Psi phenomena— Jung versus Freud
A critique of Psychology Today’s analysis of Jung and Freud’s friendly joust
In 1909 Jung and Freud became involved in a dispute involving possible psi phenomena. Jung made claims of precognition and synchronicity. Freud disagreed. Psychology Today magazine covered the topic with a derisory approach to Jung and a strong bias in favour of Freud. Here I’ll offer an interpretation with an appraisal of Jung.
Freud’s study at Berggasse 19
The episode happened while Jung was visiting Freud at his home in Vienna. The two men were sitting in Freud’s study and were discussing the possibility of psi phenomena. Freud was (at that time) highly dismissive of the topic and said as much to Jung. He rambled on a fair bit while Jung grew increasingly annoyed. As Jung become frustrated, he felt a curious, warm sensation building up in his diaphragm.
According to Jung, there was then a loud retort from Freud’s bookcase, which made both men jump up in alarm. Jung then said to Freud, ‘There, that is an example of so-called catalytic exteriorization phenomena.’
Freud was not impressed and told Jung this was, ‘…sheer bosh.’
‘It is not,’ replied Jung, ‘You are mistaken, Herr Professor. To prove my point I now predict that in a moment there will be another such loud retort!’ According to both men, this is indeed what happened next.¹ There is, however, a minor discrepancy between both accounts, which we’ll come to later…
The curious incident with the bookcase continues to glean interest in modern times. Psychology Today revealed their own bias towards scientific materialism when they presented an entire article on the subject in 2011.² A science author, Len Fisher, wrote on the subject with the misleading subtitle, ‘Did Jung cause Freud’s bookcase to explode by mental force?’
Jung never suggested that he had made the bookcase crack loudly by his own ‘mental force’, nor did Freud or Jung say that it had exploded. Psychology Today is now sounding like the tabloid press. They’re basing their article on sly, informal lying rather than facts.
The term Jung used, ‘catalytic exteriorization phenomena’, doesn’t suggest who or what is the catalyst. Jung may have been referring to…
