Archetype of the Inner Child

The Inner Child embodies life forces that are beyond the limited boundaries of our conscious mind; it embodies paths and possibilities that our one-sided consciousness has no idea about. It expresses the strongest and most irresistible desire of every being – the desire for self-realization.

Being friends with our inner boys and girls is to have access to spontaneity and immediacy, openness and vulnerability, to fully living each moment of life and enjoying the process, to play and creativity, to dreams and self-belief!

“In his autobiographical book “Memories, Dreams, Reflections” (1961), Jung talks about his remarkable encounter with the Inner Child and how it left an indelible mark on him that lasted the rest of his life. In the chapter “Encounter with the Unconscious,” he describes how a series of unusual dreams left him with a deep sense of inner unrest and a “constant depression.” The emotional distress was so strong that he began to suspect that he had a “mental disorder.” Trying to understand the cause of what was happening, he began to review his childhood memories. But this gave him nothing, and he decided to let the situation develop on its own. It was at this point that he had a vivid and touching memory that turned his entire life upside down.

“I remembered a time when I was ten or eleven years old. During that period, I was terribly fascinated with building structures out of blocks. I could see, as clearly as if it were happening right now, the little houses and castles, gates and vaults that I built, with the bottles used for their construction. Later on, I began to use stones for my constructions, cementing them together with mud. To my amazement, these memories evoked in me a deep, trembling feeling. ‘Aha,’ I said to myself, ‘all of this is still alive within me. The little one inside me has not died and is full of the creative energy that I myself lack. But how can I find a way to reach him?’ It seemed impossible for me as an adult to return to being eleven years old. But there was no other way, and I had to find my way back to my childhood with its childlike playfulness. This was a turning point in my destiny. But I was plagued by endless doubts before I yielded to my own decision. It was painfully humiliating to admit that there was no other path than that of child’s play.”

Jung truly “yielded” and began to collect stones and other building materials for his project: the construction of an entire toy settlement complete with a castle and a church. Every day after lunch, he diligently set to work on his building project, even working on it in the evenings. Although he continued to doubt the sanity of his goal, he nevertheless trusted his impulse, vaguely sensing that there was some hidden sign in it.

“During the course of construction, a certain enlightenment occurred to me and I began to grasp the assumptions that I had previously only vaguely suspected. Of course, I had often asked myself the question about my work: “What is the point of this? You’re building your own little town, as if performing some kind of ritual!” I had no answer, but inside, I had a confidence that I was on the path to discovering my own legend. And the game of construction was just the beginning of that journey.”

Meeting his “Inner Child” unleashed a tremendous creative energy in Jung, allowing him to create the Theory of Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious.

According to Jung, the archetype of the Inner Child symbolizes the future potentials of the conscious personality, bringing balance, wholeness, and vitality to it. The “Inner Child” synthesizes opposing character qualities and unleashes new abilities.

“The dominance of the Child is not only something from the distant past, but also something that exists now; that is, it is not a rudimentary trace, but a system that functions in the present… The Child paves the way for the future transformation of the individual. In the process of individuation, it already anticipates what will result from the synthesis of conscious and unconscious elements in the formation of the personality. Therefore, the archetype of the Child is the unifying symbol that brings together opposites.”

In another chapter, Jung provides an even clearer definition of the archetype of the Child:

“It embodies life forces that exist outside the limited boundaries of our conscious mind; embodies paths and possibilities that our one-sided consciousness has no idea about… It expresses the strongest and most irresistible aspiration of every being, namely – the aspiration for self-realization.”

For Jung, the archetype of the Child means more than just a concept or theory. It was a life-giving source that he often turned to during difficult moments in his personal life and professional career.”

Over time, psychologists began to talk about the fact that in addition to the wonderful Inner Child, we also have a so-called “wounded child” (in psychology, the term “subpersonality” is used to describe various components of the psyche) – the part of the personality that is mainly based on psychological defenses, defensive reactions that were formed by our psyche in childhood.

For example, if parents once ridiculed something in a child or constantly noticed their shortcomings and mistakes, then later in life, the person is unlikely to be confident in their abilities.