Friends,
I wonder if some of you may find my newly published book Integration: The Psychology and Mythology of MartinLuther King, Jr. and His (Unfinished) Therapy With the Soul of America of interest. It’s written for the general educated public but relies heavily on Jungian theories and practices as I explore the conceit of King as a “cultural therapist” who worked with the soul of America in her own individuation/integration project during the Civil Rights Movement.
In the early days of my research, I discovered an essay King wrote during his university days where he acknowledges a new openness to Freud, but states his prediliction for Jung and Adler. There have been only tiny hints about King’s exposure to Jung and any potential influence he may have had, though I have found some quite compelling parallels. Just recently, after the publication of my book and a public lecture I gave on it, I was approached by one of King’s college dorm-mates, who confirmed that in one of their mutual classes together, theyread Modern Man In Search of a Soul and it was very influential to King. Apparently one of their professors, Dr. George Davis, was quite taken with Jung’s conception of the unconscious and the religious function of the psyche. Though King was steeped in the Baptist tradition, heread the Bible as myth and its stories as archetypes, and shared Jung’s belief that Jesus was a model for following one’s own path to individuation.
The book is just a humble attempt in the interdisciplinary project of Jungian studies that many of us share. I pass it along to anyone who may be interested.
Jennifer Selig