MODUEL 2

UNIT 6: THE SPIRITUAL SELF

This unit of the Unpacking the Self shall explore the practice of religion and
spirituality in defining the sense of self. It shall also examine the functions of rituals,
ceremonies, culture and traditional traits in shaping one’s spiritual self. At the end of the
module, it shall move you to look into your personal ways of discovering meaning in
your life. The topics in this module shall include the concept of spirituality, Viktor Frankl’s
Search for Meaning, and Carl Jung’s Archetypes.

To understand the Spiritual Self, we will be looking into Viktor Frankl’s Search for
Meaning. Before we discuss that, think about the following and give at least one (1)
answer for each:

The Spiritual Self is said to be the subjective and most intimate dimension of the
self. It is experienced and understood by the person him/herself, and it would
be difficult to explain this experience to others. The Spiritual Self is who we are
at our core. The spirit and the soul are sometimes seen as one and the same.
The concept of the soul is the non-physical aspect of the person that manifests
consciousness, thought, feeling, and will. It is the person’s moral and emotional
nature, where one’s most private thoughts and feelings are kept. Oftentimes,
people perceive spirituality and religion to be the same. There is, however, a
difference between the two.

SPIRITUALITY is said to be a way of seeking and expressing the meaning and

purpose of one’s life. It speaks of the quality of one’s relationships with others
and with the Divine. It embraces all faiths and social and political ideologies.
Spirituality reflects great refinement or a high level of Christian maturity and
concern with, as well as direct and personal connection with the Divine or
Sacred.

RELIGION, on the other hand, is the belief in and worship of a personal God or
gods. It is referred to as a set of beliefs, feelings, dogmas, and practices that
define the relationship between human beings and the Sacred.

VIKTOR EMIL FRANKL: Finding and Creating Meaning

A pioneer of Existentialism, Frankl stressed that

“meaning is something to discover rather than to invent”. His
concept of EXISTENTIAL VACUUM explains how one may find
that life is empty, meaningless, or aimless. Because of this,
one may fill his/her life with pleasure, which is oftentimes
destructive.
For instance, because Bill has been working at his job for several years,
doing the same thing everyday, he sees his life as boring, with no goals and
 hopes for a better life anytime soon. He then starts joining his old friends,
gambling and drinking, which makes him think that his life is now more exciting.
He fails to see, however, how destructive it could be to his job, his family, and
himself in general.

WAYS OF DISCOVERING MEANING IN LIFE

Frankl proposed three ways of discovering meaning in life:

1) EXPERIENTIAL VALUES - experiencing something or someone we value; the most

important experiential value could be the love we feel towards others – our
family, friends, and other significant people.

2) ATTITUDINAL VALUES – involves practicing virtues and values such as compassion,

courage, a good sense of humor, humility, etc. For Frankl, the most famous
example is achieving meaning by way of suffering, where the ultimate goal is
self-transcendence.

3) CREATIVE VALUES - becoming involved in projects, and the creativity and passion
involved in art, music, writing, and work.

CARL JUNG

Jung’s concept of the COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS refers to a

structural layer of the human psyche containing inherited
elements. It contains the whole spiritual heritage of mankind’s
evolution, born anew in the brain structure of every individual.

The Collective Unconscious also contains ARCHETYPES. These are

fundamental personalities and roles that we draw from to develop our own
unique personality.

The most famous archetypes are:

1) Anima and Animus

The “anima/animus” is the mirror image
of our biological sex, that is, the
unconscious feminine side in males and
the masculine tendencies in women.
Each sex manifests attitudes and
behavior of the other by virtue of centuries
of living together. The psyche of a woman
contains masculine aspects (the animus
archetype), and the psyche of a man contains feminine aspects (the anima
archetype).

2) Hero
The character that displays courage and will for self-sacrifice.
3) Shadow
This is the animal side of our personality (like the id in
Freud). It is the source of both our creative and destructive
energies. In line with evolutionary theory, it may be that Jung’s
archetypes reflect predispositions that once had survival
value.

4) Persona
The persona (or mask) is the outward face we present to
the world. It conceals our real self and Jung describes it as the
“conformity” archetype. This is the public face or role a person
presents to others as someone different to who we really are
(like an actor).

5) Wise Old Man/Woman

The archetype of meaning and wisdom, symbolizing human being’s
pre-existing knowledge of the mysteries of life; kind and wise, and offers
guidance.

6) The Good Mother

This archetype reflects maternal solitude and sympathy, any
helpful instinct or impulse, and all that cherishes and sustains, and
fosters growth and fertility.

For Jung, man’s goal is to achieve INDIVIDUATION, which involves an

increasing awareness of one’s unique psychological reality, including personal
strengths and limitations, and at the same time a deeper appreciation of
humanity in general. It refers to the process through which a person achieves a
sense of individuality separate from the identities of others and begins to
consciously exist as a human in the world. The goal of the individuation process
is the synthesis of the self.
References:

Villafuerte, S. Quillope, A. Tunac, R. Borja, E. Understanding the Self, NIEME Publishing

House Inc., Quezon City 2018

https://www.simplypsychology.org/carl-jung.html