Psychology and Alchemy

Methodology and Conclusions

In «Psychology and Alchemy», Carl Gustav Jung employs a methodology based on the comparative analysis of symbols and images found in alchemical texts and their parallels in psychology. Jung examines alchemy as a symbolic system reflecting processes occurring in the unconscious. He views alchemical symbols as projections of psychic processes that can be interpreted through the lens of analytical psychology. Jung analyzes dreams, myths, and alchemical imagery to uncover archetypal structures, which he believes are universal elements of the human psyche. Jung concludes that alchemy, despite its historical focus on the transmutation of metals, actually represents a symbolic expression of the process of individuation—the development of the personality and integration of various aspects of the psyche. He asserts that alchemical processes such as nigredo, albedo, and rubedo correspond to stages of psychological transformation that individuals experience on the path to self-knowledge and wholeness.