A Path from Carl Gustav Jung's Attitude-Types to a Comprehensive Model of Diseases

What is it about?

This review discusses the pair of opposites named introversion and extraversion by Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung in its biological foundation and psychosomatic implications. Jung’s typology was the reference for Elida Evans’ book on cancer in 1926, which would be the basis of American psycho-oncology and of a holistic approach to cancer patients. It is shown that introversion and extraversion have been widely used in psychology and psychiatry, even without any reference to Jung. Moreover, these concepts have been used for somatic illnesses. In 1990, independently of each other, George A. Bonanno and Jerome L. Singer of Yale University (USA) and Marco Balenci of Sapienza University of Rome (Italy) conceived two similar comprehensive models of diseases - both in their physical and psychic aspects - based on the psychophysical balance of opposite attitudes.

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Why is it important?

Despite the widespread narrative that Jung's theory is mystical only, evidence is given that his typology has been used in academic psychology, psychiatry, and medicine. However, Jung's holistic view is more close to the Eastern medicine than to the Western one.