A Jungian and Mythological View of Economics: Jung, Politics and Culture

by Jennifer Degnan Smith

Overview

This book aims to re-vision economics by taking a Jungian view of the recent global economic crisis of the 2010s, focusing on Greece’s challenging experience in particular.

 

 Recognizing the genius loci of Greece by taking a terrapsychological approach allows Greece to be an active participant in the discussions rather than purely an object to be studied. Observing the crisis through the lenses of myth ology, cultural complexes, and the god-image deepens the understanding of modern-day economics. These viewpoints reveal the unconscious and archetypal elements at play in the dysfunctions. Exposing the foundational issues is critical to redeeming economics and confirms the value in seeing socioeconomic issues from a Jungian perspective. The issues revealed through the exploration are not unique to Greece, but rather reflect many of the fundamental problems of the current global economic system. Thus, like its ancient myths, Greece’s modern-day story of suffering has insights for today’s world.

 

The audience for this book includes and extends beyond Jungian psychology, and will also appeal to some in the field of economics and those interested in the application of Jungian ideas to sociocultural issues.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781032805993
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	07/16/2025
Series:	Focus on Jung, Politics and Culture
Pages:	118
Product dimensions:	5.44(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Jennifer Degnan Smith (BA Economics, MA Applied Psychology) received her PhD in Jungian and Archetypal Studies from Pacifica Graduate Institute. Her focus is on the application of depth psychology to sociocultural issues, particularly those related to business, economics, and the natural world. Her many years of consulting in the U.S. and Europe supported the creation of healthy working environments and helping people to connect to their vocation. She also taught Organizational Behavior to undergraduate and graduate students. Jennifer spent considerable time in Greece studying ancient myth and modern culture.

Table of Contents

1. An Overview and an Author’s View  2. A Depth Psychological View of Economics and Money  3. Experts’ Views of the Global Financial Crisis  4. A Depth Psychological View of Place and Economics  5. A Wounded View  6. A Complex View  7. A God’s View  8. A Transformative View 

Editorial Reviews

Jen Smith has illuminated a blind spot present since the founding of Jungian psychology: the complex of finance, money, and economics. She also clears a path for using depth-psychological interpretation and wisdom to clarify the shadowy psychology of economics, with Greece, home of a rich and relevant mythology, as an example. This book is timely, emerging when economics has grown so powerful that it dominates global affairs like the giants and Titans of old.”

 

 Craig Chalquist, author of Terrapsychological Inquiry and Myths Among Us.

From the Publisher