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Why is it that there are so many myths from so many different cultures that seem to tell such similar stories? According to Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, such ideas stem from what he referred to as the collective unconscious, a hidden aspect of the human psyche that he believed we all share.

Unlike our personal memories and experiences, Jung believed that the collective unconscious contains all the universal, ancient patterns that influence how we think, feel, behave, and relate to others.

What Is the Collective Unconscious?

Sometimes referred to as the “objective psyche,” the collective unconscious refers to the idea that a segment of the deepest unconscious mind is genetically inherited and not shaped by personal experience. Psychoanalyst Carl Jung initially introduced this idea.

According to Jung’s teachings, the collective unconscious is common to all human beings. Jung also believed that the collective unconscious is responsible for a number of deep-seated beliefs and instincts, such as spirituality, sexual behavior, and life and death instincts.

History of the Theory

Born in 1875 in Switzerland, Carl Jung founded the school of analytical psychology. He is responsible for proposing and developing the psychological concepts of the collective unconscious and introverted and extroverted personalities.

Jung worked with Sigmund Freud, another prominent psychologist at the time. In his early studies, Jung’s work affirmed many of Freud’s ideas. But as time went on, the two eventually split in their principles of psychology, including their thoughts about the development of the unconscious mind.

The most significant difference between their explanations of the unconscious mind is that Freud believed it was the product of personal experiences. In contrast, Jung felt that the unconscious was inherited from humanity’s past collective experience.

What Are the Key Concepts?

To fully understand Jung’s beliefs about the collective unconscious, learning more about some related concepts surrounding these beliefs is essential.

Archetypes

Jung believed that the collective unconscious is expressed through universal archetypes.

According to Jung, these mythological images or cultural symbols are not static or fixed. Instead, many different archetypes may overlap or combine at any given time. Some common archetypes that Jung proposed for explaining the unconscious mind include:

• Anima: Symbolized by an idealized woman who compels men to engage in feminine behaviors
• Animus: Woman’s source of meaning and power that both creates animosity toward men but also increases self-knowledge
• Hero: Starting with a humble birth, then overcoming evil and death
• Persona: The mask we use to conceal our inner selves from the outside world
• Self: The whole personality; the core of the total psyche
• Shadow: The psyche’s immoral and dark aspects
• Trickster: The child seeking self-gratification, sometimes being cruel and unfeeling in the process
• Wise old man: The self as a figure of wisdom or knowledge. For example, wizards and revered teachers frequently appear in the media and marketing messages to reflect this archetype.

Complex Beliefs

Jung was convinced that the similarity and universality of world religions pointed to religion as a manifestation of the collective unconscious. Thus, deep-seated beliefs regarding spirituality are explained as partially due to the genetically inherited unconscious.

Phobias

Jung used his theory of the collective unconscious to explain how fears and social phobias can manifest in children and adults for no apparent reason. Fear of the dark, loud sounds, bridges, or blood may all be rooted in this collective unconscious due to an inherited genetic trait.

In support of this, research indicates that some children are afraid of the dark not because of a negative experience they’ve had during the nighttime, but because darkness activates an exaggerated response by the amygdala—the part of the brain associated with the processing of emotions—resulting in the development of an innate or unprovoked fear.

Dreams

Dreams were thought to provide key insight into the collective unconscious. Jung believed that due to the archetypes represented, specific symbols in dreams are universal.

At the same time, Jung believed that dreams are highly personal and that dream interpretation requires knowing a great deal about the individual dreamer. Freud, on the other hand, often suggested that specific symbols represent specific unconscious thoughts.

More than just being repressed wishes, Jung felt that dreams compensate for parts of the psyche that are underdeveloped in our waking lives. This has allowed for the study of dreams as an instrument for research, diagnosis, and treatment for psychological conditions and phobias.

Interpretation of Carl Jung’s Collective Unconscious

Historically, there has been some debate around whether the collective unconscious requires a literal or symbolic interpretation.

In scientific circles, a literal interpretation of the collective unconscious is thought to be a pseudoscientific theory. This is because it is difficult to scientifically prove that images of mythology and other cultural symbols are inherited and present at birth.

Conversely, a symbolic interpretation of the collective unconscious is thought to have some scientific grounding because it is believed that all humans share certain behavioral dispositions.

Ongoing Research

Researchers are continuously trying to increase their understanding of the collective unconscious. For instance, a 2015 study suggests that the gut microbiome may play a role in how the unconscious regulates behavior. If so, studies of gut microbes could be a part of the future of psychiatric research.

Another example is a 2022 study published in Digital Geography and Society that investigates the role that the collective unconscious may play in our thoughts and behaviors while interacting on social media platforms. Thus, Jung’s ideas continue to be assessed to better understand the collective unconscious and how it works.

Takeaways

The collective unconscious offers an interesting way to think about the universal patterns that often influence human behavior. Jung believed that this shared aspect of the human psyche contains archetypes that help shape how we see the world and ourselves. While the concept remains theoretical and highly debated, it has had an influence on everything from myths to literature to spirituality.

Whether you see it as a poetic metaphor or a theoretical framework, the idea of the collective unconscious suggests that we should give thought to the often invisible threads that tie us all together across time and cultures.

All kids develop at their own pace, but it can be a source of concern when they do not meet typical developmental milestones, such as walking, talking, and interacting with others. Global developmental delay (GDD), sometimes referred to as global developmental disorder, is a neurodevelopmental diagnosis in the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders” (DSM-5-TR).

For an individual to meet the criteria for GDD, they must experience delays in achieving milestones in several areas of intellectual functioning and learning. A provider will re-evaluate someone with a diagnosis of GDD as they get older to obtain a more specific and accurate diagnosis.

Global developmental disorder indicates that a child is significantly behind their peers in two or more important developmental domains. While this diagnosis can feel overwhelming, early diagnosis and intervention can ensure that kids have the care they need to support their progress.

Characteristics of Global Developmental Disorder

According to the DSM, global developmental delay indicates that a child fails to meet expected developmental milestones in several aspects of intellectual functioning.

Symptoms of GDD can include, but are not limited to:

• Delays in motor skills (including crawling and walking)
• Difficulty with fine motor skills
• Language and communication delays
• Difficulty understanding communication
• Difficulty with problem-solving
• Difficulty with social skills

How It’s Diagnosed

Providers diagnose intellectual disabilities by assessing an individual’s cognitive and adaptive functioning. Although adaptive functioning can be evaluated from birth, many cognitive tests (also referred to as IQ tests) require that a child be at least six years old for testing.

Some IQ tests can evaluate children younger than six, but long-term research shows that these scores do not accurately predict future learning prior to age six.

Providers can identify developmental delays in many different ways, including:

• Diagnostic Interview with the Parent or Guardian: This interview consists of gathering extensive, detailed information about the child’s history so far, developmental progress, and any known medical issues or injuries.
• Vineland-3: The Vineland-3 measures adaptive functioning in several domains, including communication, daily life skills, social skills, and motor skills. A parent form can be administered as early as birth, and a teacher form can be administered starting at age three.
• Adaptive Behavior Assessment System-3: The ABAS-3 measures an individual’s adaptive skills from birth through their lifespan and assesses for developmental and learning disabilities, neuropsychological disorders, and physical impairments.
• Bayley-4: The Bayley scales measure cognitive, language, motor, social, emotional, and adaptive behavioral growth in preschool-age children to determine whether developmental delays are present.

What Are the Causes?

Global developmental delay can have many causes, and in some cases, the exact reasons for these delays are not immediately clear. Because GDD is a general term and not a specific diagnosis, many different things can cause a child to experience a delay with this label.

Sometimes, genetics can cause developmental delays. Research suggests that genetic factors are responsible for up to 40% of developmental delays.

Other times, the environment can cause GDD, both before and after the child is born.

• Prenatal exposures: GDD can begin before birth when caused by exposure to drugs or other toxic substances, premature birth, prenatal infections, or hemorrhages.
• Injury or illness: Following birth, head traumas or certain infections such as meningitis can cause GDD.
• Malnutrition, abuse, or physical neglect: Deprived environments and poor child care can cause a child to experience developmental delays.

Can Treatment Help?

Global developmental delays don’t always last forever. Some children outgrow developmental delays and catch up to their peers with minimal intervention. However, many benefit from treatments and services that help them reach their full potential.

Treatments that can help with GDDs include:

• Birth to three programs: These programs emphasize helping a child reach missed milestones and catch up to their peers.
• Early childhood special education: Preschool and kindergarten programs can offer individual special education to help meet a child’s specific needs when the child exhibits developmental delays.
• Physical therapy: Physical therapists can help a child by teaching them exercises and skills to catch up on motor delays or recover from an injury that might be causing a delay.
• Speech therapy: Speech therapists can help children learn to use language to express their needs by emphasizing articulation, vocabulary, or other forms of communication.
• Occupational therapy (OT): Occupational therapists help with adaptive skills. OT can help alleviate sensory issues, develop fine motor skills, or complete other functional tasks.
• Re-evaluation: Because GDD is a general term for unspecified developmental delays, as the child gets older and can undergo more specific assessments, re-evaluation can help identify and understand their delays and provide a more specific diagnosis.

How to Find Support

Some children diagnosed with GDD are able to catch up developmentally and will no longer meet the criteria for a developmental disorder as they get older. Others continue to experience mild, moderate, or severe difficulties throughout their lifetime.

Parents and caregivers whose child has a diagnosis of GDD can ask their treatment team questions they have about their child’s specific delays and what interventions might help them catch up. They may also benefit from support groups where they can connect with other families going through similar situations.