Outer Reaches of the Palindrome Page: 23
View a full description of this thesis.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
psychologist who has best described and interpreted these essential forms and ideas is Carl G.
Jung, who terms them "archetypes of the collective unconscious," as pertaining to those
structures of the psyche that are not the products of merely individual experience but are
common to all humankind.10 "In [Jung's] view, the basal depth or layer of the psyche is an
expression of the instinct system of our species, grounded in the human body, its nervous system
and wonderful brain.""1 Consider the palindromic sequence as an archetype of the collective
unconscious - the structure of universal hero-based mythologies throughout the period of written
history, the structure of innumerable things in nature, a literary form first wielded by the Greeks
thousands of years ago. We seem to have in the palindrome a primal pattern with many
manifestations, formal and conceptual.
Another conceptual parallel to the palindrome is the shamanic voyage, which, in turn, is
parallel to the hero's voyage and to the schizophrenic voyage. Campbell defines the shaman as,
"... a person (either male or female) who in early adolescence underwent a severe psychological
crisis, such as today would be called a psychosis."12 So the shaman is one who went through the
schizophrenic cycle and emerged as a type of religious or holy figure. Campbell says that "...
the primitive shaman does not reject the local social order and its forms; that, in fact, it is
actually by virtue of those forms that he is brought back to rational consciousness. And when he
has returned, furthermore, it is generally found that his inward personal experiences reconfirm,
refresh, and reinforce the integrated local forms; for his personal dream-symbology is at one with
the symbology of his culture."'13 Upon return, the shaman has fulfilled the primal pattern.
Other conceptual parallels to the palindrome are the LSD "trip" and the yogic experience.
Campbell holds that the psychotic, LSD, yogic, and mystical experiences are all plunges into the
same deep inward sea'4; moreover, they all allude to the structures of departure-enlightenment-23
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This thesis can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Thesis.
McConnell, Michael Constantine. Outer Reaches of the Palindrome, thesis, December 2003; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc4407/m1/26/: accessed May 22, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .