032 - On Puer Aeternus

C.G. Jung Helpdesk

“If the conscious attitude is too infantile, too immature, an old woman appears as a compensating figure. And the old wise man always appears when one is too foolish. Then the moment one becomes mature and reasonable in one's attitude, infantile figures turn up in the dreams, the puer aeternus motif, for instance. You see, when one is old in one's consciousness, perhaps too reasonable, too adapted, too considerate, then one's soul is young, it is a child even, because one needs childlikeness in order not to dry up and suffocate in one's own wonderful adaptation.” The Puer Aeternus, or also the eternal child, is a psychological phenomenon that pop up in dreams of individuals or even shape the psychology of whole cultures. As everything in Jung’s psychology it can have a positive and a negative side. To find out more, join the event and meet this unique character of the psyche.