Forgiveness as a structuring function of consciousness, a look Look from Jungian Symbolic Psychology

Abstract

This essay reflects on the idea of forgiveness as a structuring function of consciousness from the Jungian Symbolic Psychology, studying it as a psychological concept distinct from the western religious concept of forgiveness. The archetypal dimension and, therefore, the bipolarity of the experience of the ego-other relationship are considered. More specifically, a theorical review of Jungian Symbolic Psychology and the concept of forgiveness is made, applying it on Chilean’s contemporary history and the elaboration of the post-dictatorship collective trauma. It is necessary to recognize that forgiveness is a diffuse and sensorial experience, that will not always lead to a pleasant feeling since it goes hand in hand with pain, condemnation, rage, aggression, among others. This process requires its own individual and subjective time that allows building the ego-other relationship in the consciousness, requiring comprehension and compassion for the elaboration of each own’s experience, instead of an ethical imposition established by cultural canons.