The Stages of Life in the Jungian Perspective: A Photo Elicitation Case Study

Ana Carolina Barata Morbach, Janari da Silva Pedroso

Abstract


Background: This single case study examined a 63-year-old man's perceptions of his life course and aging process based on a photo elicitation interview. The basis of the data analysis was the theoretical framework of Carl Gustav Jung's analytical psychology.
Methods: The interview was conducted using five photos selected by the subject. Each photo represented different phases and helped to understand his biography. We have elaborated five thematic axes related to the participant's account: i) childhood, paradise lost; ii) adolescence, seeing time; iii) adulthood, time of action; iv) midlife, consolidation period; and v) old age, the synthesis.
Results: The qualitative findings were consistent with Jung’s ideas about the role of life stages in psychological development. Looking at photos evoked detailed memories and clarified the importance of each phase of life for personality development. The interview showed that there is a continuity of development in old age.
Conclusions: Photo elicitation interviews can be useful for both psychological research and clinical practice. This technique enables the interviewer to adopt a non-directive attitude, facilitates the recall of memories and promotes the projection of inner states onto the photographic images.


Full Text:

PDF

References


Bates, E. A., McCann, J. J., Kaye, K. L., & Taylor, J. C. (2017). “Beyond words”: a researcher’s guide to using photo elicitation in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 14(4), 459–481. https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2017.1359352

Baxter, P., & Jack, S. (2008). Qualitative Case Study Methodology: Study Design and Implementation for Novice Researchers. The Qualitative Report, 13(4), 544-559. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2008.1573

Campbell, J. (1973). The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Campbell, J. (2004). Pathway to Bliss: Mythology and Personal Transformation. New World Library.

Clarke, J. J. (1992). In Search of Jung: Historical and Philosophical Enquiries. Routledge.

Colman, W. (2006). The Self. In Renos K. Papadopoulos (Ed.), The Handbook of Jungian Psychology: Theory, Practice and Applications (pp. 153 –174). Routledge.

Corbett, L. (Ed.). (2014). Successful Aging: Jungian Contributions to Development in Later Life. In L. Sawin, L. Corbett, & M. Carbine (Eds.), Jung and aging: possibilities and potentials for the second half of life (pp. 19–39). New Orleans, LA: Spring Journal Books.

Croghan, R., Griffin, C., & Hunter, J. (2008). Young People’s Constructions of Self: Notes on the Use and Analysis of the Photo-Elicitation Methods. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 11(4), 345–356. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13645570701605707

Dubois, F. (1990). L'Acte photographique et autres essais [The Photographic Act and Other Essays]. Nathan.

Edinger, E. (1961). Ego e Arquétipo: Individuação e Função Religiosa da Psique [Ego and Archetype: Individuation and Religious Function of the Psyche]. São Paulo, SP: Cultrix.

Epstein, I., Stevens, B., McKeever, P., & Baruchel, S. (2006). Photo Elicitation Interview (PEI): Using Photos to Elicit Children’s Perspectives. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 5 (3), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1177/160940690600500301

Harper, D. (2002). Talking about pictures: a case for photo elicitation. Visual Studies, 17(1), 13–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/14725860220137345

Henderson, J. L. (2005). Miti Antichi e Uomo Moderno [Ancient Miths and Modern Man]. In C.G. Jung [Ed.], L’uomo e i suoi simboli (pp. 91–141). Milano: TEA.

Hollis, J. (1993). The Middle Passage: From Misery to Meaning in Midlife. Toronto: Inner City Books.

Glaw, X., Inder, K., Kable, A., & Hazelton, M. (2017). Visual Methodologies in Qualitative Research: Autophotography and Photo Elicitation Applied to Mental Health
Research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069177482154

Kast, V. (1997). Father-Daughter, Mother-Son: Freeing Ourselves from the Complexes That Bind Us. Shaftesbury, Dorset: Element Books.

Jacobi, J. (2013). A Psicologia de C. G. Jung: Uma introdução às obras completas [The Psychology of C. G. Jung: An introduction to the complete works]. Petrópolis, RJ: Vozes.

Jung, C. G. (1953). Two Essays on Analytical Psychology. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

Jung, C. G. (1969a). Psychological Aspects of the Mother Archetype (R. F. C. Hull, Trans, 2th ed.). In H. Read et al. (Series Eds.), The collected works of C.G. Jung (Vol. 9 pt. 1, 2nd. ed., pp. 75-112). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1948)

Jung, C. G. (1969b). Concerning Rebirth. (R. F. C. Hull, Trans, 2th ed.). In H. Read et al. (Series Eds.), The collected works of C.G. Jung (Vol. 9 pt. 1, pp. 113-150). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1948)

Jung, C. G. (1969c). Psychology of the Child Archetype (R. F. C. Hull, Trans, 2th ed.). In H. Read et al. (Series Eds.), The collected works of C.G. Jung (Vol. 9 pt. 1, pp. 151-181). Princeton, NJ: University Press. (Original work published 1948)

Jung, C. G. (1970a). Aion: Researches into the Phenomenology of the Self (R. F. C. Hull, Trans., 2th ed.). In H. Read et al. (Series Eds.), The collected works of C.G. Jung (Vol. 9 pt. 2). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. (Original Work Published 1951).

Jung, C. G. (1970b). Spirit in Man, Art and Literature (R. F. C. Hull, Trans., 2th ed.). In H. Read et al. (Series Eds.), The collected works of C.G. Jung (Vol. 15). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. (Original Work Published 1951)

Jung, C. G. (1976). Symbols of Transformation: An Analysis to the Preludes to a Case of Schizofrenia (R. F. C. Hull, Trans., 2th ed.). In H. Read et al. (Series Eds.), The collected works of C.G. Jung (Vol. 5). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. (Original Work Published 1956)

Jung, C. G. (1979). The Symbolic Life: Miscellaneous Writings (R. F. C. Hull, Trans., 2th ed.). In H. Read et al. (Series Eds.), The collected works of C.G. Jung (Vol. 18). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. (Original Work Published 1957)

Jung, C. G. (1981). Development of Personality (R. F. C. Hull, Trans, 2th ed.). In H. Read et al. (Series Eds.), The collected works of C.G. Jung (Vol. 17). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. (Original Work Published 1957)

Jung, C. G. (2001). The Stages of Life. (W.S. Dell, & C. F. Baynes, Trans.). In Modern Man in Search of a Soul (pp. 109 –131). Kegan Paul. (Original work published 1933)

Jung, C. G. (2013). Tipi Psicologici [Psychological Types]. Torino: Bollati Boringhieri.

Jung, C. G. (2015). The Practice of Psychotherapy: Essays on the Psychology of the Transference and Other Subjects. Routledge. (Original work published 1954)

Minayo, M. C. S. (Ed.). (2001). Pesquisa Social. Teoria, método e criatividade [Social Research. Theory, method and creativity] (18th ed). Petrópolis, RJ: Vozes.

Morbach, A. C. B., & Pedroso, J. S. (2022). Aspects of the development of older adults in the perspective of analytical psychology: a systematic review of qualitative findings. Aging & Mental Health, 26(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2020.1849024

Neumann, E. (1988). The Child: A Landmark Work of Personality Development and the Archetype of the Mother-Child Relationship. New York, NY: Routledge.

Richard, V. M., & Lahman, M. K. E. (2015). Photo-elicitation: reflexivity on method, analysis, and graphic portraits. International Journal of Research & Method in Education, 38(1), 3–22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1743727X.2013.843073

Sawin, L., Corbett, L., & Carbine, M. (Eds.). (2014). Jung and aging : possibilities and potentials for the second half of life. New Orleans, LA: Spring Journal Books.

Sawin, L. (Ed.). (2014). The Case for a Jungian View of Aging. In L. Sawin, L. Corbett, & M. Carbine (Eds.), Jung and aging: possibilities and potentials for the second half of life (pp. 19–39). New Orleans, LA: Spring Journal Books.

Shaw, D. (2013). A New Look at an Old Research Method: Photo-Elicitation. TESOL Journal, 4(4), 785-799. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.108

Silveira, N. (1992). O Mundo das Imagens [The World of Images]. São Paulo, SP: Ática.

Stein, M. (1998). Jung’s Map of the Soul: An Introduction. Chicago, IL: Open Court.

Stein, M. (2006). Individuation. In Renos K. Papadopoulos (Ed.), The Handbook of Jungian Psychology: Theory, Practice and Applications (pp. 196–214). New York, NY: Routledge.

Von-Franz. M.L. (1999). Psicoterapia [Psychotherapy]. São Paulo: Paulus.

Von-Franz, M. L. (2005). Il Processo di Individuazione [The Individuation Process]. In C.G. Jung (Ed.), L’uomo e i suoi simboli (pp. 14 –213). Milano: TEA.

Weiser, J. (2004). Phototherapy techniques in counseling and therapy: Using Ordinary Snapshots and Photo-Interactions to Help Clients Heal their Lives. The Canadian Art Therapy Association Journal, 17(2), 23–51. https://doi.org/10.1080/08322473.2004.11432263




DOI: https://doi.org/10.13129/2612-4033/0110-3428

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.