What does it mean to undergo a process of personal transformation? Jung was clear that this was not something that one manages consciously with a knowledge beforehand of what the end result would be: the alchemical journey involves a night-sea crossing where one’s psychological substance is fundamentally altered.
There have been recent developments in philosophy in two areas in particular: decision-making theory, and the narrative construction of the self, which support Jung’s investigations of the profound nature of psychological change that can potentially occur within the therapeutic process.
Decision-making theory examines the way in which people make choices about their lives. There is a body of philosophical writing that says it is possible to do this rationally by weighing the values of the possible outcomes of a decision and combining these with the probabilities of the relevant states of the world. An American philosopher, Laurie Paul, has challenged this idea. She argues that, with regard to major life decisions such as getting married, having a baby, or becoming a vampire (come along to hear more!), you cannot know who you will be after undergoing such an experience and hence you cannot make a rational decision based on what the outcome will be. What you can do, though, is make a decision to submit to the process and, for better or worse, embrace the person who will be revealed.
This talk will look at these philosophical approaches to transformative process, and how they relate to Jung’s ideas.
Brendan McPhillips is a psychotherapist in private practice. He has been a member of the Sydney Jung Society since 1983, and has long been passionate about the ideas that Jung brought into the world. He has a lively interest in how art, literature and film contribute to our understanding of psychotherapy, and lately this has extended to philosophy. Though he works in Sydney, on the weekends he lives in the Blue Mountains where he walks, gardens, and communes with the local cockatoos.
There is a capacity restriction of 50 at the venue, so we encourage you to book and prepay for your tickets in advance by clicking here <<BOOKING BRENDAN MCPHILLIPS PRESENTATION>>. We are offering a fully refund if for any reason, such as a change in the COVID situation, we cannot proceed with the meeting. Also, please note that we will be holding a brief annual general meeting and election of officers prior to Brendan's talk.
Date: 14th August 2020
Time: 7:00pm to 8:30pm
Venue: Mitchell Theatre Level 1 Sydney Mechanics' School
of Arts, 280 Pitt St, Sydney
Cost: Members $15 Non-Members $25 Non-Member
Concession $20
*Psychotherapists and other practitioners can obtain credit for Professional Development hours recognised by PACFA and ACA for this presentation.
