# SEX and Its Undeniable Power to Fascinate ![rw-book-cover](https://wsrv.nl/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fssl-static.libsyn.com%2Fp%2Fassets%2Fb%2F4%2Fc%2F3%2Fb4c3e32cc56b3369%2Fthis-jungian-life_artwork-thumbnail_1400.png&w=100&h=100) URL:: https://share.snipd.com/episode/c1f45f45-3adf-4b42-8c04-31b064e052ec Author:: This Jungian Life Podcast ## Highlights > The Differences Between Jung and Freud > Key takeaways: > - Jung and Freud differed on the role of sex as a driver of human motivation > - Freud saw the sexual urge as the primary instinct while Jung saw it as part of a broader life energy > - Jung believed in the existence of various instincts including creativity, hunger, activity, sexuality, and religious instinct > - Jung felt that the sexual theory alone couldn't explain all of his observations > Transcript: > Speaker 2 > So this was one of the main points where Jung and Freud differed, and was essentially the point at which their friendship and mentorship split. So as Joseph, as you said, Freud really saw the sexual urge as being the fundamental driver of human motivation and development, development of the personality, it was the primary Instinct. Later on, he added the notion of the death instinct as well, but he really saw sex as being the fundamental font of psychic energy, and that's why in Freud's use of the term libido, we think About it as sexual energy, Jung used the same term libido to mean just more generally life energy. > Speaker 1 > And for Jung, the instincts would individually hold their own valences, like creativity, hunger, activity, sexuality, and he also posited a religious instinct that human beings Naturally create religious systems in an attempt to create a relationship with the transcendent, with the self, and that we were born with these instincts. So it wasn't that he felt Freud was wrong, he just felt that there was much more to the story based in great part on listening to his own patience that the sexual theory didn't seem to encompass Enough to explain what he was observing. ([Time 0:04:22](https://share.snipd.com/snip/8e954e99-da93-49b7-a9dd-65d514ace88a)) > The Conyunkyo, a Positorum, Is Related to the Idea of the Transcendental Function > Key takeaways: > - The conscious and the unconscious each have their own personalities and can create problems and symptoms when at odds with each other > - The goal is not just for these aspects to blend, but for them to come together in a transcendent function that produces a totally unique, creative invention > Transcript: > Speaker 1 > So for Jung, the idea that the conscious and the unconscious had their own life, their own trajectory and a sense, their own personalities. And just like any other couple, there might be a lot of fighting and problems between the two of them which would create symptoms and the personality even in the body, and that we needed A way to imagine those aspects coming together and in a best scenario, blending and not being constantly at war with each other. > Speaker 2 > Well, and it's also a little bit more than blending, right? Because in some sense, the union at the opposites, the konyunkyo, a positorum, yields some surprising new thing, and that is related to the idea of the transcendent function. That when the opposites come together, there is a birth of the new thing, of the third, that is more than just a kind of summing up the different parts, but has its own totally unique, creative Invention. ([Time 0:14:12](https://share.snipd.com/snip/f6b762d7-7c02-4790-8a3e-95c6b0e27297)) ## New highlights added October 16, 2023 at 1:16 PM > "The Relationship Between Sexuality and Love" Jung's Perspective > Key takeaways: > - Sexual problem can be solved only by love > - Separating sexual question from love is harmful > - Sexuality expressed as love is hallowed > Transcript: > Speaker 2 > Now it is the sexual question is spoken of as something distinct from love. The two questions should not be separated for when there is a sexual problem, it can be solved only by love. The other solution would be a harmful substitute. Sexuality dished out as sexuality is brutish, but sexuality is an expression of love is hallowed. ([Time 1:05:01](https://share.snipd.com/snip/26d0103d-118a-4cb0-a99d-0692e17837ad)) > Sex as transaction and its implications > Key takeaways: > - Sex can sometimes be transactional, but declaring it as solely transactional overlooks its nuances. > - Transactional encounters are not inherently problematic, but reducing all sexual encounters to transactions ignores important aspects. > Transcript: > Speaker 1 > And undoubtedly, sometimes sex can be transaction. Sure. Sure. But to declare a definition of sex as transactional, and any other nuance we place upon it as a kind of illusion can have a splitting effect. > Speaker 2 > That's perfect. That's perfect. And it's not even that it's a problem to have a transactional encounter, a transactional sexual encounter. It's that if that's if we kind of declare that that's all that it is, then something really important has been left out. ([Time 1:08:13](https://share.snipd.com/snip/9f78a45f-e798-4523-9e2a-7ef573577f8d)) ## New highlights added October 18, 2023 at 3:02 PM > Episode AI notes > 1. Freud and Jung differed on the role of sex as a driver of human motivation. While Freud saw it as fundamental, Jung believed in a broader concept of life energy that included various instincts such as creativity, hunger, activity, sexuality, and religious instinct. Jung felt that Freud's sexual theory couldn't fully explain the complexities he observed in his patients. > 2. In Jung's view, the conscious and unconscious have their own personalities and can create problems when they clash. The goal is to find a way for them to blend and not constantly fight. This blending results in a transcendent function, which is a unique and creative invention. > 3. According to Jung's perspective, sexual problems should not be separated from love, as they can only be solved by love. It is harmful to treat sexuality as separate from love, but when it is expressed as an expression of love, it becomes meaningful. > 4. While sex can sometimes be transactional, defining sex solely as transactional overlooks important aspects of it. Transactional encounters are not inherently problematic, but reducing all sexual encounters to transactions ignores important nuances. ([Time 0:00:00](https://share.snipd.com/episode-takeaways/f6b7b43e-f9c2-455a-b017-ca9301523478)) --- Title: SEX and Its Undeniable Power to Fascinate Author: This Jungian Life Podcast Tags: readwise, podcasts date: 2024-01-30 --- # SEX and Its Undeniable Power to Fascinate ![rw-book-cover](https://wsrv.nl/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fssl-static.libsyn.com%2Fp%2Fassets%2Fb%2F4%2Fc%2F3%2Fb4c3e32cc56b3369%2Fthis-jungian-life_artwork-thumbnail_1400.png&w=100&h=100) URL:: https://share.snipd.com/episode/c1f45f45-3adf-4b42-8c04-31b064e052ec Author:: This Jungian Life Podcast ## AI-Generated Summary None ## Highlights > Episode AI notes > 1. Freud and Jung differed on the role of sex as a driver of human motivation. While Freud saw it as fundamental, Jung believed in a broader concept of life energy that included various instincts such as creativity, hunger, activity, sexuality, and religious instinct. Jung felt that Freud's sexual theory couldn't fully explain the complexities he observed in his patients. > 2. In Jung's view, the conscious and unconscious have their own personalities and can create problems when they clash. The goal is to find a way for them to blend and not constantly fight. This blending results in a transcendent function, which is a unique and creative invention. > 3. According to Jung's perspective, sexual problems should not be separated from love, as they can only be solved by love. It is harmful to treat sexuality as separate from love, but when it is expressed as an expression of love, it becomes meaningful. > 4. While sex can sometimes be transactional, defining sex solely as transactional overlooks important aspects of it. Transactional encounters are not inherently problematic, but reducing all sexual encounters to transactions ignores important nuances. ([Time 0:00:00](https://share.snipd.com/episode-takeaways/f6b7b43e-f9c2-455a-b017-ca9301523478)) > The Differences Between Jung and Freud > Summary: > Freud and Jung differed on the importance of the sexual urge as the driving force behind human motivation. While Freud saw it as fundamental, Jung believed in a broader concept of life energy. Jung also posited various instincts including creativity, hunger, activity, and a religious instinct. He felt that Freud's sexual theory didn't fully explain the complexities he observed in his patients. > Transcript: > Speaker 2 > So this was one of the main points where Jung and Freud differed, and was essentially the point at which their friendship and mentorship split. So as Joseph, as you said, Freud really saw the sexual urge as being the fundamental driver of human motivation and development, development of the personality, it was the primary Instinct. Later on, he added the notion of the death instinct as well, but he really saw sex as being the fundamental font of psychic energy, and that's why in Freud's use of the term libido, we think About it as sexual energy, Jung used the same term libido to mean just more generally life energy. > Speaker 1 > And for Jung, the instincts would individually hold their own valences, like creativity, hunger, activity, sexuality, and he also posited a religious instinct that human beings Naturally create religious systems in an attempt to create a relationship with the transcendent, with the self, and that we were born with these instincts. So it wasn't that he felt Freud was wrong, he just felt that there was much more to the story based in great part on listening to his own patience that the sexual theory didn't seem to encompass Enough to explain what he was observing. ([Time 0:04:22](https://share.snipd.com/snip/8e954e99-da93-49b7-a9dd-65d514ace88a)) > The Conyunkyo, a Positorum, Is Related to the Idea of the Transcendental Function > Summary: > In Jung's view, the conscious and unconscious have their own personalities and can create problems when they clash. It is important to find a way for them to blend and not constantly fight. This blending is not just a sum of the parts, but a totally unique, creative invention called the transcendent function. > Transcript: > Speaker 1 > So for Jung, the idea that the conscious and the unconscious had their own life, their own trajectory and a sense, their own personalities. And just like any other couple, there might be a lot of fighting and problems between the two of them which would create symptoms and the personality even in the body, and that we needed A way to imagine those aspects coming together and in a best scenario, blending and not being constantly at war with each other. > Speaker 2 > Well, and it's also a little bit more than blending, right? Because in some sense, the union at the opposites, the konyunkyo, a positorum, yields some surprising new thing, and that is related to the idea of the transcendent function. That when the opposites come together, there is a birth of the new thing, of the third, that is more than just a kind of summing up the different parts, but has its own totally unique, creative Invention. ([Time 0:14:12](https://share.snipd.com/snip/f6b762d7-7c02-4790-8a3e-95c6b0e27297)) > "The Relationship Between Sexuality and Love" Jung's Perspective > Summary: > Sexual problems should not be separated from love as they can only be solved by love. Treating sexuality as separate from love is brutish, but when it is an expression of love, it becomes meaningful. > Transcript: > Speaker 2 > Now it is the sexual question is spoken of as something distinct from love. The two questions should not be separated for when there is a sexual problem, it can be solved only by love. The other solution would be a harmful substitute. Sexuality dished out as sexuality is brutish, but sexuality is an expression of love is hallowed. ([Time 1:05:01](https://share.snipd.com/snip/26d0103d-118a-4cb0-a99d-0692e17837ad)) > Sex as transaction and its implications > Summary: > Sometimes sex can be transactional, but defining sex solely as transactional overlooks important aspects of it. > Transcript: > Speaker 1 > And undoubtedly, sometimes sex can be transaction. Sure. Sure. But to declare a definition of sex as transactional, and any other nuance we place upon it as a kind of illusion can have a splitting effect. > Speaker 2 > That's perfect. That's perfect. And it's not even that it's a problem to have a transactional encounter, a transactional sexual encounter. It's that if that's if we kind of declare that that's all that it is, then something really important has been left out. ([Time 1:08:13](https://share.snipd.com/snip/9f78a45f-e798-4523-9e2a-7ef573577f8d))