Objectivation

1. Etymology

Objectivation names a process of differentiating the ego from both other persons and contents of the unconscious. Related: active-imagination; giving shape to complexes and archetypal images.

2. Plain summary

Goal: detach consciousness from the outer object so happiness and life are not guaranteed by persons, ideas, or circumstances outside—centre of gravity returns to the individual who “holds the treasure.” Traditional sacred figures once carried that projected treasure; many moderns need an individual method to give form to personal complexes and impersonal images. Without form, compensation fails and the person becomes neurotic and conflicted; with objectification and relation to impersonal images, one touches the psychological function historically cared for by religion.

Examples (exhaustive house list for this Index lemma — common objectivation motifs named across Jung’s essays and standard Jungian lexica; not a claim that Jung’s CW contains only these):
ego differentiation from persons / unconscious; detach from outer guarantee; treasure / centre of gravity; projection onto sacred figures; individual shaping method; active-imagination kinship; objectify impersonal images; avoid neurotic severance from compensation.

3. Academic elucidation

In analytical psychology objectivation is ego-differentiation / image-objectification—Tavistock. Descent Press keeps Sharp in §4; Samuels: no dedicated head. Prefer CW 18 ¶¶377, 378.

4. Lexicon

Sharp (1991)

Objectivation. A process of differentiating the ego from both other persons and contents of the unconscious. (See also active imagination.) … If the possession of that gold is realized, then the centre of gravity is in the individual and no longer in an object on which he depends. … if he is able to objectify the impersonal images and relate to them, he is in touch with that vital psychological function which from the dawn of consciousness has been taken care of by religion.

(Sharp, 1991)

Samuels, Shorter & Plaut (1986) — no dedicated objectivation head

(No dedicated Samuels head.) Related under active imagination / projection / ego

5. CW concordance — sample, not exhaustive

See also: ego; active-imagination; projection; unconscious; neurosis; complex; individuation.

References

Samuels, A., Shorter, B., & Plaut, F. (1986). A critical dictionary of Jungian analysis. Routledge.

Sharp, D. (1991). Jung lexicon: A primer of terms & concepts. Inner City Books.