Psychological astrology
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Psychological astrology, or astropsychology, is the result of the cross-fertilisation of the fields of
astrology Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Di ...
with
depth psychology Depth psychology (from the German term ''Tiefenpsychologie'') refers to the practice and research of the science of the unconscious, covering both psychoanalysis and psychology. It is also defined as the psychological theory that explores the rel ...
,
humanistic psychology Humanistic psychology is a psychological perspective that arose in the mid-20th century in answer to two theories: Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory and B. F. Skinner's behaviorism. Thus, Abraham Maslow established the need for a "third force ...
and
transpersonal psychology Transpersonal psychology, or spiritual psychology, is a sub-field or school of psychology that integrates the spiritual and transcendent aspects of the human experience with the framework of modern psychology. The '' transpersonal'' is defined ...
. There are several methods of analyzing the horoscope in the contemporary psychological astrology: the horoscope can be analysed through the
archetype The concept of an archetype (; ) appears in areas relating to behavior, historical psychology, and literary analysis. An archetype can be any of the following: # a statement, pattern of behavior, prototype, "first" form, or a main model that ...
s within astrology (as is characteristic for Jungian approach in astrology) or the analyses can be rooted in the psychological need and motivational theories. There might exist other astrological methods and approaches rooted in psychology. Astrologer and psychotherapist Glenn Perry characterises psychological astrology as "both a personality theory and a diagnostic tool".Perry, Glen, Dr. ''What is Psychological Astrology?'', Association for Psychological Astrology, http://aaperry.com/what-is-astropsychology/ retrieved July 2016 No methodologically sound scientific studies exist that show a benefit or detriment in using psychological astrology. Psychological astrology, or astropsychology is a
pseudoscience Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable clai ...
.


Origins

In the twentieth century, the western esoteric tradition inspired the Swiss psychiatrist and founder of
analytical psychology Analytical psychology ( de , Analytische Psychologie, sometimes translated as analytic psychology and referred to as Jungian analysis) is a term coined by Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist, to describe research into his new "empirical science ...
,
Carl Jung Carl Gustav Jung ( ; ; 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology. Jung's work has been influential in the fields of psychiatry, anthropology, archaeology, literature, phi ...
to formulate his archetypal hypothesis, influenced by Plato's theory of ideas or forms. In his research into the symbolic meaning of his patient's dreams, conversations and paintings, Jung observed recurring mythical themes or archetypes. He proposed that these universal and timeless archetypes channel experiences and emotions, resulting in recognizable and typical patterns of behavior with certain probable outcomes. Jung claimed to observe a correlation between these archetypal images and the astrological themes or traditional 'gods' associated with the planets and signs of the zodiac. He concluded that the symbolic heavenly figures described by the constellations were originally inspired by projections of images created by the collective unconscious.Campion, Nicholas, ''History of Western Astrology'', (Continuum Books, London & New York, 2009) , Comments on Jung pp.251-259
"Jungian Analyst, Liz Greene." p.258
Jung wrote "Astrology represents the sum of all the psychological knowledge of antiquity".Jung, Carl G., 'Richard Wilhelm: In Memoriam' in ''The Spirit of Man, Art and Literature, Collected Works,'' Vol.15 (translated R.F.C.Hull), Routledge, Kegan and Paul, London. (1971), p.56 In collaboration with pioneer
theoretical physicist Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental physics, which uses experime ...
(and Nobel laureate)
Wolfgang Pauli Wolfgang Ernst Pauli (; ; 25 April 1900 – 15 December 1958) was an Austrian theoretical physicist and one of the pioneers of quantum physics. In 1945, after having been nominated by Albert Einstein, Pauli received the Nobel Prize in Physics ...
, Jung developed the theory of
synchronicity Synchronicity (german: Synchronizität) is a concept first introduced by analytical psychologist Carl G. Jung "to describe circumstances that appear meaningfully related yet lack a causal connection." In contemporary research, synchronicity e ...
. This theory, which Jung compared to Aristotle's formal causation, poses that "whatever is born or done at this particular moment of time, has the quality of this moment of time". Accordingly, astrological claims of correlations between the position of heavenly bodies at the time of birth and an individual's development were defined by Jung as being acausal and not directly caused by the planets.Jung, C. G. Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principal." Routledge, 1985


Jungian legacy

Several astrologers as well as psychologists pursued Jung's theories in their writings, teachings and practice. One of the first astrologers to combine Jungian psychology with astrology was
Dane Rudhyar Dane Rudhyar (March 23, 1895 – September 13, 1985), born Daniel Chennevière, was a American author, modernist composer and humanistic astrologer. He was a pioneer of modern transpersonal astrology. Biography Dane Rudhyar was born in Paris on ...
and his protégé, Alexander Ruperti. Rudhyar termed it "humanistic astrology," the subject of his monumental volume, '' The Astrology of Personality'', published in 1936. Psychological astrology, however became firmly established in the late 20th century with the books and lectures of Liz Greene and Stephen Arroyo who were both strongly influenced by the Jungian model. In 1983, Liz Greene and Howard Sasportas, a psychosynthesis psychotherapist, founded the Centre for Psychological Astrology in London. Meanwhile, in Switzerland, Bruno and Louise Huber also developed their own method of astrological psychology, referred to as the Huber Method which was influenced by
Roberto Assagioli Roberto Assagioli (27 February 1888 – 23 August 1974) was an Italian psychiatrist and pioneer in the fields of humanistic and transpersonal psychology. Assagioli founded the psychological movement known as psychosynthesis, which is still being de ...
's work with
psychosynthesis Psychosynthesis is an approach to psychology that expands the boundaries of the field by identifying a deeper center of identity, which is the postulate of the Self. It considers each individual unique in terms of purpose in life, and places value ...
. In 1962, the Hubers founded the Huber School of Astrology and their work is now taught at the Astrological Psychology Association. Possibly the most widespread application of Jung's theories is through the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment developed during the Second World War. CPP Inc., the publisher of the MBTI instrument, calls it "the world’s most widely used personality assessment", with as many as two million assessments administered annually. This
psychometric Psychometrics is a field of study within psychology concerned with the theory and technique of measurement. Psychometrics generally refers to specialized fields within psychology and education devoted to testing, measurement, assessment, and ...
questionnaire is designed to measure psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions. These preferences were extrapolated from the typological theories proposed by Jung and first published in his 1921 book '' Psychological Types''. So the authors, Briggs and Myers adapted Jung's four psychological types, which were based on the
four elements Classical elements typically refer to earth, water, air, fire, and (later) aether which were proposed to explain the nature and complexity of all matter in terms of simpler substances. Ancient cultures in Greece, Tibet, and India had simi ...
of classical cosmology on which the
zodiac The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north or south (as measured in celestial latitude) of the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. The pat ...
, with its corresponding human character traits, was structured.
Nicholas Campion Nicholas Campion (born 4 March 1953) is a British astrologer and historian of astrology and cultural astronomy. He is the author of a number of books and currently pursues an academic career. Career Astrology Campion is a former ''Daily M ...
comments that this is "a fascinating example of 'disguised astrology', masquerading as science in order to claim respectability."


Other psychological approaches

Back in the 1970s, in the twelve-volume series, ''The Principles and Practice of Astrology'' (Llewellyn 1975), Noel Tyl has allied the psychological need theory with astrological symbolism. This analytical blend is developed fully in his book ''Holistic Astrology - The Analysis of Inner and Outer Environment '' (1980). In the light of the psychological need theory, he interprets the horoscope "as a process of lifelong conditioning, where individuals are predisposed to present individualized needs to the environment. .... This process identifies how we act, who we are, and how we fit into the world. Fulfilling destiny, in modern terms, is fulfilling needs."


Philosophy

While psychological astrology brings a transpersonal dimension and spiritual notions to psychology by linking the psyche to the Cosmos, psychological astrology is "decidedly not deterministic". Nor is an individual's everyday life ruled by malefic or benefic planets as the horoscope is considered a mere tool to help identify an individual's nature and potential for psycho-spiritual growth.


Criticism

Psychological astrology has been criticized for confirmation bias and astrology is widely considered a
pseudoscience Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable clai ...
by the scientific community. In
psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between ...
and cognitive science, confirmation bias is a tendency to search for or interpret new information in a way that confirms one's preconceptions and avoids information and interpretations that contradict prior beliefs.


Research

The largest and most recognizedMuller,Richard. Web site of Richard A. Muller, Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of California at Berkeley, ''"My former student Shawn Carlson published in Nature magazine the definitive scientific test of Astrology."

Link retrieved:2 August 2010
Maddox,Sir John, editor of the science journal Nature, commenting on Carlson's test (1995) ''"... a perfectly convincing and lasting demonstration."

Link retrieved: 2 August 2011
study of the claims of astrology was published by
Shawn Carlson Shawn Carlson (born 1960) is an American physicist, science writer, and a STEM educator. Education Carlson graduated from U.C. Berkeley with Bachelor of Science degrees in both Applied Mathematics and Physics in 1981. He graduated from UCLA wi ...
in
Nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are ...
.Shawn Carlson ''A Double-blind Test of Astrology'' Nature, 318: pp.419-425 (1985)
p.420 Carlson states that 28 astrologers vouched for by NCGR accepted their invitation to participate, but does not state how many astrologers participated.
Twenty-eight professional astrologers agreed to participate, including several who were strongly influenced by the Jungian model. Carlson concluded that the astrologers were unable to match horoscopes with profiles compiled using the
California Psychological Inventory The California Psychological Inventory (CPI) is a self-report inventory created by Harrison G. Gough and currently published by Consulting Psychologists Press. The text containing the test was first published in 1956, and the most recent revision w ...
(CPI) in blind tests any better than chance.


See also

*
Astrological symbols Historically, astrological and astronomical symbols overlapped. Frequently used symbols include signs of the zodiac and classical planets. These originate from medieval Byzantine codices. Their current form is a product of the European Renaissa ...
*
Astrology and alchemy In classical antiquity, the seven classical planets or seven luminaries are the seven moving astronomical objects in the sky visible to the naked eye: the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. The word ''planet'' comes from ...
*
Astrology and astronomy Astrology and astronomy were archaically treated together ( la, astrologia), but gradually distinguished through the Late Middle Ages into the Age of Reason. Developments in 17th century philosophy resulted in astrology and astronomy operating a ...
*
Astrology and computers Astrology software is a type of computer programs designed to calculate horoscopes. Many of them also assemble interpretive text into narrative reports. History Astro Computing Services (ACS) in San Diego, founded by Neil Michelsen in 1973, publi ...
*
Planets in astrology In astrology, planets have a meaning different from the astronomical understanding of what a planet is. Before the age of telescopes, the night sky was thought to consist of two very similar components: fixed stars, which remained motionless ...
* Season of birth * Maslow's hierarchy of needs *
Self-actualization Self-actualization, in Maslow's hierarchy of needs, is the highest level of psychological development, where personal potential is fully realized after basic bodily and ego needs have been fulfilled. Self-actualization was coined by the organis ...


References


External links


The Centre for Psychological AstrologyThe Journal of Psychological AstrologyAssociation for Psychological AstrologyOfficial website of Noel TylNoel Tyl at Astro Wiki
{{Authority control Astrology by type Analytical psychology Western astrology Carl Jung