JUNGIAN.DIRECTORY
The function which mediates OPPOSITES. Expressing
itself by way of the SYMBOL, it facilitates a transition from
one psychological attitude or condition to another.
The transcendent function represents a linkage between real and
imaginary, or rational and irrational data, thus bridging the gulf
between CONSCIOUSNESS and the UNCONSCIOUS. ‘It is a natural process’,
Jung writes, ‘a manifestation of the energy that springs from
the tension of opposites and it consists in a series of fantasy-occurrences
which appear spontaneously in DREAMS and VISIONS’ (CW 7,
para. 121).
Standing in compensatory relationship to both, the transcendent
function enables thesis and antithesis to encounter one another. on
equal terms. That which is capable of uniting these two is a metaphorical
statement (the symbol) which itself transcends time and
conflict, neither adhering to nor partaking of one side or the other
but somehow common to both and offering the possibility of a new
synthesis (see METAPHOR). The word transcendent is expressive of
the presence of a capacity to transcend the destructive tendency to
pull (or be pulled) to one side or the other.
Jung considered the transcendent function to be the most significant
factor in psychological process. He insisted that its intervention
was due to conflict between the opposites but he did not address
himself to why this happened, concentrating instead upon the question
‘what for?’. This he found answerable in psychological rather
than metaphysical or religious terms. That meant analysing the
appearance of a particular symbol in terms of its unique significance
rather than regarding it as either a judgment from on high or a
matter for self-congratulation.
From a TELEOLOGICAL POINT OF VIEW, however, Jung argued
strongly that the transcendent function does not proceed without aim
and purpose. At the very least, it enables a person to move beyond
pointless conflict and avoid one-sidedness (see INDIVIDUATION; MEANING).
Its role in the stimulation of conscience is significant (see MORALITY).
It supplies a perspective other than one which is purely personal.
It surprises one by asserting, often as if from a more objective
position, a possible solution.
As a psychiatrist, Jung observed a variation of the same process in
the initial stages of schizophrenia. In CW 14 he interprets alchemical
symbolism applied to periods of transition that activate the transcendent
function. Subsequent to his early theorisations, he· discovered
that the transcendent function is also a term employed in higher
mathematics, being the function of real and imaginary numbers.
A psychic function that arises from the tension between consciousness and the unconscious and supports their union. (See also opposites and tertium non datur.)
When there is full parity of the opposites, attested by the ego’s absolute participation in both, this necessarily leads to a suspension of the will, for the will can no longer operate when every motive has an equally strong countermotive. Since life cannot tolerate a standstill, a damming up of vital energy results, and this would lead to an insupportable condition did not the tension of opposites produce a new, uniting function that transcends them. This function arises quite naturally from the regression of libido caused by the blockage.[Ibid., par. 824.]The tendencies of the conscious and the unconscious are the two factors that together make up the transcendent function. It is called “transcendent” because it makes the transition from one attitude to another organically possible.[The Transcendent Function,” CW 8, par. 145.]
In a conflict situation, or a state of depression for which there is no apparent reason, the development of the transcendent function depends on becoming aware of unconscious material. This is most readily available in dreams, but because they are so difficult to understand Jung considered the method of active imagination-giving “form” to dreams, fantasies, etc.–to be more useful.
Once the unconscious content has been given form and the meaning of the formulation is understood, the question arises as to how the ego will relate to this position, and how the ego and the unconscious are to come to terms. This is the second and more important stage of the procedure, the bringing together of opposites for the production of a third: the transcendent function. At this stage it is no longer the unconscious that takes the lead, but the ego.[Ibid., par. 181.]
This process requires an ego that can maintain its standpoint in face of the counterposition of the unconscious. Both are of equal value. The confrontation between the two generates a tension charged with energy and creates a living, third essence.
From the activity of the unconscious there now emerges a new content, constellated by thesis and antithesis in equal measure and standing in a compensatory relation to both. It thus forms the middle ground on which the opposites can be united. If, for instance, we conceive the opposition to be sensuality versus spirituality, then the mediatory content born out of the unconscious provides a welcome means of expression for the spiritual thesis, because of its rich spiritual associations, and also for the sensual antithesis, because of its sensuous imagery. The ego, however, torn between thesis and antithesis, finds in the middle ground its own counterpart, its sole and unique means of expression, and it eagerly seizes on this in order to be delivered from its division.[“Definitions,” CW 6, par. 825.]
The transcendent function is essentially an aspect of the self-regulation of the psyche. It typically manifests symbolically and is experienced as a new attitude toward oneself and life.
If the mediatory product remains intact, it forms the raw material for a process not of dissolution but of construction, in which thesis and antithesis both play their part. In this way it becomes a new content that governs the whole attitude, putting an end to the division and forcing the energy of the opposites into a common channel. The standstill is overcome and life can flow on with renewed power towards new goals.[Ibid., par. 827.]