Emma Jung
Encyclopedia
Emma Rauschenbach Jung, 30 March 1882 — 27 November 1955) was a psycho-analyst and author, the wife of Carl Jung
, the prominent psychiatrist and founder of analytical psychology
.
as portending the "failure of a marriage for money" (das Scheitern einer Geldheirat). Emma Jung took a strong interest in her husband's work and became a noted analyst in her own right. She developed a particular interest in the Grail legend. She was a psychoanalyst before they married, although her "independence" of him in this field is strongly contested. She was also in regular correspondence of her own with Sigmund Freud
.
Sometime around the birth of her fifth and last child, in 1914, her husband began a relationship with a young patient, Toni Wolff
, that lasted for decades. Deirdre Bair
, in her biography of Carl Jung, describes Emma Jung as bearing up nobly as her husband insisted that Toni Wolff become part of their household, saying Wolff was "his other wife". Wolff tried to persuade Carl Jung to divorce but this did not happen. A colleague, Sabina Spielrein
, had earlier claimed to have been Carl Jung's lover, keeping a diary to document the relationship.
Carl Jung
Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and the founder of Analytical Psychology. Jung is considered the first modern psychiatrist to view the human psyche as "by nature religious" and make it the focus of exploration. Jung is one of the best known researchers in the field of dream analysis and...
, the prominent psychiatrist and founder of analytical psychology
Analytical psychology
Analytical psychology is the school of psychology originating from the ideas of Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung. His theoretical orientation has been advanced by his students and other thinkers who followed in his tradition. Though they share similarities, analytical psychology is distinct from...
.
Early life
She came from an old Swiss-German family of wealthy industrialists; that wealth later gave her husband the financial freedom to pursue his own work and interests.Children
The couple married on 14 February 1903, seven years after they first met. Together they had five children: Agathe, Gret, Franz, Marianne and Helene.Marital life
In 1906, a variety of Carl Jung's unusual dreams of the period were interpreted by FreudSigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
as portending the "failure of a marriage for money" (das Scheitern einer Geldheirat). Emma Jung took a strong interest in her husband's work and became a noted analyst in her own right. She developed a particular interest in the Grail legend. She was a psychoanalyst before they married, although her "independence" of him in this field is strongly contested. She was also in regular correspondence of her own with Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
.
Sometime around the birth of her fifth and last child, in 1914, her husband began a relationship with a young patient, Toni Wolff
Toni Wolff
Antonia Anna "Toni" Wolff was a Swiss Jungian analyst and a close associate of Carl Jung. During her analytic career Toni Wolff published relatively little under her own name, but she helped Jung identify, define, and name some of his best-known concepts including anima, animus, and persona...
, that lasted for decades. Deirdre Bair
Deirdre Bair
Deirdre Bair is the critically acclaimed author of five works of nonfiction. She received the National Book Award for Samuel Beckett: A Biography. Her biographies of Simone de Beauvoir and C. G. Jung were finalists for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize...
, in her biography of Carl Jung, describes Emma Jung as bearing up nobly as her husband insisted that Toni Wolff become part of their household, saying Wolff was "his other wife". Wolff tried to persuade Carl Jung to divorce but this did not happen. A colleague, Sabina Spielrein
Sabina Spielrein
Sabina Naftulovna Spielrein , born 7 November 1885, died 12 August 1942] , was one of the first female psychoanalysts. She studied under Carl Gustav Jung, with whom she was rumored to have had a romantic relationship...
, had earlier claimed to have been Carl Jung's lover, keeping a diary to document the relationship.
Posthumous
After Emma's death, Carl Jung carved a stone in her name, She was the foundation of my house. He is also said to have cried "She was a queen! She was a queen!" ("Sie war eine Königin! Sie war eine Königin!") while mourning. Her gravestone was inscripted: Oh vase, sign of devotion and obedience.Further reading
- Emma Jung. Animus and Anima. Continuum International Publishing Group. Reprint edition, 1985. ISBN 0-88214-301-8.