self

The archetype of self provides a sense of unity in experience with an ultimate aim for every individual being to achieve a state of selfhood or self-actualization. Jung argued that many of the problems of modern life are caused by “man’s progressive alienation from his instinctual foundation.”

The self is the unification of consciousness and unconsciousness in a person. It is the product of individuation. According to Jung, this is the process of integrating various aspects of one's personality into an encompassing whole which acts as a container. In his art he often symbolized it with a circle, square, or mandala.