Individuation Hijacked: Perils and Potentials of the Heroic and Compulsive Personality

Contact hours: 4 CE contact hours for Licensed NYS Social Workers, Psychoanalysts and Creative Arts Therapists for this program.

"The energy of the central point is manifested in the almost irresistible compulsion and urge to become what one is, just as every organism is driven to assume the form that is characteristic of its nature, no matter what the circumstances.” C.G. Jung

Jung described the individuation process as compulsive, a powerful inner urge that's almost impossible to resist. While the energy behind this urge can lead to the development of a whole and unique personality, it can also be used to compensate for insecurity, leading to the illness of our times, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.

Using Greek myth and modern film, we will explore how the energy inherent in individuation and the archetype of the Hero may be hijacked to prove that we are worthy of love. The original intention of individuation and of the Hero is lost and the personality becomes rigid, controlling, and work-obsessed. Understanding the teleology, the original intent of the urge to individuate, can help us to re-channel this energy into more satisfying and meaningful ways of living. This presentation will be of help to clinicians who treat clients with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD), individuals who struggle with their own compulsive tendencies, and partners of individuals whose personalities have become difficult to deal with because of their rigidity.

Learning Objectives

Distinguish OCD from OCPD.
Identify three characteristics of clients with OCPD.
Identify two adaptive aspects of the compulsive personality.
Identify two key aspects of treating compulsive patients.

Gary Trosclair, DMA, LCSW, is a psychotherapist and Jungian analyst in private practice in New York City and Westchester County, New York. He is president of the New York Association for Analytical Psychology and serves on the faculty of the C.G. Jung Institute of New York. He is the author of The Healthy Compulsive: Healing Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder and Taking the Wheel of the Driven Personality and of the blog The Healthy Compulsive Project. His previous book, I’m Working On It In Therapy: How To Get The Most Out Of Psychotherapy, was described by PsychCentral as "a fascinating look at self-growth, and one that’s useful whether or not you go to therapy."

Contact hours: Four CE contact hours for Licensed NYS Social Workers, Psychoanalysts and Creative Arts Therapists for this program.

The C.G. Jung Foundation for Analytical Psychology, Inc. is recognized by New York State Education Department’s State Board of Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0350

The C.G. Jung Foundation for Analytical Psychology, Inc. is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychoanalysts. #P-0015.

C.G. Jung Foundation for Analytical Psychology, Inc. is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed creative arts therapists, #CAT-0068.