Mary Esther Harding
Encyclopedia
Mary Esther Harding was an American
Jungian analyst who was the first significant Jungian psychoanalyst in the United States
.
, England
as the fourth daughter in six of a dental surgeon. She was an avid reader and home schooled until the age of eleven. Pursuing her goal of becoming a missionary doctor, she attended the London School of Medicine for Women
, where she graduated in 1914 with a class of nine students. She was then an intern at the Royal Infirmary in London
, the first hospital in London
to accept women interns. Here she wrote her first book, The Circulatory Failure of Diphtheria and later contracted the disease
. After her recovery a friend named Constance Long gave her Beatrice Hinkle's translation Psychology of the Unconscious
by Carl Jung
, which led her into entering analysis with a small group of sympathetic students in Jung's Küsnacht home in Zurich
, Switzerland
.
traveled to Zurich
following an International Conference of Medical Women. Eleanor Bertine and Esther Harding developed a close relationship there and, in 1924, decided to relocate to New York
. Each year they would travel to Zurich for two months of analysis and spend summers at Bailey Island
, Maine
, the ancestral summer home of Kristine Mann. There they saw analysands from the United States
and Canada
in a quiet, comfortable setting away from the distractions of daily life and conducive to profound experiences of the unconscious.
Jungian Analytical psychology
community, a prodigious writer and a frequent lecturer in the United States
and Canada
. Her first Jungian book titled The Way of All Women was an instant best seller, has been translated into many languages and has introduced many people to Jung's psychology. Harding wrote many other well known books as well, including: Psychic Energy, Women's mysteries, The Parental Image, and The I and not I, along with numerous papers on a variety of subjects from depression to religion.
Harding also helped to found many Jungian organizations, such as the Analytical Psychology Club of New York in 1936, the Medical Society for Analytical Psychology - Eastern Division in 1946, and the C.G. Jung Foundation for Analytical Psychology in 1963.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Jungian analyst who was the first significant Jungian psychoanalyst in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Personal life
Mary Esther Harding was born in ShropshireShropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
as the fourth daughter in six of a dental surgeon. She was an avid reader and home schooled until the age of eleven. Pursuing her goal of becoming a missionary doctor, she attended the London School of Medicine for Women
London School of Medicine for Women
The London School of Medicine for Women was established in 1874 and was the first medical school in Britain to train women.The school was formed by an association of pioneering women physicians Sophia Jex-Blake, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, Emily Blackwell and Elizabeth Blackwell with Thomas Henry...
, where she graduated in 1914 with a class of nine students. She was then an intern at the Royal Infirmary in London
Royal London Hospital
The Royal London Hospital was founded in September 1740 and was originally named The London Infirmary. The name changed to The London Hospital in 1748 and then to The Royal London Hospital on its 250th anniversary in 1990. The first patients were treated at a house in Featherstone Street,...
, the first hospital in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to accept women interns. Here she wrote her first book, The Circulatory Failure of Diphtheria and later contracted the disease
Diphtheria
Diphtheria is an upper respiratory tract illness caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, a facultative anaerobic, Gram-positive bacterium. It is characterized by sore throat, low fever, and an adherent membrane on the tonsils, pharynx, and/or nasal cavity...
. After her recovery a friend named Constance Long gave her Beatrice Hinkle's translation Psychology of the Unconscious
Psychology of the Unconscious
Psychology of the Unconscious is an important early work of C. G. Jung, published as Wandlungen und Symbole der Libido in 1912.The English translation by Beatrice M...
by Carl Jung
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...
, which led her into entering analysis with a small group of sympathetic students in Jung's Küsnacht home in Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
Psychoanalyst
In 1919, Eleanor Bertine and Kristine MannKristine Mann
Kristine Mann writings at the University of Chicago. Mann was a follower of Henry James Sr., whose anti-ecclesiastical approach had brought him into conflict with the New Church in Chicago, resulting in the family moving to Orange...
traveled to Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
following an International Conference of Medical Women. Eleanor Bertine and Esther Harding developed a close relationship there and, in 1924, decided to relocate to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Each year they would travel to Zurich for two months of analysis and spend summers at Bailey Island
Bailey Island (Maine)
Bailey Island is an island in Casco Bay, and a part of the town of Harpswell, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the island had a year-round population of 400.-History:...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, the ancestral summer home of Kristine Mann. There they saw analysands from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in a quiet, comfortable setting away from the distractions of daily life and conducive to profound experiences of the unconscious.
Jungian Community
Mary Esther Harding became influential in the New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
Jungian 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...
community, a prodigious writer and a frequent lecturer in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Her first Jungian book titled The Way of All Women was an instant best seller, has been translated into many languages and has introduced many people to Jung's psychology. Harding wrote many other well known books as well, including: Psychic Energy, Women's mysteries, The Parental Image, and The I and not I, along with numerous papers on a variety of subjects from depression to religion.
Harding also helped to found many Jungian organizations, such as the Analytical Psychology Club of New York in 1936, the Medical Society for Analytical Psychology - Eastern Division in 1946, and the C.G. Jung Foundation for Analytical Psychology in 1963.
Books by Mary Esther Harding
- M. Esther Harding, The Circulatory Failure of Diphtheria: A thesis for the degree of Doctor of Medicine in the University of London, University of London Press (1920), ASIN B00087EDZI
- M. Esther Harding, The Way of All Women, Putnam Publishing (New York, 1970) ISBN 1-57062-627-8
- M. Esther Harding, Psychic Energy, its source and goal, ASIN B00005XR4E
- M. Esther Harding, Psychic Energy: Its Source and Its Transformation C.G. Jung, ed. (1963) Paper 0-691-01790-5
- M. Esther Harding, Woman's Mysteries (ancient and modern: A psychological interpretation of the feminine principle as portrayed in myth, story, and dreams), Pantheon; A new and rev. ed edition (1955), ASIN B0006AU8SI
- M. Esther Harding, The Parental Image;: Its injury and reconstruction; a study in analytical psychology, Published by Putnam for the C. G. Jung Foundation for Analytical Psychology (1965), ASIN B0006BMVIM
- Mary Esther Harding, The I and the Not-I,Bollingen (January 1, 1974), ISBN 0-691-01796-4
- Esther M. Harding, The Value and Meaning of Depression, Analytical Psychology Club (June, 1985), ISBN 0-318-04660-1
- M. Esther Harding, A short review of Dr. Jung's article Redemption ideas in alchemy, ASIN B0008C5SP2
- M. Esther Harding, The mother archetype and its functioning in life, Analytical Psychology Club of New York City (1939), ASIN B00089E47S
- M. Esther Harding, Afterthoughts on The Pilgrim, Analytical Psychology Club of New York (1957), ASIN B0006RJAD0
- M. Esther Harding, Inward Journey, Sigo Pr; 2nd edition (October, 1991), ISBN 0-938434-61-6
- M. Esther Harding, Way of All Women: a Psychological Interpretation, Harpercollins Publisher (January 1, 1975), ISBN 0-609-03996-2
- M. Esther Harding, Journey Into Self, Longmans Green & Co., 1956
- M. Esther Harding, Woman's Mysteries: Ancient & Modern, Longmans Green & Co., 1935
- M. Esther Harding, The Way of All Women, Longmans Green & Co., 1933