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Jung – Acausal Connecting Principle (Synchronicity)
Core Idea
Jung proposed synchronicity as an acausal connecting principle: events are meaningfully related without a causal link.
Definition
Synchronicity = meaningful coincidence between an inner psychological state and an outer event.
Key Features
No cause–effect relationship.
Connected by meaning, not mechanism.
Often occurs during emotionally charged or transformative moments.
Appears unlikely or statistically improbable.
Experienced as deeply personal and symbolic.
Classic Example
Jung’s scarab beetle case:
A patient recounts a dream of a golden scarab → a beetle taps the window at that exact moment → breakthrough in therapy.
Philosophical Foundations
Influenced by:
Taoism & the I Ching
Plato’s realm of forms
Kant (limits of causality)
Suggests reality includes non-causal order.
Psychological Role
Signals transitions in consciousness.
Facilitates individuation (integration of the psyche).
Bridges unconscious and conscious awareness.
Relation to Archetypes
Archetypes activate synchronistic events.
The psyche and world mirror each other through archetypal patterns.
Contrast with Causality
Causality: physical, linear, mechanistic.
Synchronicity: symbolic, nonlinear, meaningful.
Connection to Modern Thought
Parallels:
Quantum physics (nonlocality, entanglement – metaphorical, not literal)
Grof’s transpersonal psychology
Challenges strict materialism.
One-Line Summary
Synchronicity reveals a hidden order where psyche and world meet through meaning, not cause.
If you want, I can also provide top Jung quotes, a diagram, or a comparison with Grof or quantum theory.
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