The senses as structuring functions of consciousness. A contribution of sym- bolic psychology

Abstract

The author studies the sense organs as structuring functions of individual and collective consciousness and shadow. Comparing the brain to a computer, he argues that physiological functions are equivalent to hardware and structuring functions to software. With this comparison, the author intends to call attention to the extraordinary transformation of consciousness brought about by civilization, a fact which modern psychiatry fails to consider due to its comprehensible fascination for neuro-psycho-pharmacology. Then, the author briefly considers each sense organ when seen as a structuring function and considers the expression of sight through painting, hearing through music, smell through perfumes, taste through wine, and touch through skin creams. He remarks that while the power of vision and hearing were enhanced by culture, the same did not happen to smell, taste and touch. Finally, the author applies his Archetypal Theory of History to the history of modern art to illustrate the cultural development of the senses seen as structuring functions of individual and collective consciousness and shadow.