t recognize this and we fall into
individualism rather than individuation.
The study of how the hero becomes individuated in fairy tales in recurring motifs, rather
than an individual, is something we can strive to mirror. But it is not always so clear, as
it also speaks to the fact that sometimes in a fairy tale, the Hero is the ego and
sometimes it is the Self (Interpretation of Fairy Tales pg.57), which is the problem we
had in the first place! The only solution is for the ego to serve its self as an instrument
rather than the ruler of the psyche and relativize itself to thee “Self” (Interpretation of
Fairy Tales pg.60).
To conclude, fairy tales, myths and religions all get sterile and lose their numinosity and
become dead formulas (Interpretation of Fairy Tales pg.53). That is why I would like to
bring in von Franz’s poignant point that perhaps the fairy tales have lost their meaning
and we no longer believe or want to share their stories, but our interpretation of fairy
tales (and dreams) is our way of telling stories (Interpretation of Fairy Tales pg.45), it
mirrors our individuation story, and lastly our fairy tale, that one hopes (despite the good
and bad) one can live “happily ever after.”
Resources:
Jung, C. G. (2017). Psychological types. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
Von Franz, Marie-Louise (1977). Individuation in Fairy Tales, Boston: Shambhala
Publications.
Von Franz, Marie-Louise (1970). The Interpretation of Fairy Tales, Boston: Shambhala
Publications.

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